If you’ve ever watched hens happily scratching around, you’ll know that foraging is second nature to them. Chickens love to peck and rummage, searching for treats hidden in the soil. So, if you are keeping chickens, it makes total sense that one of the best ways to support their natural behaviour and boost their nutrition is by offering them live feed. Live grubs are packed with protein and essential nutrients and encourage a more enriched, active lifestyle for your flock.

Why Feed Live Grubs to Chickens?

Adding live grubs to your chickens’ diet is a brilliant way to provide extra protein in a natural way. In the wild, chickens would feed on insects and larvae, so feeding them live grubs mimics this natural diet. The movement of the grubs encourages chickens to actively forage and scratch, keeping them entertained and reducing boredom, which is especially helpful in enclosed spaces.

Live feed also plays a role in overall hen health. Protein is essential for feather growth, egg production, and muscle development. Hens need even more protein when they’re moulting or laying, making live grubs a great addition to their daily feed routine.

What Types of Live Feed Can You Feed Chickens?

At Pipinchick, we offer a variety of live grubs for chickens, each with unique benefits for your birds:

Live Mealworms – A firm favourite with most chickens! Mealworms are high in protein and fat, providing an energy boost, especially in colder months. They are perfect as a treat or to encourage natural foraging behaviour. Shop live Mealworms for chickens here »

Live Calci Worms – These little grubs are a fantastic source of calcium, which is essential for strong eggshells and healthy bones. If you want to support your hens’ overall health while keeping their eggs strong, Calci worms are a great choice. Shop live Calci Worms for chickens here »

Live Mario Worms – A larger grub that takes chickens a bit longer to eat, making them a brilliant enrichment snack. They are packed with protein and have a meatier texture, keeping hens engaged for longer while delivering important nutrients. Shop live Mario Worms here »

How to Feed Live Grubs to Your Chickens

Feeding live grubs to chickens is easy and rewarding. Simply scatter them onto the ground, and your hens will immediately start scratching and pecking as they hunt for their tasty snack. You can also mix them into your chickens’ regular feed or put them in a shallow dish.

Live feed can be given as an occasional treat or a more regular part of their diet, particularly during the colder months, moulting season, or when extra protein is needed. Just be sure to balance treats with their usual high-quality feed to maintain a well-rounded diet.

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Happy Hens Means Healthy Eggs

Providing your flock with live grubs isn’t just about nutrition—it’s about encouraging their natural instincts, promoting activity, and keeping them happy. A well-fed, stimulated hen is more likely to lay delicious, nutrient-rich eggs, and there’s nothing better than knowing your birds are thriving.

At Pipinchick, we believe in giving chickens the best quality of life possible and adding the live feed to their diet is a fantastic way to enrich their day. Whether you choose Mealworms, Calci Worms, or Mario Worms, your hens will love you for it!

Take a look at our selection of live feed and treat your flock to something they’ll go wild for!

How to Keep Your Chickens Happy and Healthy During Flockdown

Avian Flu, or bird flu, is a contagious virus that affects both poultry and other wild birds. In response to a rise in cases, the UK government has introduced strict measures to protect both domestic and wild bird populations. As of Monday, 27th January 2025, several Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) have been declared in the UK. To check if your area is affected, you can check this interactive map. 

This means if you are a bird keeper in any of these areas, whether you have a handful of hens in the garden or a large commercial flock, you must follow strict biosecurity rules to help stop the virus from spreading.

The Main Avian Flu Restrictions Currently in Place Include:

• Housing Requirements – All poultry and captive birds must be kept indoors or in a fully covered run to reduce contact with wild birds, which are a primary source of infection.
• Biosecurity Measures – Bird keepers must take extra precautions, including:
  • Regularly clean and disinfect hands, clothing, footwear, and equipment before and after handling birds.
  • Minimising movement in and out of bird enclosures.
  • Storing feed and water in a way that prevents access by wild birds.
  • Keeping the area free from vermin to prevent contamination.

