Poultry-keeping is becoming more and more popular as people become increasingly aware of the importance of good, nutritious food, and unwilling to buy eggs which may have come from battery-farmed hens, routinely dosed with antibiotics and other chemicals. Hens need remarkably little space, even the smallest garden can accommodate a pair - and there's no need to worry about upsetting your neighbours with noise, you don't need a cockerel to get eggs from your hens. Of course if you live in the country, it's possible to enjoy keeping a whole flock of hens, which will ensure you a steady supply of eggs, and lots of manure for the garden too.
If you don't mind what your chickens look like, then why not consider taking in hens rescued from battery farms. This is very satisfying, as you know that you'll be giving your hens a longer, happier life. In battery farms the environment is controlled to encourage the hens to produce more eggs, which has the result that within 12 months, the hens are considered "spent" and are slaughtered. Given a new home as pets, and producing far fewer eggs, the hens will live for at least another two or three years.
If you do adopt battery hens then be aware that they will have been living in cages about 8 x 10" and will not have had perches to roost on. This means that they will arrive with few feathers and be totally unaccustomed to any sort of freedom. Their legs won't be strong enough to reach their roosting perches at first, so you may need to provide a ramp for them to reach the roose. They will usually have been debeaked, but foraging free-range will in time restore the beak's natural shape.
You will need to feed your hens a proprietary pelleted feed, which can be organic if you choose, but if not, then be sure to select one that's suitable for free-range birds. This feed will ensure they receive their essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, but you should also scatter grain on the ground to encourage them to begin to scratch, forage and range more widely. You should also provide poultry grit which helps break down the grain in the hen's gizzard. They will also enjoy kitchen scraps, but don't give them any meat, or scraps that are too salty.
Fresh, clean water should always be readily available, and place it in the shade as hens don't like drinking warm water. And don't forget to shut them safely away from any predators at bedtime.
Once you've mastered these simple, basic rules of poultry-keeping you'll find that hens are very little trouble to care for. And think how you'll enjoy those trips out into the garden in your linen apron, basket over your arm, to collect those still-warm eggs for breakfast, cakes or any other cooking you're planning to do.
| Helen Dickson is the owner of DevonBear Designs. She designs and makes a small range of really practical - and pretty - textile items and stationery all inspired by the wonderful coast and countryside of South Devon, England. Helen is a talented watercolour artist and all DevonBear Designs products feature one of her images. Visit her site at http://www.devonbeardesigns.com |
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