Hens get shade and corn on the cob

An innovative farmer in Northern Ireland who planted a crop of maize to provide cover for a flock of 4,000 layers reports that the hens are stripping the cobs bare as they eagerly consume the ripening corn.

Ian Allen, who keeps a total of 10,000 birds with his father John near Dungannon, says he planted the two acre plot to help stimulate the birds' natural curiosity and protect them from the wind and sun.

"In growing the maize we've given our birds an interesting new area to roam in as well as extra shelter," he says. "Now when they hear a noise, instead of panicking, they take cover in the maize. As a bonus the ripening cobs have offered further variety to their diet."

Sowing of the maize in late spring coincided with the break between flocks but Ian told the Ranger that by operating a paddock system he believes there is no reason why it cannot be done each year. A series of walkways were left undrilled in the crop which were then sown with grass which will provide vegetation for the hens when the maize has died back.

The maize stands around eight to nine feet tall but the hens have already stripped the lower cobs leaving only the bare stem showing near the base of the plant. As the winter progresses the plants will naturally fall over exposing more of the highly nutritious corn.

Growing maize in this way is a popular method of providing feed and cover on commercial pheasant shots, where—depending on weather conditions—the crop can still be standing at the end of January. But the Allens are thought to be the first producers to grow the crop specially for hens although Ian says it is difficult to quantify whether the unexpected boost to the birds' diet has resulted in better performance.

"As any free range farmer will know, every flock behaves and performs differently which can make comparisons difficult but the flock is certainly laying well at the moment."

The farm, like many in the province, is Freedom Food approved and assessor Eddie Kenworthy is an enthusiastic supporter of what the Allens have done.

"It's an amazing sight," he told the Ranger. "Our welfare standards don't call for maize planting but it's certainly a novel way of enriching the hens' environment, whilst reducing their stress by providing cover from noise and shelter from the weather—all important aspects of the Freedom Food scheme."

The Allens eggs are marketed by Skea Eggs which has a free range supply base of 180,000 hens, supplying some of the major retailers in Northern Ireland and Great Britain