The next step in stockpiling

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Apparently we're now seeing a sudden shift from panic buying **** tickets and bread and people are planning further ahead for the post 'apocalyptic' future - maybe allied to the sudden influx of second home owners imposing themselves on rural communities and still not contributing to the local economy.
Poultry breeders are reporting a massive surge in small scale orders and the commercial hen rescue charity 'Fresh start for hens' have had to suspend applications for the next three rescues as their volunteers are struggling to process the avalanche of rehoming offers.
Fortunately for the hens I think, at least they will spend their retirement trashing someone's neatly manicured gardens rather than adorning the barbecue as most of the panickers wouldn't have a clue how to 'stretch' and dress a chicken!

 

[B+.]

Apparently we're now seeing a sudden shift from panic buying **** tickets and bread and people are planning further ahead for the post 'apocalyptic' future - maybe allied to the sudden influx of second home owners imposing themselves on rural communities and still not contributing to the local economy.
Poultry breeders are reporting a massive surge in small scale orders and the commercial hen rescue charity 'Fresh start for hens' have had to suspend applications for the next three rescues as their volunteers are struggling to process the avalanche of rehoming offers.
Fortunately for the hens I think, at least they will spend their retirement trashing someone's neatly manicured gardens rather than adorning the barbecue as most if the panickers wouldn't have a clue how to 'stretch' and dress a chicken!

I still have 3 from a batch of 6 hens I rehomed a few years ago. I might get an occasional egg but nowhere near the output of a POL (Point of Lay) hen. Of course, that has nothing to do with why I have them. They cost far more in food than the value of the eggs they produce but they run around quite happily in my back garden. They're funny little things but they do make a mess. I had to fence off their area to prevent them from eating everything in sight and digging holes everywhere.
My garden is far from "neatly manicured" but I can spare the space so they can live out the remainder of their lives in better surroundings than the laying sheds they lived in previously.

 

[enrico]

We have had both rescue and POL. Funnily enough the rescue ones outlived the POL ones by several years and always gave eggs if sparodically.
Had hens for the last twelve years and would never be without them. The new puppy has other ideas but is learning.
E

 

[drdrday]

Unfortunately, we lost one chicken just last week, so we're down to just three now, and only one seems to be laying. Typical when you need the eggs!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Over the last 10 years we have rehomed over 30 hens that wouldn't have looked out of place on a shelf at Sainsbury's when we first got them. It's amazing how resilient they are and feather up within a few months.
What is interesting is that the free range hens we have had over the years have had the shortest lives with us even compared with the ones from the old style "intensive" cages.