These rules are legally enforceable and apply to all poultry keepers, no matter the size of their flock. While the UK Health Security Agency has assessed the risk to humans as very low, it's important to stay vigilant. Any suspected cases of Avian Flu must be reported to DEFRA immediately, which you can do here. 

For the latest government updates and full guidance, visit the official website: GOV.UK.

What To Do If Your Chickens Show Signs of Bird Flu

Avian Flu spreads quickly, and early detection is key. If you notice any of the following symptoms in your flock, take action immediately:

• Swollen head, eyes, or neck
• Sudden loss of energy or appetite
• Blue discolouration of the comb and wattles
• Sneezing, coughing, or wheezing
• Diarrhoea
• Sudden and unexplained death

If your birds show any of these signs, report it to DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs). Do not move your birds, and avoid contact with other poultry keepers until you receive guidance on what to do next.

Keeping Your Chickens Happy and Healthy During Avian Flu Restrictions

All chicken keepers in Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) must follow the latest guidelines to protect their birds. Keeping chickens indoors or in a covered run is crucial to stopping the virus from spreading, but it can come with challenges.

Chickens love their routines. If they're used to free-ranging around the garden, they might get bored or even a little frustrated when suddenly confined to a smaller space. The good news is there are plenty of ways to keep them entertained, active, and stress-free while following the current guidelines.

Making The Most Of A Large Run

If you have space for a covered run, this will give your chickens more room to move around while staying protected. Here are some simple ways to keep the space interesting:

Perches at Different Heights – Chickens love to hop up onto things. Adding tree branches, wooden planks, or even an old ladder gives them places to roost and explore.

Hanging Greens – Tie up bunches of leafy greens like cabbage, kale, or broccoli. This keeps them busy pecking while also providing extra nutrition.

Dust Bath Areas – A shallow tray filled with dry soil, sand, and a bit of wood ash helps chickens keep their feathers clean and mites at bay.

Scratching Zones – Scatter some poultry-safe grains or mealworms into a pile of straw to encourage natural foraging behaviour.

Take a look at all of our range of walk-in runs here, and if you use code chickenrun2025 until the 28th Feb you can get 5% off.

Boredom Busters for Chickens

Chickens are curious creatures, and without their usual space to roam, they'll need a few extra distractions. Here are some easy and affordable boredom busters:

Chicken-Safe Treat Balls – A sturdy, perforated ball filled with corn or seeds makes a great toy that encourages pecking and movement. Take a look at our chicken treat balls here.

Mirrors and Reflective Surfaces – Some hens enjoy looking at themselves, and a small, securely fastened mirror can provide entertainment.

Logs and Branches – Arranging logs or branches in different ways encourages climbing and exploration.

DIY Pecking Toys – A plastic bottle with holes poked in it, filled with mealworms or grain, makes a great interactive treat dispenser.

Pumpkins or Melons – Cut in half and left in the run, these make for a tasty, time-consuming snack.

PoleTree Chicken Perch - A quick and easy to install, ready made solution to create a stimulating and sociable staircase of perches. Take a look at our PoleTree chicken perches here.

For more boredom buster ideas for chickens, you take a look at this article:

Pipinchick for Happy and Healthy Chickens

Keeping chickens isn't just about eggs – it's about enjoying their quirky personalities and giving them the best care possible. Chickens are intelligent, social animals, and a little extra effort during these restrictions will help keep them happy and engaged. With a bit of creativity, their temporary indoor life can be just as enriching as their usual outdoor adventures. 

For more updates and tips on keeping your flock happy, you can follow Pipinchick on Instagram or Facebook. Take a look at our range of large chicken runs here (don't forget we have 5% off with code chickenrun2025 until the 28th Feb. We also have all the poultry supplies you'll need to keep your chickens happy and healthy during Flockdown and beyond. 

3. Water Management

Hydration is really important to keep on top of in summer for your chickens and cold water is going to be your hens’ best friend during the summer months. Chickens don’t sweat so they can overheat quickly especially in warmer weather and then they can quickly become dangerously dehydrated. To counteract the risk of dehydration, ensure a constant supply of fresh, clean water is readily available within the coop and run area. Spill-proof waterers are a good investment as they minimise wastage and help avoid contamination. You can also relocate your waterers to the shady areas and consider using insulation to keep their water source cool. Timetable regular checks throughout the day to ensure the water is cool and plentiful.

