As chicken keeping continues to grow in America’s backyards, people are slowly beginning to wonder just what the quality of life is for egg laying chickens raised in the commercial setting. Many hens raised for eggs are sent to slaughter at 18 months of age. According to farmers’ their height of egg laying is over. As soon as these hens are whisked away for processing, new chicks are brought in and so it goes. Many commercially raised hens spend their lives in very tiny cages with many other hens. Some have their beaks trimmed to deal with feather pecking. Their combs are pale and their quality of life is dismal. But there is hope.
Photo Credit: Debeaked battery hen |
Many agencies across the globe and some perhaps even in your own backyard are giving battery hens a chance on life. Some are rescued by farm sanctuaries. Others are rescued by loving chicken keepers like yourselves. Once rescued, some of these hens see and feel sunshine on their feathers for the first time. They take their first dust baths and finally have room to spread their wings and scratch in the dirt. Overtime, they “learn” what it is truly like to be a chicken. Their feather regrow and they find compassion in people and their time in the factory becomes a distant memory.
Photo Credit: Typical battery cages with hens |
Adopting ex-battery hens is very popular in the UK and Australia and is growing in the United States. Often, if you live near an egg farm, you can reach out to them directly and offer to take a few hens.
Photo Credit Rescued ladies |
This little hen named Little Miss Sunshine is taking Australia by storm. She is one amazing ex-battery hen.
Ex-Battery Hen Online Resources
Animal Place (California)
Petfinder
Sanctuaries.org
Humane Society
British Hen Welfare Trust
About the author: Melissa Caughey is a backyard chicken keeper, beekeeper, gardener, and cook who pens the award winning blog, Tilly’s Nest. She lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her family of four and her Miniature Schnauzer. She regularly writes for HGTV Gardens, Community Chickens, Grit magazine, and contributes to Country Living Magazine. Her blog was recently named one of Better Homes and Gardens Top 10 Gardening Blogs. Melissa is currently working on a backyard chicken book with Storey Publishing to be released this upcoming year.
6 Comments
18 months? Mine lay steady for 3+ years. I put lights on a timer during winter to maintain 14 hours of light. I also keep the buildings heated to around 40 degrees F. Without heat during cold months, the hens spend much of their energy staying warm and will lay way fewer eggs. Also you don’t want the eggs to freeze. Hens are born with a certain number of eggs. You feed them all year so you may as well get the eggs in the shortest amount of time possible. If you intend to harvest their meat after they become inefficient layers, you may as well process them before they get old and lose body mass. Old hen meat is less desirable. My chickens are cage free and enjoy a good life. They are never crowded, have access to the outdoors, and are therefore able to maintain a healthy athletic body and mind. They also receive a wide variety of food. btw, chickens are not meant to eat a vegetarian only diet.
Maybe that is why my hens lay longer, outperforming commercial hens. My red hens lay around 300 eggs a year each for 3 years or more.
I did this over 20 years ago and no one wrote an article about what I did…..
Thank you for this post. My familly and I are starting a property search this summer down south. One of my main goals is to home small farm animls in need. Mainly chickens.
I am very grateful for your post about this. I created a program here in Colorado called “Hen Again” with a local, regional egg farmer for folks to ADOPT hens from him vs. buying chicks from hatcheries. Its a win/win: you support your local farmer through the adoption of these young birds who still lay plenty of eggs for years (if its eggs you want). As for our family, we keep them as pets. They are so loving & forgiving, given the conditions they’ve lived through…they truly are a resilient species. I encourage folks to create ADOPTIONS of pet chickens in your prospective areas. It’s really no different than adopting from the local cat/dog shelter vs. buying from breeders. Let’s give the hens that have already been hatched (and you KNOW they are females!) instead of breeding/creating more in the world. 🙂
please visit our website http://www.BeakonHillFarm.org for upcoming tales on our farm. (currently constructing our site!)
Aw. Little Miss Sunshine — what a fun video! Thank you, Melissa, for bringing up this important topic. 🙂