Revive an Old Girl
A quick tip and a lifesaving one for an old girl, that being a battery hen from a chicken factory. We have great pleasure in rescuing chickens from our local chicken factory for the very cheap price of $4. The old girl is usually still laying but comes out looking very scrawny, the pale piece that sits on their head which flops over (not sure what it is called), and missing feathers (which I think is because they have over-heated living conditions and have filtered light). We bring them home (best in pairs so the remaining hens do not hen peck them too much). They are terrified at first and we put them in a safe place (an old chicken coop) and fenced off from the other chickens. Slowly they assimilate with the other hens and our dogs and after a week or two we open the door to the fence and let them roam around our backyard (free and in direct sunlight and any other weather conditions. What happens? We have a chicken that grows many more feathers, the piece on top of her head goes red and sits up straight in time and she lays eggs - every day! She is happy, the kids are happy, we are happy!
TIP - Our chickens choose to roost next to our kitchen window on top of the barbecue where they can see in and feel the heat and without any shelter although they could choose anywhere in the backyard. When it rains they run under the cubby house but never do they venture into the old chicken coop again. We have since put a cover over our barbecue for hygiene reasons but they can still feel the warmth.
We now have 4 chickens and my sons know them by name from the thing on top of their head. Happy hens! Happy us! And at a bag of seed for $20 which lasts a couple of months - they are a great saving. Four eggs x seven days - that's many a free egg.
Contributed by Carol Heagney
TIP - Our chickens choose to roost next to our kitchen window on top of the barbecue where they can see in and feel the heat and without any shelter although they could choose anywhere in the backyard. When it rains they run under the cubby house but never do they venture into the old chicken coop again. We have since put a cover over our barbecue for hygiene reasons but they can still feel the warmth.
We now have 4 chickens and my sons know them by name from the thing on top of their head. Happy hens! Happy us! And at a bag of seed for $20 which lasts a couple of months - they are a great saving. Four eggs x seven days - that's many a free egg.
Contributed by Carol Heagney