Chicken Town

The new hens are very friendly (in a pecking at my feet constantly sort of way) and happy to be picked up. They are however not very good at going to bed. 

Whenever we have had new hens before it has taken them 1 night to understand where they sleep. So the first night, I have to go into the run just after dark and put a couple into the hen house (the hen houses have automatic doors that close at dusk). By the second night they know what is going on and just go to bed.

Not this lot, they are utterly feckless. Every night I'm chasing hens around in the dark, there were 6 still out last night, flipping idiots they need to sort that out. They are not prolific layers either, I think that as the were 'free range' rather than true battery hens that they are a bit older and their most productive days are well and truly behind them. Still we are getting enough to fill the orders and as they shuffle off to henheaven we'll replace them with younger, more egg ready ones.

It's tough being a chicken.