4. Dust Bathing Opportunities

Chickens have a predisposition to enjoy dust bathing as part of their daily grooming routine. It helps to control pests and keep feathers and skin healthy. Allowing plenty of areas for dust bathing becomes particularly important in warmer weather when parasites are more common. Regularly replenish the dust bathing material to keep it clean and effective in controlling parasites and offer up different areas, including one in the shade. We recommend checking your housing paying particular attention to perch ends, in the nest boxes and any cracks and crevices. If you find any red mites act as soon as you can to avoid them getting out of control to prevent them impacting on your bird’s health. A tip is to quietly look in the coop with a torch after dark – they mostly come out then. If you get a sheet of white paper and press any red mites you find onto it, red streaks will appear. To rid the coop of red mites, remove any litter and use a detergent to wash down, then allow to dry. There are also products that can be used to remove the Red Mite eggs, as well as the Red Mite.

5. Predator Prevention

Electric Netting -
Using electric netting for poultry has long been seen as the best. Electric netting fences keep both poultry in and predators out as they provide a 'blanket coverage' going from ground level up to 105cm. The gaps in the netting start off at 5cm horizontal spacings (even bantams won't escape through them) and get increasingly larger as they get higher.

Post & Twine / Wire -
Another very effective method of fencing in poultry and keeping foxes / dogs out and it has the advantage of being a more flexible method than using netting as it can hug the contours of the ground very easily. This method is not as effective at keeping smaller birds in as it doesn't hug the ground as closely as the netting and they can escape under the lines if they find a dip in the ground.

In summary

With careful planning, and consistent attention to your flock, summertime need not cause any extra worry, just more time to spend outdoors enjoying the better weather and your wonderful chickens. Here at Pipinchick Silkies, we have chickens for sale and hens for sale and like to do our very best to help our customers, whether or not they are new to keeping chickens, with any questions they have on suitability and environment.

Getting mites in your coop is pretty heart breaking, your poor hens will be itchy and uncomfortable. Red Mites along with other mites live on the bird but can

Chickens are becoming increasingly popular as pets in the UK as they are fairly easy to look after, have tremendous personalities and also give a little something back in the form of delicious eggs. We love every chicken we raise on our farm and want to make sure that each home they go to has a good idea of the best way of looking after our beautiful chickens. We are able to give you advice in person or via phone or email to make sure your chickens stay healthy and happy.

Choosing Your Chickens

Now comes the fun bit, choosing which chickens you would like to keep. We have a beautiful range of chickens from you to choose from including Silkies, hybrid chickens, bantams hens, large pure bread chickens and more. You can view our buying guide here or give us a call and arrange a visit to see the chickens in the flesh!

Myth 3 – Chickens will be noisy and annoy the neighbours

Unlikely, since hens only cluck very softly, mostly in the morning, or when they are laying eggs or communicating with each other. Some breeds are more vocal than others, so if noise is a concern you may want to select a quieter breed, such as Ameraucana.

If you are worried about roosters, who are certainly rather noisier (and they do NOT only crow at dawn, since their role is to warn of danger amongst other things) then you do not need to keep any of these, your hens will lay eggs perfectly well without them, these eggs are just infertile and cannot develop into chicks. If you do have a rooster, then eggs need to be collected daily and kept in a cool place, so that they do not develop into chicks.

Myth 4 – Chickens will wreck the garden

In fact, chickens can be a real asset to your garden, they will happily eat insects, snails and weeds. They scratch at the soil, which can both aerate it and reduce pests. If they are allowed to roam where you plant too, they will leave droppings which act as excellent fertilizer for many plants. Otherwise, you can add these droppings to your compost to help enrich this.

Of course, free roaming hens are happier hands, so to some extent, space does matter but if you do not want the chickens to have complete freedom in your garden, then they will be pretty content with at least 10 square feet to roam in, adjusted based on breed and coop design of course.

