In Christchurch you can keep poultry (apart from noisy roosters) on your residential property. Whether you take in rescued battery hens or try out a fancy breed, keeping healthy, productive poultry can save you money — plus you’ll enjoy the great taste of home-grown eggs.
A few basics about keeping hens
Poultry breeder Heather Cole was a speaker at the Ellerslie International Flower Show 2010. She keeps and sells a “United Nations” of hen and duck breeds, and her advice to would-be poultry-keepers is down to earth and helpful:
- Understand the characteristics of different chicken breeds,
- The quality and quantity of feed is important if you want plenty of eggs.
Read our full interview with Heather.
We recommend poultry resources
Our online resources
- Interview with poultry breeder Heather Cole
- Food issues and ethics
- Read more about the organic lifestyle
Browse the resources in our libraries
- Chickens by Design
- Information about keeping hens in New Zealand backyards and lifestyle blocks. Describes a wide range of hen breeds.
- New Zealand Rare Breeds
- Promotes rare breeds. Has a directory of breeders of rare breeds of poultry.
- Backyard Poultry
- For backyard poultry keepers in Australia and New Zealand. Includes a discussion board.
Add a comment to: Keeping Poultry