Hens

We've got hens. Why do you ask?

Yes.

I think my post was triggered by cats vs. Dogs and I thought "oh, no hens". We have a small flock of mixed pure breeds and hybrids and I wondered what others thought were the best breeds? Just a general chat really. For the record we have White Stars, Warrens, Cheshire Blue, Black Rock, TUftybelle and a Cream Leg Bar

Lovely breeds, Izabella. I will have to replace a lot of my rarer breeds next year because one by one they're dying of old age!

We have two Marans - they lay lovely dark brown eggs, three Rhodie x Light Sussex - prolific layers, One Welsumer who is now very old and has stopped laying but she's my favourite, two silkie bantams, and one ancient Light Sussex who is still pottering around the garden enjoying her retirement.

I love Cream Legbars. Ours used to lay light blue eggs so I want to replace them.

Oh do try a Cheshire Blue! Beautiful wedgewood coloured eggs and lovely hens with a quirky personality. I lost our all time favourite a f
Reach Wheaten Maran earlier this year. She was beautiful and used to perch on my shoulder for treats. Just found her pecked forward onto her face in the run one afternoon and only 18 months old. Sad. Had laid the usual dark brown egg earlier in the day.

Don't know what happened there!!!!! Favourite French Wheatan Maran .........

We're going to let the ones we have now shuffle off and then start afresh next year. The coops could all do with a bit of repair and repaint and we want to move the main run out on to our field.

Really CBA this side of the winter so it'll be something to look forward to.

We have a very good weekly auction about 45 mins from us and they often have rare breeds. I'll keep my eyes open for a Cheshire Blue.

If I had a big enough garden I would love to re-home some ex-battery hens. Has anyone done this?

We have about 12 at the moment.
The only fancy ones are 2 hens and a cockerel Andulasia - a beautiful pearly gray colour.
The rest are the local brown barenecks, apart from 2 old whiteys, race unknown.
Not very pleased with them at the moment, all they do is eat and make a mess. No eggs for ages, maybe it's the drought we've been having, which still continues.
We do always have a few cockerels for 'the pot'.

My DGC lost one of their hens to a fox last night - a bit traumatic for them. Everyone thought they were all in their hutch (or whatever you call it!) but one must have strayed.

Oh dear. Sorry Luckygirl to hear that. Traumatic.

I am so pleased you are all talking about HENS and not chickens (chickens are young and do not lay eggs). My neighbour has just lost the last of her five hens which were free range throughout our two gardens. I do remember one of them nearly going to the hen house in the sky when I was gardening. She was looking for worms and got dangerously close to my spade! She missed being decapitated by a feather !

We haven't had hens since we moved but plan on getting some new point of lay pellets in the spring. You just cannot have anything better than your own hen's eggs straight from the nest box and holding them, still a little warm, in your hand.
The hen house cleanings are a terrific accelerator for the compost bin too.
DH has really missed his 'girls' and is really looking forward to the new arrivals. He is not so bothered about what the hens will look like so long as they are good layers but I think much can be forgiven if you have lovely colourful feathers and look beautiful too.