Come and join the hen party
FAMILIES up and down the valley are discovering the joys of owning hens when they join the ranks of dedicated hen keepers.
When the Every Egg Matters campaign was launched by Incredible Edible Todmorden (IET) last spring the founding members had no idea how the scheme would be received.
Although they have not yet introduced enough hens to meet the town's free range egg requirements the enthusiastic hen keepers are spreading the word to their neighbours, schools and beyond with the Egg Map.
"We set up the Egg Map to show people that there are lots of people keeping hens in Todmorden," said Beryl Tyrer, one of the founding members of the campaign.
Beryl has kept hens, mainly traditional breeds such as Welsummers, for the last four years since taking early retirement.
"People have been ringing up for advice and information on where to get hens and how to look after them. We're here to support and encourage good animal welfare. People can be quite nervous about taking the leap into hen ownership but it's quite easy to keep them as long as you're organised from the beginning.
"They do require effort and care but they give so much in return; eggs obviously but also good compost for the garden.
"And keeping animals is good for children. All our neighbours bring their kids round and children from the schools come up here to look at them too."
Her fellow egg campaigner, Pauline Mullarkey, only took the leap into hen ownership when the Every Egg Matters campaign was launched.
"We have a big garden here, which wasn't all being used. We have no previous experience, but it's been great and the kids love them too," said Pauline, mother of Molly, Noah and Alfie, who deliver eggs to the neighbours.
"It doesn't have to be hens on farms, everyone who has a garden can have a couple of hens and they could provide the family with all their eggs."
Pauline's next door neighbour on Rossendale View, Lorraine Harrison, looks after the hens when Pauline and her family go on holiday and has taken in sickly hens to look after.
This winter Pauline discovered that hens do not like snow when she had to search for her free range hens, who like to roam the fields.
After a day out in the cold they'd decided it was too cold to walk back and had instead huddled under a wall.
They were a lot happier once they'd been brought back home to their warm hen house.
Things have not always gone smoothly for Pauline's hens, which are mostly hybrid Warrens. Despite a high chicken-wire fence a mink managed to get into the run and killed nine out of 14 hens.
One of the survivors wandered off and was never seen again and the remaining three were given to Pauline's neighbour Sharon Swales. Pauline replaced her stock with a new batch.
Sharon and her family leapt at the chance to take Pauline’s three hens and converted their Wendy house in the garden for their new arrivals.
“They are great and the kids love them,” said Sharon..
Neighbour across the road Lynne Midwinter has kept bantams, such as White Rocks, Silver Laced Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds, for five years and always enjoys looking for eggs in her garden.
“They are great to have around and unlike cats and dogs actually produce something for you,” said Lynne.
“They help me with the gardening; they come and chat to me when I’m doing the weeding!”
Lynne said that IET is hoping to run courses on keeping hens for meat, including offering information on how to kill and pluck them.
How to keep hens will be the next feature in the Every Egg Matters series.
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Weather for Halifax
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
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