Our Laying Hens
Our hens are fed the best quality feed available. The feed is ALL NATURAL ingredients and is a mixture of many different products such as wheat, soy and calcium. We have a Nutritionist to specifically formulate the food for our hens so they receive the BEST FOOD AVAILABLE.
For people who would like to own hens as pets, we recommend hens that have just finished or are just finishing their first cycle. They are not as expensive as hens that are at point of lay which are mainly used for the commercial industry and you do not have to pay commercial costs associated with them.
Pullets
The “pullets” (young hens close to or even at point of lay) are so expensive because of the costs associated costs with rearing chicks from birth to point of lay which is normally around 18-20 weeks of age. These costs are such things as their home, the feed, water, vaccinations, labour and of course the electricity for the upkeep of their home. As the hens are not at the point of maturity to be able to lay eggs, it is most important that these associated costs be recovered by the farmer if they were to sell a younger pullet. Due to these factors, be prepared to pay 3-4 times the cost of what you would if purchasing hens close to or after they finish their first cycle.
Generally speaking, hens just finishing their first cycle have had most of the commercial cost already absorbed over this first lay period which is why the hens can be discounted considerably.
Size of the Eggs
Over the years we have found so many people prefer larger eggs when it comes to home use and the good news about our laying hens of course is after she has a break for a little while, when she starts her next cycle, we have found a hen will almost always lay larger eggs straight away. This works out great for most people who want hens as pets as so many people say the bigger the egg the better!
Buying Hens From Us
Most people who purchase hens from us have said that their hens have continued productively for at least another few years at a minimum when they have treated them appropriately). We have had a storey from a lady that brought some more hens from us say that she had a hen that was 15 years old and she said she was still getting 1 egg a year from her! Of course we do not know the accuracy of this story but generally speaking if you treat them well, you should have at least a few more years of productive egg laying from the hens we sell. This is dependent on many factors that unfortunately sometimes people can not control such as what we are able to do. These factors include like the egg laying temperature (our hens live in fully air-conditioned homes), the correct food ration (we give our hens the BEST food on the market), the quality of the water (we give our hens scheme/mains drinking water) and whether it is a stress free living environment or at least to a minimum level (we limit our hen hierarchy/pecking order to prevent in breed fighting leading to death).
Reducing Stress
Many people have said to us, as hens can be a little temperamental at times, the less stress she has moving to her new environment, the better. We have found from what many people have said, they leave the hens in the chook house for a short time so she can get used to that new environment and then let her out a little bit at a time so it is not such a big shock for her move.
Some people have found when they move their existing hens (separate them) so the new additions can get used to the environment, it has helped reduce the stress factors also. Once the new additions to the family are settled, the existing hens are brought back in.
By reducing the stress factors for your hens, sometimes after the move, she may even keep laying her eggs for you rather than stop until she gets used to the new environment.
There is an old saying that if you look after the hens you should receive eggs as a bonus and we have been told that hens are the only animal you can not mistreat to be able to receive fresh produce.
Please note, If ever we have any concerns about our hens, we will obtain expert Veterinary advice. In this way, our hens have the BEST life possible which is what we hope ALL people do if owning a pet such as a hen. We would like to highlight this again. If EVER you have any concerns about your hens, It is most important that you seek veterinary advice to be able to look after them correctly.
