10-10-2015, 02:32 AM
Many people in my local area have rescued ex-battery and barn hens, which have come from our local animal rescue "Happy Landings".
I have seen them....when they first arrive, and after a little while. They do start to lay again once they are restored to health and contentment, and will often lay and then leave their eggs and forget about them. So eggs are found usually all over the place. I think the hens are just happy to be free in the grass, and don't bother even using the nest boxes. They are extremely happy hens.
What concerned me at one time was I heard that the mother hen can form an attachment to the egg, and even when it hasn't been fertilised, will sit on it waiting for it to hatch.
In my own local reality though, I haven't seen them do that. They seem to lay and then walk away! I feel personally that it is doing them no harm to have a few of the abandoned eggs.
But another thought I have is the size of the egg! Sadly, barn hens seem to produce HUGE eggs. Incredible sizes. That I am sure, is something to do with human interference, and obviously connected with 'productivity'.
Yet when those hens are freed, and after a while they start to lay again, they produce smaller eggs.
Now it's not rocket-science to be aware that a huge egg is going to take more laying than a small one. And will probably hurt?
I always choose small eggs.
I have seen them....when they first arrive, and after a little while. They do start to lay again once they are restored to health and contentment, and will often lay and then leave their eggs and forget about them. So eggs are found usually all over the place. I think the hens are just happy to be free in the grass, and don't bother even using the nest boxes. They are extremely happy hens.
What concerned me at one time was I heard that the mother hen can form an attachment to the egg, and even when it hasn't been fertilised, will sit on it waiting for it to hatch.
In my own local reality though, I haven't seen them do that. They seem to lay and then walk away! I feel personally that it is doing them no harm to have a few of the abandoned eggs.
But another thought I have is the size of the egg! Sadly, barn hens seem to produce HUGE eggs. Incredible sizes. That I am sure, is something to do with human interference, and obviously connected with 'productivity'.
Yet when those hens are freed, and after a while they start to lay again, they produce smaller eggs.
Now it's not rocket-science to be aware that a huge egg is going to take more laying than a small one. And will probably hurt?
I always choose small eggs.
