Here's the chook pen in all its over-engineered, Taj Mahal like glory.
And the girls' accommodation. Complete with gas lanterns and railings to tie the horses when the roosters ride into to town and call in to visit. No, not really. It's not that sort of a hen house!
And here are a couple of the girls.
They look a bit scrawny and tattered because they're ex-battery hens. Hubby heard from one the neighbours that one of the egg farms sells their hens off for $5 when they're not 'producing as well as they should' ie, they drop down to an egg ever day or two rather than pumping out two eggs a day. We've been told that within a couple of months of space, food and care they'll be back to an egg a day and a couple of months after that they should have regrown their feathers and look a little more, um... attractive. In the meantime they're having a ball scratching in the dirt, pigging out on vegie scraps and exploring their pen.
And the kids are having a ball checking on the chooks every five minutes, reporting back to us on how the girls are doing and collecting the eggs. Because, despite them being considered 'past it' and 'poor layers' the six chooks have still pumped out five eggs each day. I'm hoping that means they aren't too traumatised and are loving their new home.
5 comments:
Thats so cool, I really want to get some chooks, (maybe after the wedding) if I do you'll have to give me the name of where you got them so I can rescue a couple of hens too
Looks great! When's the breakfast BBQ with all those lovely eggs????
WOW! That is an amazing chook house. I'm sure the hens wouldn't mind the odd rooster visiting now and then. ;)
I've had ex-battery hens too and they do recover from their scrawniness and featherlessness. That's so kind of you to give them such a nice home.
My parents have had chooks in the backyard since 1983. I have never known them to lay more than one egg per day - yet another reason to NOT buy Cage Eggs. How horrific.
With six chooks you can reasonably expect five eggs each day, that's pretty much what mum and dad's chooks produce. And yes, well done for giving ex-caged chooks a chance at freedom! How wonderful! I might see if Canberra's battery hen business also offers this option.
PS that is an AMAZING chook house!
@Amanda - will do, just let me know when you want the info.
@Anne - when I get back!
@Sarah - Thanks!
@Trish - We always had chooks when I was a kid too and Hubby and I've had them before as well. You're right, 5 eggs a day is good by anyone standards and I think the whole battery thing it totally barbaric.
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