My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

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techiebabe
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My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by techiebabe »

I'll tell you... In a minute ;)

I just re-read the article on this site. It said if I had 5 ex-batts it would be typical to get 3 eggs a day in spring, and 1 in winter. "That's fine!" I thought. And I did indeed adopt 5. That was a month ago on 13 March.

For the first few days one hen laid daily and the other 4 laid the odd one. The one who laid daily was quite stressed and unwell. I thought she was going to die - I told her to stop laying and put the energy into healing, but she didn't listen! Anyway, I gave her some Nutri Drops for 3 days and she recovered. Phew.

So then they settled down to about 3 eggs a day. They started doing "hen" things - scratching, dust bathing, coming running when they saw me. This seems good to me.

Some of them were not really re feathering, so I thought I'd give them each a single "maintenance" dose of Nutri Drops. This isn't meant to be an ad for that product, just that it was what I had to hand.

Anyway a week later they started laying... 4 or 5 eggs a day! And this has gone on for a fortnight - most days we get 5, and occasionally 4 (which is fair enough since it takes 25 hours to make an egg!)

They are re-feathering nicely, and they seem happy and healthy.

So I've been cheated! You said I'd only get 3 a day and I'm getting 5! *grin*

We have started having scrambled eggs for brekkie and giving them away to all our friends!

Anyway I just thought you might enjoy knowing about how well my hens are laying. I'm really enjoying sitting with them and giving them treats every afternoon, and the gentle "bok-ing" from the garden (which turns into squawks and excitement when they notice me in the kitchen).

Thanks for such a helpful website!

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Mad Chick
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by Mad Chick »

That's fab )like(

They are rewarding you for giving them the home they deserve {hug}
Lucy x


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kitla
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by kitla »

They are such sweeties aren't they?! My little flock is made up of 7 different breeds and they are all beautiful & all have unique characters, but of them all my exbat Hobnob (RIP) was the friendliest chicken I have owned.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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Bluefinch
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by Bluefinch »

They must be so happy with you. Well done for rescuing them and giving them such a good home.
techiebabe
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by techiebabe »

Awww thank you for the lovely comments. You are all so sweet!

This afternoon I saw one of them discover the dust bath for the first time ever - she is quite a small shy hen and last to do anything - and I was genuinely touched to see how much she was enjoying herself.

Hens are making me happy!
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi , There is a saying dont count your chickens (eggs ) before they hatch.
Because these girls are working girls they may knock all their eggs out in a few years then stop .
I have read a chicken will lay only so many eggs in her system and then finish . Hence you can have x ammount in 2 tears or the x ammount in 5 years.
either way eggs are a by product and the actual enjoyment from seeing them in a garden is worth 10 times the eggs, as you are finding out.
Keep us all up dated regularly on how you are getting on as your experiences will remind us and make us laugh of the times past and to come .
Well done as well for saving and giving the girls a new lease of life as you can see they appreciate it .
Bob
techiebabe
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by techiebabe »

Oh absolutely, Bob.

I remember writing a poem as a teenager about how we are born with all the eggs we will ever produce, and a finite number of beats in our heart... The onward March of our internal clocks... Cringe worthy stuff! :-D

Anyway, for sure they won't lay forever. But while they do, I'm enjoying the bonus of fresh eggs, and because I can't eat 4/5 every day, they are given to neighbours along with a leaflet I made about the hens' personalities and how to tell which egg is whose. The leaflet also has a link to BHWT and info on how to adopt - we have pretty small gardens here in East London but there's plenty of room for a few hens ;-) I've also been asked to write about it in a local newsletter so hopefully that will spread the word even further. And people keep leaving presents on my doorstep in return for the eggs - veggie scraps, straw, and ash for the dust bath. It's so lovely!

It makes me angry though - that commercially they are "spent" but with a bit of love and space they are now laying as well as ever.

Right! I'd better go check the nest boxes! I had 4 eggs yesterday so I'm expecting 5 today...
*hops off happily*
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Mo
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by Mo »

Yes, it makes you angry.
But until people are prepared to pay A LOT more for food it's not fair to be angry at the commercial producers. You say you've given them love and space.
You've left out the cost of food which is the same for a young hen producing eggs every day like a machine, and a 'spent' hen which is less reliable and the shells may not be good enough for the packing station.
And the cost of the housing - I dread to think how much my first egg had cost me. Actually I've just looked up the spreadsheet, it was 7 months before the cost / egg fell below £1. And that was in 2003 when feed was £6.25 / bag.
Even love and space don't come free when you are paying wages and mortgage. And if hens are your pets there might be vets bills too.

Not sure what the answer is. Some people can't afford to pay more for food, others won't. So even government regulations won't work unless they stop cheap imports. Look what happened to our pork producers.

I get more angry about the conditions laying hens and meat hens are kept in while alive than the length of that life.

But I suppose we all do what we think is best, for our family, or for the environment. I know there are things I don't consider when spending, that others might think I should - we have our own cut off point. I can afford free range chicken, British pork, organic milk. I don't have the brain power to start wondering about what's in the hen food and how its production affects the environment, (soya??)
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kitla
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Re: My ex-batts are laying how many eggs?

Post by kitla »

[quote="techiebabe"]Oh absolutely, Bob.
Anyway, for sure they won't lay forever. But while they do, I'm enjoying the bonus of fresh eggs, and because I can't eat 4/5 every day, they are given to neighbours along with a leaflet I made about the hens' personalities and how to tell which egg is whose. The leaflet also has a link to BHWT and info on how to adopt - we have pretty small gardens here in East London but there's plenty of room for a few hens ;-) I've also been asked to write about it in a local newsletter so hopefully that will spread the word even further. And people keep leaving presents on my doorstep in return for the eggs - veggie scraps, straw, and ash for the dust bath. It's so lovely! /quote]

What a lovely thing to do! I dont often have enough to give away, but when I do I like to write on them the name of the hen that laid it. It always makes people smile.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant

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