New girls in the flock!

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As you may remember we have some hens who are re-homed ex-battery layers, obtained through the charity the British Hen Welfare Trust. We still have one of our first 3 hens from over two years ago and two from last year so now we just acquired another two scrawny sorry-looking specimens, who haven't yet got the hang of outdoor living; one of them spends almost all her time inside and only comes out to eat. I think now I've got a better understanding of what to expect - although hens can apparently live up to 20 years I think after the intense battery life and the fact they are bred specially to be as productive as possible as quickly as possible they run out of steam after another year or two. But at least they get to enjoy more than half their lives outdoors so that's a good thing. These two have been christened Feathery and Beaky and seem to be settling in OK. They quickly found the food supply and seemed quite excited to eat grass as well, but they look as though they find the feel of grass strange to walk on, often holding one foot high and then putting it down very carefully. They are getting a bit more used to the great outdoors although Beaky is still not that keen, I think she may be finding it cold as well but luckily I can see new feathers growing so she will soon have her own wearable duvet to keep her snug. All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2016.