Index
Hens page
We keep hens because we like fresh eggs.
We do not approve of the way many are kept in the battery system.
In Battery systems hens live all their laying lives in wire cages without room to move; there is no chance to feel the sun on their backs, bathe in the dust, or scratch for a tasty worm
Our hens have nice straw lined nest boxes where they lay.
An automatic feeder ensures there is no waste of food as the hens have to stand on the board for the lid to lift. This also means sparrows and rats are not attracted to the area.
A new and improved Grandpa's automatic Chook feeder can be obtained from: Windsong Enterprises
Fresh water in a clean utensil is a must. Good quality wheat, layer pellets and household food scraps make the diet interesting and hens eat grass and relish insects and grubs also.
We keep crossbred hens now. They are a mixture of Orpington, Dorking and commercial brown Layers.
This produces some lovely colours and characters.
All poultry is shut up at night to protect them from predators.
When I want to hatch eggs, maybe from a particular hen, I collect the eggs over a number of days, check them to make sure they are a good size and shape and very clean. I put them in a cool dark place, turning them daily until I am happy that a hen is sitting tight. I don't keep the eggs for hatching longer than about a week though. When a hen goes 'clucky', she will stay in the box after laying and refuse to leave and make clucky sounds. At night I put fresh straw in an enclosed hatching hutch with the chosen eggs placed to resemble a nest. The hutch is fully covered with strong netting so that predators cannot gain entry and also no other hens can push their way in. I then pick the hen up and place her on the eggs. If you pick up a clucky hen, she will go limp and maybe squawk. She will soon make herself comfortable and snuggle down on the eggs clucking contentedly. They seem to say, "Are they for me, how wonderful". I use automatic drinkers for water and also make sure she has wheat and grit.
When you allow a hen to sit too many eggs they seldom hatch because the hen rotates the eggs and as the inner eggs are moved to the outside they become cold and die. It is important to judge the size of the hen and also the size of the eggs. The hen takes time off the nest for very brief intervals to eat and drink. 21 days later you should have chicks.
After the chickens hatch she changes and becomes very aggressive to all who would go near her chickens. You need to provide chick starter and water in suitable containers for the chickens to eat and drink from. Keep the hen and chicks in their hutch until you feel they are strong enough to be let out for brief periods - usually just a few days. Gradually lengthen the time out until they have free range during the day. One day you will find they will decided to try out perches in the 'big house' and soon they too will be laying, but you will need to cull the roosters.
These photos are of moulting hens. Once a year a hen goes off the lay and over a period of about 6 weeks loses her feathers. She looks terrible but soon new feathers come through and she is once again gleaming in her 'new outfit'.
Web sites for the welfare of hens
Protecting Biodiversity: A Covenant With Every Living Thing
Code of Recommendations and Minumum Standards for the Welfare of Layer Hens
Aotearoa Independent Media centre - Battery hen farm horror
( Warning this site is shocking and children should view it under parental supervision - Parents note - the pictures here may be disturbing )