Becoming a Hen Parent
So you’re thinking about being a Mother Clucker! Yes, that’s what we now affectionately call our hen parents!
Let’s look at the whole egg basket of hen parentdom so you know you’ll be prepared for your feathered friends.
A little background on the hens we rescue. They are around two years old when you take them into your family & typically they are laying on average one egg every second or third day and if they are going through their hard moult (their first moult) egg production drops substantially. They would’ve been culled because they are not longer commercially viable so that’s when Who Gives A Cluck rescues them. We cannot tell which hens are laying more or less so this is why it’s important we know you are giving them a forever home and they won’t be culled when they might not lay anymore. They deserve a caring home now and for their natural lives.
Typically if you have 5 hens in your backyard, you’d be getting 2-3 eggs each day (once they are not moulting) but that will reduce over time. These hard working girls might live to 4 or 5 years if they are lucky, some pass on earlier because their body tires out, so at some point you would adopt more 2 year old hens & continue to have some eggs if that’s what you’re wanting. Though on behalf of hens who have been my family friends for years I can wholeheartedly tell you that hens are so much more than just egg layers. They are friends just like our dog or cat and so much more productive! They are a zen masters, permaculture experts, food scrap incinerators, compost creators & so much more. These hen girls deserve a forever home. If you can commit to giving them this home, then that’s a BIG tick!