Chickens need a certain amount of light to lay which is why in the shorter Winter days I will generally get less eggs. This appears to be nature's way of giving the chicken's reproductive system a rest. A common commercial farm practice to ensure a year round supply of eggs is to provide artificial light sources to keep the girls laying. This sadly means that after about two years their bodies seem give out and they develop reproductive disorders. This is why commercial farms 'move their battery hens on' at about 18 mths of age and often get "rescued" by backyard poultry keepers. .
The photo above comes from a lady in the UK who was so concerned about the lack of feathers on the battery hens she "rescued"
that she found a knitting pattern and made them jumpers to keep them warm.
Some chicken lovers suggest that 'rescuing' spent battery hens only perpetuates the problem and it would be better to simply switch to free range eggs (just check they are truly free range! There is a lot of confusion in this area in Australia as the definition of "free range" is very loose). I will post more on the topic of what is genuine "Free Range" soon.
Oh Fi, how gorgeous they look. We'd better start knitting. xxxx
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