Chickens Coming Home to Roost

by Jennie Wadsworth
Wow!! It was hard work but we managed to get the chicken run finished and built a coop out of a cheap shed frame. It isn't what I thought it would look like and has cost us more than I thought it would but it is our own creation that we can be proud of. We got a call at the end of April asking whether we would like to pick up our chickens early, on 9th May. The run wasn't finished then and we were planning our last holiday before the chickens and new baby arrive so we had to say no. We hadn't even ordered food or bedding for them. These arrived mid May so we were nearly ready. Our due date for collection of the chickens was 30th May so when we got back from our holiday we got back in the car for a suprisingly short journey to the collection point in Haslingden to collect our four chickens. When we got there, there was a queue of people waiting and it was really busy. It is great that so many people were there to rescue ex battery hens. We gave our names and our donation then went round the back to collect our chickens. They are bigger than we had expected and more lively. At first sight they didn't look as scraggly as I'd thought they would be but having seen them closer they do have lots ofmissing feather and two of them have swollen crops from eating so constantly in their cages. One of them was quite sore looking. When we got them home we let them out into the run straight away and they took quite a long time to start moving around. Once they were out of their boxes they went straight under a bush then started, slowly looking around them and exploring. They started pecking at the grass and ground, scratching the soil and one even got onto a branch of the bush. We left them to it while we went to collect our three year old. He was very taken with the chickens and was excited to be in the run with them. We had to explain to him that they are not used to people yet so they are still a bit shy. I imagine they will get used to us in time and take food from our hands. Shutting them up on the first night was interesting. I don't think they thought it should be bed time and once in the coop one started making a lot of noise and pecking at the window. I went out to put a sheet over the window and she was quiet again. In the morning we went out to let them out at about 9:45. The advice is to leave them in until mid morning as they are likely to lay eggs in the morning and it saves having to search under bushes etc. We were amazed to find three eggs!!! Two were even in the nest box provided. We had been told that they wouldn't know what a nest box is for as they have never had anywhere else to go but it must have been very inviting. The hens took a long time to come out of the coop and one had to shooed out but once out they were all very happy, pecking at the grass and drinking water and eating the food we had put out. We are keeping an eye on the ones with swollen crops and might have to give them some oil or massage the food out. We gave some treats of carrot tops and spinach and they have had a good peck at and thown all over the place. In the evening three of them were in the coop already and the fourth went in straight away with no fuss and no noise. We are looking forward to having more eggs tomorrow!! (hopefully)