This weekend marked a year with the chickens. What a change we’ve seen over that time. Looking back at the pictures of them from that first weekend, when we’d sat through our new henkeepers’ lesson and were still a bit green, they seem to have doubled in size.
They were 17 weeks old, and had yet to lay their first eggs back then, and they had all the physical characteristics of virgin hens, with small combs and sleek bodies. Now they’ve popped out about 1000 eggs between them, and they all boast wonderful deep red combs that wobble about as they strut and peck.
Over that time we’re moved them out of their Omlet Eglu Cube and into far larger compound so they could stretch their legs and wings and have more scratching space.
They’ve experienced their first snow, and once they realised they could eat it got over their fears. We’ve even had a double-yolk egg, which we shared by hard boiling it and putting it in a sandwich.
Most of all, though, we’ve learned to love those awkward creatures that should really only be thought of as farmyard animals, and now we can’t imagine life without them.
And so it’s time to start thinking about expanding our flock. Over time these ones will run dry and the eggs will stop, so we need to introduce some fresh blood over time to keep up the supply.
The quandary, though, is whether we buy new hybrids bred specifically for home laying, or we rescue some ex-battery hens from the battery hen welfare trust. I think we’re leaning towards the second option at the moment, but it’s going to mean a bit of a wait while the next batch of refugees is saved.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Keeping chicken does have a impact on your life. I also have been keeping them for 8 months. It has been a fantastic time for our family.
It also has taught our children so much about responsibility in life. As they help clean our chicken coop and look after out chickens with us.
Jacob Cooperman
Hello Blagger,
if you’re thinking of getting ex-batt chickens, I can only say it is really rewarding, and suprisingly easy.
We collected three ex-batt hens from the battery welfare trust as our introduction to chicken keeping. They were looking very sorry for themselves, but being able to help them grow into the healthy inquisitve chickens we have now has been wonderful. We get an egg each from the two that survived. (The higher mortality rate is the one drawback to ex-batts).
I don’t consider that we’re helping to support the battery system either. The hens we rescuded would have gone to slaughter (and probably into dog food) so we have given them a new life.
A wonderful website, thanks for all the interesting articles.
Matt
In response to the Battery Hen article.I rescued three ex-bats from the BHWT last October and they have all survived and grown into fabulous looking girls!!
We get approx 1-2 eggs a day but about 100 laughs a day from them.The children love them,especially when they come in the house,sit on the sofa and watch tv.
We will always keep ex bats now,and the eggs are a bonus!!