[chris mutter]

My Son has rescued 4 Hybrid Chickens and is now looking after them. He tells me as being Vegan he wants to feed some eggs back to the Birds as they will have a hard time constantly laying. Is this a good thing or not, as I understood MAD COW came from feeding cows other cows so as no waste. Is it normal for Birds to eat their own eggs. I do not know if I agree with this practice. Thank You.

[New shoot]

I have heard people say they feed eggs back - usually boiled first and mashed up, shells and all. This is to avoid the hens getting to like eggs and attacking the ones the owners want to eat.

It is not normal practice and there are regulations to stop animal products being fed to farm animals for good reasons.  These are also applicable to back garden hen keepers.

What is he doing with the rest of the eggs if he is going to feed some back? Just curious as vegans don’t eat eggs. If he is very squeamish, best warm him they eat bugs, worms and slugs at every opportunity, so won’t be following his example   

[chris mutter]

I'm not Vegan and like Bacon and Egg, I told him didn't think it was right, he says it's only the odd egg as they have been worked too hard.

[New shoot]

I'm not Vegan and like Bacon and Egg,

Well that is fair enough Chris 

If the hens are getting a decent quality layers pellet, they don't need the eggs. The pellets are designed to support egg laying and general health.  If your son wants to treat them, a small amount of mixed corn will do just as well, if not better.  If he wants them to go completely scatty, he should try a few chopped up grapes.   They will think that is about the best thing ever 

Other treats like an apple cut in half or greens to peck at are also good, but mine rate grapes very, very highly.

[chris mutter]

Thank You

[grinling]

What do you mean by "rescued"? Egg birds are not changed at this time of year and we have had people breaking into sheds up here.

[8doubles]

I would be looking  at selling eggs and using the funds for feeding the hens !

The buyers will get good eggs and the hens healthier feed than recycled eggs would supply.

[snowdrops]

What do you mean by "rescued"? Egg birds are not changed at this time of year and we have had people breaking into sheds up here.

There’s a farm in a nearby village that are advertising to dispose of their birds either this weekend or next at £2.50 each.

[chris mutter]

Grinling, I know a Garage Owner who keeps Birds and sells the eggs, he keeps them 2 years only, so my Son took them off him and re homed them. Now they are as Happy as Larry running around the garden and chasing the Cats. So they where acquired with the permission of the last owner. Nothing Sinister. 

[grinling]

I am glad he has rehomed them for green grass. The breed lays about 320 eggs a year, but drops off at 2, so are replaced.
There are some great free range commercials about, I do know one which sells in a supermarket, but also have egg sheds which are mainly for eggs in food production.
Hope he enjoys them 

[A YM]

Don't think it a good idea feeding them eggs. I bought organic feed and my recused hens turned up their beaks. I feed them all sorts: rice, chopped up and cooked spuds, carrots, greens, any veg reduced from shops, even our organic bread left over. A bit of mealworms as well. If you can, let them out in the garden where they will dig for worms. When I was working on my raised bed, they stayed close and one opportunist ate about 30 fat juicy worms. When I was fed up with them digging holes in my garden (I love my plants more than anything else in the world), I fenced off the raised bed and they hopped on the raised dwarf walls and started eating my salvias. So you see, you can research and grow some herbs for them as some are very good for them. They also ate my fennel leaves. It's a good way to introduce your son to grow more vegs.

[New shoot]

Rescue hens are hybrid layers bred for maximum egg production, so they have a lot of nutritional requirements to support that.  They are far better fed on a good quality poultry feed.

Hens often reject food if it is unfamiliar to them, so with ex-batts, buy some ordinary layers pellets and then introduce the food you want them to eat bit by bit.  Rice, potatoes and bread are OK as a treat in small amounts, but not as a main diet.

At the moment in the UK we are under restriction because of bird flu, so free ranging is out as well I’m afraid