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Original poster

Can I show you my rescue chickens?

28 replies

Oddsocksandmeatballs · 17/02/2019 16:38

My garden today, when we brought these girls home last September they were virtually void of feathers and had deformed beaks. They were around 18 months old (chickens can live 5-7 years) but had reached the end of their useful egg laying lives so were destined to become chicken pies. Here, at home with us, they still lay virtually every day (and destroy the garden but we'll overlook that bit), they will have a home here until they die from old age.

OP posts:
SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 17/02/2019 16:40

Nice to see them looking happy! :)

BareBum · 17/02/2019 16:40

Poor little things. Well done for taking them in.

Froggyface · 17/02/2019 16:41

How lovely, I want to do this when we get some more space. Lucky hens.

Evennow · 17/02/2019 16:52

Such beauties Odd. Good for you!

LazyLemur · 17/02/2019 17:40

They are beautiful! I just love chickens 😍

PeterPiperPickedWrong · 17/02/2019 17:45

So awful they suffered so much. Glad they now have a lovely home with you Smile

Pandasarecute · 17/02/2019 17:51

That first picture is so sad ...

Gershwin · 17/02/2019 17:58

Bless them. Chickens are so intelligent and interesting to own.

CaseofEllen · 17/02/2019 18:00

This makes me so happy! How much space do you need to keep them?

Original poster
Oddsocksandmeatballs · 17/02/2019 18:35

@CaseofEllen You need a minimum of 1 square meter per hen but 2 square meters is much better, my girls free range in their own bit if garden and have pretty much killed all things green. We sell their eggs at the gate to help with the cost of their food but, to be honest, they are pretty cheap to keep. I haven't bought eggs in a year now.

OP posts:
actiongirl1978 · 17/02/2019 18:47

Can I ask a question - do they need grass? We have an area at the back of the house that we don't used, is all flags, with some old gravel/weeded areas at the side. There is a lot of space, can they cope on the flag stones/gravel?

actiongirl1978 · 17/02/2019 18:47

Ps. My DD10 and I just said 'aaaaggh' when we saw your hens now. Well done!

Darkestnight · 17/02/2019 18:49

There lovely and well done for rescuing them Smile

Gottalovesummer · 17/02/2019 18:50

They are stunning. What lucky chickens!

What have you named them?

Gottalovesummer · 17/02/2019 18:51

Should add, it's my dream to have chickens, but we have a tiny garden and a jealous cat Smile

Gribbie · 17/02/2019 18:53

Aww. They look so happy now. I miss my chickens - they’re awesome pets.

rededucator · 17/02/2019 19:05

Pretty 'cheep' to keep Grin

Aprilshowersarecomingsoon · 17/02/2019 19:11

Have they got names op? We had a dozen ladies and all named!! Easy to tell apart after a short while too!!

IJustLostTheGame · 17/02/2019 19:12

Bless them

ALongHardWinter · 17/02/2019 19:15

Aw that's lovely. What are their names?

Original poster
Oddsocksandmeatballs · 17/02/2019 19:36

@actiongirl1978 If they have grass they kill it PDQ, so long as they have somewhere to scratch about and turn up soil/stones they seem happy. Chickens love a dirt bath, it keeps their feathers in good condition so lots of keepers provide trays of sand for them They also need small stones to be able to swallow, they use them in their crops to grind down their food.

@Gottalovesummer We have Sunday, Oven Ready (both these girls are escape artists and Sunday likes to let the postman know who owns the drive), Ginger, Star, Bluebell, Henny, Penny, Little Girl, Lucky, and Madam.

OP posts:
Original poster
Oddsocksandmeatballs · 17/02/2019 19:39

We have 5 rescues and 5 we bought at point of lay. We had the POL hens first and when the rescue hens came home it was fascinating to watch them turn from creatures that had no idea what to do to hens that know how to chicken.

OP posts:
Honeyroar · 17/02/2019 20:11

They're lovely. We usually have about ten rescue hens, but we had to rehome them a couple of months ago. It's the first time I a decade we've had to buy eggs. They should feather up in a couple of weeks. It's disgusting the state they come out of those farms.

Re hens on flags, they'd be fine, and a lot of people do keep them like that, but they do love scratching around for worms. And the bigger the run, the better.

pinkgloves · 17/02/2019 20:15

Honestly, anyone that eats cheap chicken that isn't free range and humanly kept needs a fucking good shake.

People are so quick to say how awful it is seeing animals in this condition yet as long as they can get their two for one chicken breasts they still will. AngryAngryAngryAngry

pinkgloves · 17/02/2019 20:16

Humanely!