The new birds

We have needed new chickens for a while, since the old ones actually died of old age, rather than being swiped by a member of the local fox population. So when we heard that a (relatively) local egg farm was clearing out a batch of layers, we said we'd have four.

At £1 each they were a total bargain, even more so when they turned out to be on a buy two get one free promotion. So we got a couple more than we bargained for. No problem.

Now these are "free range" birds which have spent the past 72 weeks laying "free range" eggs for Tesco. So what does "free range" actually mean? Well, according to Neris who collected the hens from the farm, it means these ladies lived in a barn and during the summer they had access to the outdoors. They didn't actually have to go out, of course, and judging by the behaviour of these six girls, they've never actually set foot out of doors to do any "free ranging".

After 72 weeks of laying eggs for Tesco to sell as "free range" they are made redundant because their production dips and the shells of the eggs they do lay become too soft. They then had a date with the slaughterman on February 23rd.

They are a rather sweet bunch, actually. They remind me of the hens in Nick Park's Chicken Run. They sit on the perch, eat from the feeder, lay a daily egg, discuss the weather and do their knitting.

There's very much a "them and us" situation between them and the incumbent trio of bantams, but they are dealing with the situation at the moment by completely ignoring each other. The bantams get up at the crack of dawn and head straight outside. The new hens, having no idea of what "outside" actually is, stay happily inside, chatting amongst themselves. Our only laying bantam pops in during the day, battles her way through the feathery underskirts of her new roomies and lays her pretty white egg before heading straight back outside again.

I did find one of the new girls outside yesterday. She was perched all a-flap on the door, swinging madly to and fro and looking horrified. I think, for now, she and her five colleagues are actually safest inside doing their own thing. Outdoors can wait.

*UPDATE: They're out! We removed the bullying bantams to a seperate abode and the new girls felt brave enough to go outside. As I write this they are having a lovely time, chortling, clucking and scratching in a most pleasantly happy way.