Climate
Like a lot of Australian states, New South Wales can exhibit quite a lot of climatic variety, both in terms of location and in terms of season. In most of the region, you’ll need to keep a close eye on your hens when the temperature goes above about 29 or 30 degrees, as this is when hens really start to feel the heat. To help, we’ve assembled some tips on keeping your hens nice and cool.
If you live anywhere that gets cold in the winter, such as near the Great Dividing Range or the Snowy Mountains, then you will likely need to take the opposite precautions – you might want to provide thermal insulation to your coop, clean them out more regularly to reduce damp, and provide your hens with more food so that they can keep themselves warm. As above, help and advice is available on extreme temperatures.
Once you've gotten used to keeping hens, why not join a local poultry club?
Before you buy or adopt your chickens, you’ll need to check what chicken-keeping regulations are in place with your local authority. This is especially the case if you live in a residential area, as you will probably have a limit on how many hens you can have. If you live in a built-up area, it’s unlikely that you’ll be allowed to have a rooster, as the noise they produce can be quite irritating for your neighbours!
The rules vary strongly according to what region you live in. For example, at the time of writing, in the centre of Sydney, only two female birds are allowed, whereas in Sutherland Shire, there were no specific restrictions.
Events
New South Wales is a great place to meet other poultry enthusiasts. There are a wide variety of clubs, events, and associations that you can take part in – you just need to know where to look! If you’re on the Mid North Coast, you might want to get in touch with the Wauchope Poultry club. If you’re anywhere near Shoalhaven on the South Coast, you could try the Nowra Poultry club. If you’re near Sydney, have a look at our keeping chickens in Sydney page.
As well as looking online (many clubs have strong online presences nowadays) pet shops and breeders might also have some information on local events you could attend.
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