Hi, I'm Elise McNamara
Ā I'm a chicken expert, consultant, author, speaker, and educator, based in Australia.
Today, I help people like you avoid chicken parasites and diseases so that you can enjoy thriving, healthy, happy hens that will lay for years to come.
Chickens have been my love since I was a toddler in gumboots on my family's dairy farm. I've always bred and raised poultry. I've kept pure breed fowl as show birds and commercial layers (Isa Brown and Hy-Line Brown) for organic egg production in a chicken caravan.
But in 2010 I bought birds that introduced respiratory diseases to my flock.Ā I spent thousands on vet bills trying to eradicate the problem.
This began my obsession with how we can use prevention to keep thriving, healthy birds, free of disease.
This has evolved into my approach of using natural solutions where possible. Commercial management methods such as "All In All Out" don't apply to pets.
Prevention through natural nutrition, excellent husbandry, and reducing stress is key.
And now I help poultry owners and farmers like you to do the same.
In this 6-part, 35-minute video series I'll walk you through the essential steps for backyard chicken success, so you can skip the guesswork, save hours of Googling, and get straight to enjoying your new feathered friends!
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Backyard layer frequently asked questions
Let's jump straight into it! Elise start's this video series with common questions.
In this video Elise compares commercial layers (ISA Browns, Hy-Line Browns, Comets etc) with heritage, pure bred hens. She covers:
- When will my pullets start laying? What's a pullet?
- How many eggs does a chicken lay? (02:04)
- How long does a chicken live for? (03:47)
- Do I need a rooster to get eggs? (05:22)
- How old should my chickens be when I get them? (05:37)
- What's the best time of year to buy pullets? (06:48)
- Choosing the right breed for you, including choosing birds of similar size and age, consider that it's more about the bloodlines than the breed, bantams in small spaces, Poultry Standards in Australia, UK, US (08:28)
Chicken housing for every backyard and the surprising must-haves
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In this video, Elise gives you a checklist of what a chicken house and surrounding space need for healthy and predator-safe chickens:
- Chicken houses (coops) compared to chicken tractors (12:46)
- Wood compared to metal (13:47)
- YourĀ chicken coop (night area) and safe chicken run/outdoor area and space requirements (14:57)
- Ideally facing N/NE if you're in the southern hemisphere, and S/SE if you're in the southern hemisphere (16:44)Ā
- Airflow - do not skip this! (17:16)
- Predator and rodent proofing (17:46)
- Dry and friable litter and Elise's preferred materials (18:37)
- The perfect perch or roost (19:29)
- Nesting boxes - how many, minimum size and where to find examples (19:57):
Chicken nutrition
Chicken nutrition is the foundation of your hens' health. In this video, Elise covers:
- Cool, clean water and different drinkers (20:56)
- Pellets compared to grain (21:30)
- Automatic feeders (22:23)
- The importance of green feed (22:45)
- Grit - soluble and insoluble (23:18)
- Probiotics, poultry vitamin supplements, and free choice seaweed meal (23:55)
- Kitchen scraps - what they can't have (25:05)
Moulting and broodiness
In this video Elise gives an overview of:
- Moulting and where to find more information (26:40)
- Why you should break broodies unless hatching chicks (27:37)
Chicken parasites - The 5 you need to know
In module five, Elise lists the 5 parasites you need to know:
- Worms (28:25)
- Lice and mites (29:17)
- Red mites (31:06)
- Scaly leg mites (32:11)
Chicken disease symptoms
Chicken diseases are very complex. They may be mycoplasma, bacterial or viruses, or a combination. Plus, chickens hide their symptoms until they areĀ really sick. Elise's A-Z Natural Chicken Care Online Course & Coaching Program covers more detailed information on biosecurity chicken stress and health.
In this video, Elise covers:
- Introduction to chicken disease symptoms (32:56)
- Importance of isolating sick or suspected hens to reduce (33:35)
- Ways to find an avian veterinarian and the health book I recommend (33:49)
