I have just bought two red shavers, very much like the hyline breed. They are high production hens. These two were brought up by the children in the family and are very sweet. They are laying , and free ranging. 28 wks old. These are not colour sexed. I love my eastereggers and want some Anconars . I will have to buy eggs for this purpose.
The Red Shavers are very common in N.Z. and used as battery hens. which I cant stand. I am going to buy some rescue shavers from the farms. I bought these girls years ago. And although they were bold and de beaked, within a few minuets they were having dust baths outside. It made me cry to see this, as obviously, the natural instinct is inbuilt ,and isn't destroyed by people who think caging an animal is okay.
I do not understand the mentality of people that do this. How can they go into their sheds and see the desperate situation of these hens, but keep doing it. It would suck the soul out of me.
In New Zealand, and this is officially proven correct. One of the big producers of free range eggs, was proven to be keeping them in battery cages. But they still sell them as free range eggs. I don't understand how this can happen. I stuck a note on their shelf saying NOT FREE RANGE, google this. But still it goes on.
