Panic buying

Marigold

Marigold

Moderator
PKF Supporter
Joined
Apr 30, 2011
Messages
8,130
Reaction score
193
Location
Hampshire, U.K.
I'm still sticking to my policy of living hen-free until I can feel a bit more confident about being able to look after them in the longer term though sorely tempted every time I pass the empty run. However the current panic buying has removed them all from the local farm. Although they say more will come on Tuesday I don't think it will be a good idea to join the scrum! Anyway like Suzy Baldwin at Hollywater Hens who is an excellent seller in this link, I'm concerned about the welfare of many of these birds bought on a whim by people who don't know what they're doing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-52000039?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5e78ee6d30e3eb065b48e277%26%27Mad%27%20increase%20in%20demand%20for%20hens%262020-03-23T17%3A49%3A09.437Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:95d0a0ed-ab39-4bea-bb8e-9aff3659e2f3&pinned_post_asset_id=5e78ee6d30e3eb065b48e277&pinned_post_type=share
 
The best bit of optimism I can squeeze out of this is that for just a few it will be the start of being bitten by the bug. Probably not the person who thought it was a good idea to buy 10 hens (that lay two eggs a day apparently!) but the family member that actually takes on the job of caring for them. Its how most of us start - in blind ignorance!
 
Ha ha our local pullet-selling farm sold out last week and have been advertising new stock tomorrow expecting them to disappear overnight. But now nobody in lockdown will be able to go to buy them and they'll be stuck with dozens of hens for the foreseeable future.
 
The BHWT have had a huge flood of new enquiries too. They chose to stop taking requests from people not already on their database, though the lockdown will stop them from being able to do rehoming days now anyway.

All those little feathery bundles of joy denied a happy retirement because some people wouldn't comply with social distancing...
 
dianefairhall said:
So glad we have our girls - we might get fed up with eggs but we won't go hungry.
Click to expand...

Oh, don't! Here, there is no real panic buying, as such. A bit, but supermarkets are able to keep up. But my sister in Australia has told me just how bad it is there. She said that twice now, she has been unable to get anything remotely useful in the shops. And she's working flat out dealing with worried people all day, (she works for the Council). It's really worrying us, how hard things are gone out there, and seemingly no end to the panic buying and hoarding. As she said, where on earth are people storing all this stuff?
 
200 pullets sold out within 5 hours apparently. People told to wait in their cars and be served one at a time. I managed to resist the temptation to drive over and join the queue and have decided to use the run as a mini-allotment this summer instead. I've now ordered 10 X 50-litre bags of growing compost from thecompostshop.co.uk which was recommended by daughter and will deliver on monday plus various veg.seeds and 1st early potatoes. Shall line up the big bags in the run and use them as raised beds. No digging or weeding!
Veg seeds selling out fast online as well.
 
You must have great willpower, Marigold. I would really miss having eggs and do like to see the girls pottering about in their run. Its such a great idea to utilise the run,though. Think of all the lovely home grown veg. I grew some potatoes last year, it was such fun digging them up (and eating them).

Last Saturday, before lockdown, I drove to my daughters house and collected my Mothers Day prezzie she had kindly left me and I left her some eggs. She sent me a text this morning with a photo of her boiled eggs and soldiers, stating "you're eggs are amazing, best ever". I think we forget how pale the yolks are from the supermarket eggs.
 
Our local animal feed supplier 10 mins up the road from us, has been empty of any sort of poultry/dog/cat food for over a week now. presumably equine stuff as well. We do have a couple of sacks of layers pellets, thought it might be prudent to get a couple more. Went up there yesterday, and it is closed until the Covid 19 situation is resolved'
We are only 17 miles from Chelmsford and Marriages Mill a quick phone call and the shop was open one customer a time please. So we went and stocked up and got free bag of bread flour from the man as well.
Opposite was an Aldi with about 4 cars in the car park, walked in shelves full to bursting with everything and about 8 people in the shop. Happy Days.
Drove around corner and petrol was down to £1.04 even better, still £1.14 here
 
Article today in the Guardian about the rush to buy chickens. See if you can spot my contribution in the Comments.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/08/cooped-up-is-coronavius-lockdown-a-good-time-to-start-keeping-chickens#comment-139625723
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top