Myth 5 – Keeping chickens will mean fresh eggs every day

Egg production really varies. Some hens take a long time before they become comfortable enough to start laying and then there are significant differences between breeds. Some, such as our Ardennaise Bantams lay more consistently, up to 180 small white eggs a year, or for a more cuddly option, the Bearded Silkie, with up to 100 medium eggs annually. Depending on how much of a pet you want your chickens to be, whether you have children, want a garden companion, all of this will help determine the right birds for you, not egg production alone.

Egg production also varies seasonally, chickens lay fewer eggs during winter due to the reduced daylight hours. Annual molting that chickens undergo will also affect how many eggs are produced as will the general health and age of your hens. If you are interested in keeping chickens just for the eggs then you need to be fully aware that the eggs can be somewhat inconsistent.

Here at Pipinchick Silkies, we have chickens for sale and hens for sale and like to do our very best to help our customers, whether or not they are new to keeping chickens, with any questions they have on suitability and environment. We will help advise you on which breeds are likely to get along, what you need to do to give your birds the best start in their new homes and we offer all our customers 100 percent aftercare too, so if after reading these debunked myths there are any other pressing questions you have, do not hesitate to get in touch, we would love to help you out!

4. Spring Diet

- Adjust their diet to meet the increased nutritional demands of laying during spring i.e. higher protein and more vitamin D.

- Provide a balanced layer feed with sufficient calcium.

- Offer fresh greens, vegetables, and fruits to provide additional nutrients.

- Offer additional water-soluble Calcium tonics such as Agrivite Feather Shell and Bone and offer treats with extra oyster shell.

5. Monitor Egg Production

- Keep track of egg production and watch for any abnormalities

- A sudden decrease in egg production or changes in egg quality can indicate health issues.

- Ensure a proper nesting environment to encourage laying in appropriate places.

6. Health Checks

- Conduct regular health checks, looking for signs of illness such as lethargy, changes in eating habits, or abnormal droppings.

7. Provide Adequate Water

- Ensure a clean and abundant water supply.

- Hens need ample water for egg production and overall health.

- Clean water containers regularly to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria

8. Preventative Measures

- Implement biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction of diseases.

- Control access to the coop and run to reduce the risk of disease transmission.

- Quarantine new birds before introducing them to the existing flock.

9. Natural Lighting

- Spring provides longer days, which can positively influence egg production.

- Ensure that hens have access to natural light, every day, during the day.

10. Observe Behaviors

- Spend time observing your flock's behavior

- Healthy hens will be active, alert and engage in normal activities.

- Address any behavioral changes promptly, as they may indicate health issues.

By paying attention to these aspects of care, you can help ensure that your laying hens remain healthy and productive during the spring season. Regular observation and prompt action are key to addressing any health concerns that may arise. For more information about chickens for sale and hens for sale, contact the Pipinchick Silkies team here.

4. Prevent Frostbite

If you're planning to purchase chickens, be aware of the potential for frostbite. Applying petroleum jelly to the combs and wattles creates a protective barrier. Additionally, check that roosts are wide enough to prevent contact between their feet and the cold surface, safeguarding them from frostbite on their toes.

Finally, ensuring good ventilation and gentle circulation of air will help keep the coop smelling good and promote dry air within the coop. Dry air makes it easier for chickens to stay warm and prevents your chickens from getting frost bite.

5. Monitor Egg Production

When you buy chickens for the first time, it is a steep learning curve and whilst it is exciting to see your first egg production, you can expect a natural decline during winter. This said, you should still expect your hens to be laying regularly. Added to this, by collecting your eggs in frequently, you will prevent freezing and cracking. If there's a significant drop in production over the colder months, investigate potential causes such as stress, illness, or nutritional deficiencies in the hens for sale.

By keeping the above tips in mind and factoring in daily checks to your chickens, you can expect happy birds, even in colder weather conditions. Through regular monitoring and adjustments based on your chosen breed of chickens, you will ensure a happy, healthy and productive flock.

For more information about chickens for sale and hens for sale, contact the Pipinchick Silkies team here.

