Becoming a Hen Parent
So you’re thinking about being a Mother Clucker (aka Hen Parent)! You live somewhere near Grafton, Lismore, Mullumbimby, Brisbane & Sunshine Coast where our adoption days are in August to October each year! Please read on.
Let’s look at the whole egg basket of battery hen parentdom so you know you’ll be prepared for your feathered or partly feathered friends!
These resilient chookies are around 18 months old when you take them into your family & typically they are laying on average one egg every second day and if they are going through their hard moult (their first moult) egg production drops substantially. They are culled because they are no 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 for the rest of their natural lives.
These hard working girls might live to 4 or 5 years if they are lucky, some pass on earlier because their bodies tire out. 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!
Whether you are new to caring for hens or a chookie expert, we provide you all the information you need to transition your battery hens into your home (emails before adoption to get prepared, what to do on adoption day and support ongoing). The main thing to be aware of, is they have never walked on the ground, seen the sun, taken cover when it’s raining or windy, roosted, laid eggs in a comfortable nesting box, so their legs can be weak from lack of exercise, feathers missing as they’ve been pecked out by the other 5 in their little wire cage (from boredom or for extra protein) and like all chookies, very individual personalities. Some will hide in the corner, some will want to venture out on day 2. So, for that first 2-4 weeks, we treat them like a 3 year olds – no heights to fall down from, allow them to safely and cosily sleep and nest on the ground in the coop – you get the gist – a 3 year old child isn’t let out to run free, they can get lost, jump off ladders, get caught in the rain or too much sun – after a few weeks they will understand their new life and show you how grateful they are!