Neil Armitage (517)

I am an experienced poultry keeper who has been raising chickens for over 20 years in challenging conditions in Yorkshire, UK. I am passionate about helping people learn about and enjoy the benefits of keeping chickens. I love raising chickens because they are such friendly and productive animals, providing me with fresh eggs, meat, and fertiliser, and they are a lot of fun to watch.
Most people get Silkie chickens to be pets.

Silkie chickens as pets

This si my pet cat. he is no threat to any of my chickens but some cats are a problem.

Bantams and cats

Bantams are smaller than other chickens and need to be kept inside for longer before they are let out to free range.

When can bantams go outside?

Bantam chickens are a lot smaller and quieter than large fowl.

Are bantam chickens quieter?

A splash rose-comb bantam chicken in a show cage

Bantam chicken keeping

This is one of my Barnevelder cockerels resting on the grass in front of a row of trees.

Should you have trees in the chicken run and which ones are the best.

A bucket of fresh eggs collected from my hens. All chickens are seasonal layers to some extent.

Seasonal chickens vs Year round layers

3 white orpington hens and a cockerel on pasture in my garden

Orpington chickens as pets

A young buff coloured orpington chicken, sometimes called a grower.

Breeding Orpington chickens

A close up of a buff orpington showing the characteristics in detail.

Orpington characteristics

Egg shell thickness and strength and how to measure it.

Thickness and strength of eggshells and why it matters.

Chickens forage instinctively, it is not a learned behaviour.

All the chicken behaviours, and which are instinctive or learned.

The mobile air cell in this egg is clearly visible.

Detached, saddled or tremulous air cells and what to do about them.

An egg clearly showing the air sack in the round end.

Air cells in eggs. Where to find them and what are they for.

The floating egg method of testing the freshness of eggs with the results.

How to test eggs for freshness. 4 methods with the results.

A chicken behind bars

The laws and regulations of chicken and poultry keeping.

Terms and conditions.

A chickens having a poop.

Diarrhoea in chickens. What causes it and how to deal with it.

27 actionable ways to save money on chicken feed and keeping costs

27 ways to save money on your chickens and their feed bill.

Orpingtons like the jubilee and the blue are rare and expensive

Where to get Orpington chickens and how much to pay for them.

A trio of white Orpingtons clearly showing the difference in the sexes.

Sexing Orpington chickens, how to tell the boys from the girls.

Marking eggs safely.

How to mark eggs safely.

An chicken hanging after processing.

Keeping and raising Orpington chickens for meat.

3 light brown orpington eggs in a display

The Orpington egg. Size, colour and quantity.

The origins, history and development of the orpington chicken.

The history, origin and development of the Orpington chicken.

A silver laced wyandotte hen showing off her feather patterns

Chicken feather patterns with breed examples, pictures and video.

What to look for in breeding stock and how to choose the best birds

Selecting chickens for breeding. What to look for and some do's and don'ts.

A close up of the eye of a chicken showing the third eyelid or nictitating membrane

What is wrong with my chickens eyes? Diagnose and treat eye problems in chickens.

The chicken keepers survey

Take our poultry keepers survey. New for 2024.

Chicken math in action

Chicken math explained with real examples.

Two Guinea fowl grazing free range.

The complete A to Z of what Guinea fowl can eat.

The life cycle and habits of chicken mites and how to deal with them

Chicken mites, what are they and how to deal with them. With mite FAQ'S.

Pecking order movie review, who will rule the roost

Pecking order (2017) movie review and trailer.

A laying hen's beak in close up.

What is wrong with my chicken's beak?

The girls from my egg flock settling down at bedtime.

A chicken's bedtime: What is it and why does it change?

A chick with an unhealed navel is likely to get infected with Omphalitis or mushy chick disease.

Omphalitis or mushy chick disease and how to prevent and treat it.

A bad hatch with unhatched eggs in the incubator..

Why your eggs aren't hatching and what to do about it.

My egg flock eating some pumpkin seeds.

What seeds can chickens eat? 17 seeds tested and costed.

Some of my chickens getting chopped pineapple as a treat

Can and should chickens be eating pineapple?

This cockerel is showing no signs of stress what so ever.

19 causes of stress in chickens and how to reduce it in your flock.

A flock of chickens that have been cleaning themselves very well.

How do chickens keep themselves clean?

A hen with her comb and wattles in excellent condition.

What is wrong with my chickens comb?

A mother hen with her chicks feeding on pasture

Can and should chickens eat grass and is it good for them?

Gaping and respiratory symptoms are classic infectious bronchitis.

Identification and treatment of infectious bronchitis (IB) in chickens.

My chickens in deep snow when the temperature is 10 Fahrenheit.

What makes chickens cold hardy and which breeds are best?

A few of my laying hens with a leghorn cockerel.

Laying hens and their care.

My chickens eating figs as a treat

Can and should chickens eat figs.

My bantam barnevelders eating

Feeding bantam chickens.

6 Japanese bantam eggs on display

Japanese bantams as egg layers.

A show quality Japanese bantam

Are Japanese bantams friendly?

A prime example of a Japanese bantam at a poultry show

Japanese bantam breed standards and characteristics.

The Japanese bantam is a small ancient breed with a long heritage

The Japanese Bantam.

What products do I recommend for chicken keepers

Recommended products for chicken keepers

Sexing Serama bantam chickens is very difficult

Sexing Serama bantams.

A single serama bantam egg

Serama bantam eggs.

Amazing pictures of Serama bantams

Serama gallery of images.

Raising Serama is a little bit more difficult than other chickens

Raising Serama bantams.

Breeding serama is all about healthy, small birds with attitude.

Breeding Serama bantams.

Serama can eat normal chicken food but prefer it cut smaller

Feeding Serama bantams.

Serama bantams makes easy to care for pets

Serama bantams as pets.

Where to get Serama bantams and how much to pay for them

Buying Serama chickens or hatching eggs

Finding good quality Serama is very difficult.

What to look for in Serama bantams.

Because they are so small Serama take up so little space.

Serama coops and housing.

Because of their small size and susceptibility to predators, Serama are often kept indoors.

Keeping Serama bantams indoors.

A Serama hen does occasionally go broody.

Incubation and hatching of Serama eggs.

There are 4 types of Serama bantams.

Types and varieties of Serama bantams.

The Serama is a modern breed of chickens from the 1970's.

The histroy and origin of the Serama bantam chicken.

A quality Serama cockerel at a poultry show

Showing Serama bantams.

A frizzle Serama bantam at a poultry show.

The Frizzle Serama bantam.

One of the colours of Serama bantams.

Serama bantam colours.

A close up photo of a Serama bantam in a show cage

Characteristics of the Serama bantam.

The serama breed standards include attitude.

Serama bantam breed standards.

A stunning Serama cockerel at a poultry show.

Serama Bantams

A Serama bantam chicken in a show cage

Bantams. A guide to everything you need to know about keeping smaller chickens.

Aspergillosis is a respiratory infection that can cause gaping like this.

Aspergillosis in chickens

My chickens eating chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans

Can chickens eat garbanzo beans or chickpeas?

My chickens eating coconut

Can chickens eat coconut and is it good for them?

A chicken with the classic purple comb and wattles in a Salmonella infection.

Salmonella in chickens. The risks, prevention and treatment.

What to do about chickens with sore, red or bleeding vents or bottoms.

Chickens with bleeding bottoms or vents.

What are the orpington breed standards

Orpington chicken breed standards.