5. Perches or Roosting Bars

Chickens naturally roost at night to sleep. Providing roosting bars or perches in the coop gives them a safe and elevated place to sleep. Make sure the perches are flat and wide enough for your chickens to balance comfortably. Ideally, allow around 8-10 inches of roosting space per bird.

6. Toys and Enrichment

Chickens are curious birds that benefit from mental and physical stimulation. Consider adding various toys and enrichment activities to their environment. Hanging chicken treat bags, mirrors, or even simple objects like a cabbage or a flock block can entertain your chickens. These distractions keep chickens from getting bored, which can lead to pecking and other negative behaviors.

These accessories, when combined with a clean and safe living environment, contribute to your chickens’ happiness and wellbeing. They ensure that your chickens have a comfortable place to lay eggs, rest, socialise, and entertain themselves. Happy chickens are not only more content but also tend to be healthier and more productive in terms of egg-laying.

Pipinchick Silkies have chickens for sale and hens for sale so please contact the team for more information.

3. Regulations

Check local regulations and bylaws regarding chicken keeping. Some areas may have restrictions on the number of chickens you can keep or specific coop requirements.

4. Sourcing Chickens

Decide whether you want to buy chicks, pullets (young hens), or mature hens at point of lay (POL). Each has its advantages and considerations. Choose reputable sources that have chickens for sale or hens for sale like hatcheries, breeders, rearers or rescue organisations. At Pipinchick, we ensure all our birds are healthy and vaccinated and we rear all our hens from chicks ensuring they are well socialised and ready for you to have as pets or layers.

5. Health and Biosecurity

Learn about common chicken diseases and how to prevent them through biosecurity measures. Quarantine new birds before introducing them to your existing flock to prevent disease spread, this is relevant if you are buying breeds from multiple places, never buy unvaccinated hens.

6. Feeding and Nutrition

Provide a balanced diet with commercial chicken feeds that meets their life stage requirements (starter crumb, grower, layer). Chickens should be fed the relevant pellet feed as 80-90% of their overall diet. You can then add treats and supplements top, but be careful over treating, too much can cause runny bottoms, fat gain, halt in egg production and can stop your hens eating their pellet feed. Some foods you can treat include, melon, berries, corn, seeds, oats and edible flowers. Do not feed anything from the nightshade family such as potatoes, tomatoes, peppers they can also not have avocado skins or pits, dried beans or legumes, apple seeds, apricot pits or leaves or processed human foods like chocolate, cake etc...

7. Egg Production

If egg production is your goal, consider breeds known for high egg production such as Hybrids, always bear in mind Hybrid chickens will lay prolifically for up to 3 years when they tend to slow or stop completely, this can also be accompanied with additional health problems such as egg peritonitis or egg binding, they also require a lot of room as they are foraging breed and need space. Pure breeds will ley less a week and tend to stop for longer periods, during the winter, however, their natural cycle can continue for up to 10years, they also tend to fair better in smaller areas and like more human interaction. Ensure you offer plenty of nesting boxes that are in quiet, darkened locations and that they are clean, comfortable, and easily accessible for egg collection.

8. Social Behaviour

Chickens are social animals and thrive in flocks. Keep at least two or three birds to prevent loneliness. Breen compatibility is important so always ask your Pipinchick team what breeds can work together or check our Breed Compatibility guide on our website. Observe and manage any aggressive or bullying behavior among your flock, don’t be shy, feel free to ask us for any help needed if you do have bully birds in your flock.

9. Daily Care

Be prepared for daily tasks like feeding, watering, and egg collection. Regularly cleaning of the coop and run and provide fresh bedding once a week.

10. Predators and Security

Protect your chickens from predators like foxes, badgers, weasels, and birds of prey. Secure the coop with strong locks and small gauge chicken wire. Consider an automatic coop door closer to protect your chickens at night, never rely on this soley and always check all of your hens have gone in safely. By carefully considering these ten factors, you will be well on your way to successfully raising chickens on your UK smallholding or back garden. Remember that chickens can be delightful and rewarding additions to your homestead when given proper care and attention.