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Richmond hens is so right - don't hatch if you can't despatch. I have met so many desperate people with much loved cockerels this winter - 'what do we do with 7 of them'? give 'em all to me and watch as I make a lovely casserole.....no wonder my cockerels give out an alarm call when they see me walking to the pens......
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And unfortunately there will be another wave on its way this summer, as everyone starts hatching in the Spring ....................
I have been trawling a few rescue sites recently following the death of one of my cats and it has really brought it home to me how many unwanted animals there are out there - dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens etc - most of which are there because people have bred without consideration for the consequences.Comment
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I've got two hens. Both laid well 5/6 eggs per week last year. Did have a cock too but sadly Mr Fox was faster
They are not the most contact friendly
(think sprint) but love to be around when you're doing things and are very chatty and friendly in all other respects.
I second RH though, when mine were penned for keeping hatching eggs they took weeks to settle, and were never really happy..and that was in a 25ft sq pen.Anyone who says nothing is impossible has never tried slamming a revolving doorComment
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I completely agree Richmond hens. It was one of the conditions we laid down for ourselves when we started keeping hens. We needed to be able to despatch if necessary - all part of looking after our birds, horrible though it can be...Comment
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[QUOTE=Like all light and flighty birds they need a lot of space and I let mine free range. If I pen them up one continually escapes anyway so there is little point in confining them. They are well behaved enough though to make it back to the hen house to lay - well most of the time!
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I'm really keen to have a blue egg layer next year - but my birds have a large run amounting to just over 2 sq metres each. It doesn't sound as though CL's would be too happy in a pen..Is there another breed you would recommend that would be more suitable?
PoloComment
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definately not an araucana, ours its totally nuts.Comment
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What about one of the blue/green egg laying hybrids? Hybrids are usually a bit more placid. Might be worth a search?Comment
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Will do Sue. I don't think there is any breeders around here though so may be a journey!
PoloComment
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I have three cream legbar hens. They are what you might call 'characters'. Deffo prefer to free-range, two are good layers, one goes broody. Nancy is very friendly and loves a cuddle, so long as I cuddle her first - (goes in a total huff if I cuddle another hen first), the third neither broody or cuddly, sometimes hand-tame, sometimes flighty, depends on her mood. The one who goes broody can be a bit psycho - pecks the hand that feeds. But they are very funny with their little hair-dos, quite bold and bossy, I love 'em.
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