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My sister has taken in some new guests. Twenty former battery hens she's rescued from a fate worse than dog meat. Between 12 and 18 months of age, the egg production rate of the average battery hen slows, so it's no longer cost effective for chicken farmers to keep them laying. After that, kkKKk!(Imagine me drawing a finger across my throat while making that noise: you get the picture.)
The farmer who sold my sister these hens claimed they wouldn't be much good for anything now. Having spent their whole lives in boxes, they wouldn't behave like normal chickens if given their freedom. They wouldn't roost, they wouldn't scratch for food, they certainly wouldn't lay. Guess what? They're doing all three, happily pecking their way around the field, having quickly become accustomed to their new environment. They're cheeky little blighters too - not afraid of the camera, and they've already shown the geese who's boss.
As you can see from the photo, they still need to grow back a few feathers, but other than that they're now home free on the range.
“Kiss Dolls Commercial” Theme
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Rock God Cred Report: Click here to check the “Kiss Doll Commercial”
theme…the song still makes me laugh out loud.
30 minutes ago
9 rants and reactions:
Good for you. Or rather your sister.
Anyway, I thoroughly approve.
What a lovely story. There is a woman who lives near us who, I think, started up the whole battery house rescue thing several years ago. I was really keen to "adopt" some hens until my partner pointed out that the deeds of our house specifically prohibit keeping any livestock. I was gutted! Anyway, this is the woman's website www.bhwt.org.uk/
There's a wonderful slide show on there of lots of batty-looking hens!
That's an great feel good story, I'm jealous because that's such a cool thing to do that we're not in the position to do right now.
I'm glad the chickens proved the 'farmer' wrong.
Needless to say we avoid caged eggs!
What a lovely life affirming story to start the week. Nice to know that battery chicken rehabilitation is possible.
That reminds me, must go to KFC tonight....
Good for her. But I hope she fares better than our foray into keeping hens last year. They were great, and good company, but then came the foxes, and rats by the score, which undermined buildings and gnawed their way through doors into garages and sheds (they have expensive tastes...like the hose for a jet sprayer, which cost several hundred eggs to replace). The rats brought an owl...lovely, except that it perched on a gutter and poo'd high adhesion concrete down the house. Then one hen went broody, squatting in the laying box and snarling, and they all stopped...and...and
AMKT - good to hear it's a thriving business, not just in this neck of the woods.
Lee - you do right to avoid caged eggs, it's very difficult to break the shell.
Davey - you know what they say about ex-vegetarians?
BT - fortunately my sister has years of chicken experience, so she's not afraid of a little broodiness. Plus, she's had to put up with me all my life too!
Sharon keeps going on about rescue battery hens and I must admit, I was a little sceptical at first. But, if you know people with half a dozen "normal" hens and they all start laying regularly then you'll have more eggs than you'll ever need. Maybe these are better in that respect and it's great that they can have some freedom after their "productive" life.
Sis has had loads of "normal" hens over the years, this is the first time she's taken in rescue chucklers... but as I say, the eggs are flowing fast.
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