Autumn is an excellent time to evaluate what you have in the poultry pens says Janice Houghton-Wallace The classic musical song 'Summertime - and the living is easy' certainly has a measure of truth about it and this can be applied to poultry as well. The hot summer days - although sometimes a little too hot - see birds sunbathing, scratching about for insects and grazing on whatever is tempting them. The long, light evenings allow you plenty of time for other duties - even other pastimes - before the sun starts to go down and you need to shut the birds up for the night.

And even though summertime came rather late this year, when it did come it seemed to last forever and when this happens we tend to put the cold, wet days of winter to the back of our minds. But autumn is a good time to think about those harsh times ahead and evaluate what we have in the poultry pens, for it's an ideal opportunity to have a tidy up and sort out what really deserves to be kept over the winter period. This way your flock will stand a good chance of staying fit and your work load may well be lessened as a result.

Handling gives an insight Take a good look at all the birds and be honest about whether or not they are fit and worth keeping. Handle each and every one because that gives you a much better idea of whether they are thriving or not. Although a bird may look reasonably healthy from a distance, it is possible that the feathers are hiding a different story. The breast and breast bone will tell you a great deal about the bird's condition and if the bone is very prominent and there is little flesh on the breast then the bird is ailing with something that is causing it to lose weight. Even if a bird is moulting it is possible to recognise if they are still fit but just featherless, or very low and the moult is the last thing they want to cope with.

Should you discover a bird that is not in a healthy condition decide what needs to be done and carry it out, rather than leave it in a pen and let nature take its course. It could be that a thorough worming and external parasite control is needed - which would be advisable anyway - or it could be something more serious in which case veterinary advice and possibly antibiotics or other medication may be required.

At the end of each breeding season there are usually elderly hens that are well past producing their best again. I know in lots of cases they are kept as you hope for the best, because maybe, they could be egg layers for one more season, or broodies should they go that way and remain useful. But is this false economy and sentiment? Pets of course come into a different category but even here you have to think of the bird's welfare before anything else. If they really are past their best is it right to let them struggle on through the cold wet days? Even if they are housed the cold may finish some off before spring comes round again and could the space they are in be put to better use?

Reduce the surplus males The young birds should also come in for what could or should be a ruthless inspection. How many cockerels and/or drakes did you hatch this year? If the answer is 'lots' then attend to the situation before they begin to harm one another or any females that may be within their sight. It is a very distasteful task to put to death a perfectly healthy bird but it could end up kinder to the other birds on the property. Excess males, whether large fowl, bantam, waterfowl or turkey can end up being expensive accessories and are difficult to sell, unless you have a stunning example of a certain breed and someone is after new blood for his or her flock. Certainly it is sensible not to cut down to just one male if you have a good bloodline because once you do that you are tempting fate and the one remaining bird will be sure to keel over and die. But there is a sensible route and a few males instead of many males will be a lot easier to look after and the females will also thank you.

Whichever species of poultry you keep, all groups of birds have a pecking order. Most of the time birds cope as long as they respect their place in that order. However, occasionally you can get a bully and just as in any other species, including humans, this should be stopped or the individual being victimised will have a very miserable life indeed. If birds have a large area in which to roam bullying may not be quite so dramatic, just so long as there are sufficient feeders and drinkers for those victimised to eat and drink without being harassed.

Bullies will cause problems The problem is intensified though if the birds need to be housed, when generally, they will be in less spacious surroundings. A bully in a small housed pen can cause misery on a grand scale, ending up with the victim not eating sufficient, becoming nervy and depressed, losing condition to the point when immunity is affected and the downhill road goes on until the bird dies. There could also be bullying where severe physical damage is done and once blood is seen, or red to be more precise, the others will peck at it relentlessly and could eventually kill it. So remove an aggressive bully and it's advisable not to pen it separately in the belief that it will calm down. It is rare that a bully can be returned to a pen a different character and whilst it is in a separate pen it is more work for you.

I'm certainly keeping my fingers crossed that we stay clear of Avian influenza this autumn but it is worth thinking about how you would house your birds if it became necessary to do so. In no way am I trying to frighten people by raising this subject again but tests on dead birds - albeit only a few - proved positive for H5N1 in Germany and the Netherlands during August. If there was an outbreak of Avian influenza in the UK and the Government demanded that birds be housed we would have to respect the law of the land. It makes sense to think about how you would do this before having to, because this could save time and money.

There is a lot of excellent poultry housing available but consider whether or not you would be happy for your birds to be in it 24 hours a day before purchasing. If the house has a bird proof enclosed pen with it then indeed, it may be eminently suitable; for housing birds really means keeping them contained and away from wild birds. But look around your property and see if there is a shed or another building whereby whatever is in it now could be moved, so that the particular building could house your birds throughout a disease risk period or during dreadful weather in the winter. If you can do this you will have done the best for your birds and your workload should also be eased.

If however you keep waterfowl, the problem of housing them becomes more difficult as severe welfare problems can occur if they are contained indoors. Therefore, if they have to be penned it is even more important that you do not have too many 'hangers on' over the winter period.

Biosecurity is also important and as well as disinfectant and keeping houses, drinkers and feeders regularly cleaned, control of vermin is essential. Rodents do a lot of damage to equipment and feed, as well as carry disease. Any housing needs to be fox proof, not only to prevent fox kills but to prevent disease. It is interesting that the final epidemiological report on the spread of the outbreak of low pathogen Avian influenza in Norfolk earlier this year was attributed to foxes.

After giving your poultry a thorough inspection and possibly deciding that some have to go, do not attempt to despatch the birds yourself unless you have been trained. You can either take the bird or birds to your vet, who will euthanase them for you with a lethal injection, or get an experienced person to do it for you by neck dislocation. The Humane Slaughter Association is an organisation able to give advice on slaughter of poultry at home and how and where you can learn to carry out such a task yourself.

Humane Slaughter Association, The Old School House, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Herts., AL4 8AN Tel: 01582 831919