Hen update!

It's been a beautiful day, a scorcher in fact,ideal for finally letting our new battery hens out of the Coop to join our three established hens.

So far this week I've been feeding them mash made up of layers pellets mushed up in water, not that they needed it. They seemed to manage pellets straight away. I didn't expect any eggs but so far between them we have had an egg a day,much bigger than those our non commercial hens lay and brown , just the way I like them. Apart from a little pecking by two of the hens towards one of them they haven't done too badly and she has just retreated to her bed when she wanted to get away.

Today I let the battery hens wander round the enclosure for an hour before I let the others out. As soon as they were released Pebbles decided to peck one of our new hens and she was promptly sat upon by Xbox.She turned her eyes to the ground and slowly walked away.

So that the hens could keep out each others way if they wanted I placed several water bowls around the pen and scattered the pellets widely so that they all had a chance to eat. By and large it went well apart from the fact that when I went to check on them the battery hens ran towards me, invaded the old hens space, got pecked and ran away again.

At teatime, the older hens walked into their coop as usual whilst the battery hens hopped on top of their Coop and waited for me to pop them in one by one. I think their combs are growing redder,perhaps the sunshine is doing them good!