Chickens

Every single Chicken on the farm has a name and their own personality traits. For example, you should never talk to Margot whilst she’s in the nest box contemplating laying the odd egg because she will be furious with you.

We currently have 35 chickens but have been known to have as many as 50. Many of the chickens are ex-battery rescue hens, have been taken in from allotments, or from poor living conditions. They’re allowed to free-range in all areas of the farm where they can dust-bath, peck for bugs and scratch around wherever they choose. Every single day, they’re counted out of their indoor house and back in again. We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve had to track down a rogue chicken at dusk after they decided it was too early for bedtime. This is for their own safety and to ensure that the chickens aren’t sneakily sat on a clutch of eggs somewhere. (We don’t encourage them to sit on eggs as we feel chicks would take up precious sanctuary space that may be needed for other chickens in bad situations).

Many of the chickens have individual health needs which we monitor closely. Lisa is an ex-battery hen who suffers from a bad limp and whilst this doesn’t cause her any pain, she enjoys being carried to bed on an evening and preferential treatment at the food trough. Milton the bantam cockerel and Cedar the light Sussex cockerel only have one eye. We have seen many of the chickens through bouts of EYP (egg-yolk peritonitis) and they have gone on to live happily for years.

We do have a larger population of cockerels than most farms. This is because we have allowed them the space to free-range and no individual cockerel rules the roost. Plus, there’s enough ladies to go around.