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Update: my neighbor said my 6 hens look happier than her 2, and I think she's right about why
She pointed out mine get to scratch around the whole yard all day while hers stay in a small run, so I stopped feeling guilty about the messy flower beds last Tuesday. Has anyone else noticed a real difference in egg count once their birds got more room to roam?
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robin_foster117d ago
The "happier than her 2" thing sounds nice but happier birds don't always mean more eggs. My aunt let hers free range a whole acre and her count actually dropped for a while because half the hens started hiding nests in the blackberry bushes. You find a clutch of 14 eggs three weeks later and half are rotten. Small runs also keep them from eating stuff they shouldn't, like those poisoned snails or a neighbor's rat bait. And if you have hawks around, a free bird is just a chicken nugget with legs. Sometimes the messy flower beds are worth it and sometimes they're just a tax you pay for eggs you never find.
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