The Obvious- Free Eggs!
Eggs are a great source of protein and contain high levels of amino acids. Unfortunately, battery farms fill their chickens with medicated feeds to try and reduce the chances of disease in their highly stressed environments. These nasties then get passed on into the egg – not something I’d be keen on ingesting! With your own chooks you can be confident that their eggs are hormone & antibiotic free (as these leave the body quickly once the chooks leave the farms.)
Eggs are also fantastic after a big night out- what’s better than waking up mid-morning, wandering down to the coop and voila, breakfast is served 
Yes, ex-battery hens are believed to no longer be prolific layers, however I still get at least 4 eggs per chook per week – that’s still plenty of eggs! Although when you’re chooks do stop laying, that’s OK because…
Mmm eggs!
Chicken Poo is Fantastic for the Garden!
Do you have your own vegetable garden? Or a prized flower bed? Chicken manure is amazing for plant growth. Each morning I clean out the coop and put the soiled hay into the compost, let it sit until it’s time to change the crop over and there you have it, fantastic nutrient rich compost for the new veggie patch.
Chickens Make Excellent Pets!
I literally get hours of entertainment from my chickens. Each one has a distinct personality and they have their precise “pecking order.” They are also fantastic with kids and will follow whoever the main feeder is all around the yard. Your day will instantly brighten when you walk out to the backyard and you chooks race each other to greet you first. And once you have them used to a variety of food, they’ll gladly eat all your kitchen scraps.
You’ll be Saving Lives!
There is no happy ending for most battery hens. Once a battery hen has endured her 18 months of torture, she then goes to slaughter (Read more here )
By keeping ex-battery hens at home in a free environment you’re allowing these girls to walk on grass, scratch for food & stretch their wings, experiences that most battery hens NEVER get to experience.
Hobo
Love your new web site! Great to find little snippets of wisdom that I can use with my chooks.
My new ex-bats are doing well. They were both extremely bald when I got them initially (about a month and a half ago) ….. one is now nearly fully feathered whilst the other is still fairly bald (but she’s getting there). I had to make summer and winter coats for them to wear so that they could cope with the varying weather we have had lately. Despite their initial protests, they wore them as required and seem to have benefited from doing so.
Anyway, keep up the good work! I look forward to reading more.
Catch you around the traps.
Cheers,
Linda