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Sign up to our Newsletter “Lost chicken tucked under one arm, Rebecca couldn’t help but wonder: how can I transport a rescue hen?”
Meet Rebecca, Omlet’s New Product Strategist, who proves that sometimes you don’t choose the chicken life – the chicken life chooses you. It all started fifteen years ago with a chance encounter under a bridge and a very surprised pair of labradors. From that first muddy rescue to now helping shape the future of chicken care at Omlet, see how one Rhode Island Red sparked Rebecca’s lifelong passion.
The discovery took place on a country bridle path in the UK, a route Rebecca had walked hundreds of times before with her dogs. But one afternoon, leaning over the stream bridge revealed something unexpected. “Standing by the water was a bright red Rhode Island Red hen,” she remembers. “Not a duck. Not a heron. Definitely not a fish.”
Knowing the local foxes wouldn’t be far behind, a rescue mission was launched. Armed only with a pair of trusty wellingtons and childhood memories of chicken-sitting for neighbours, Rebecca scrambled down the bank. “With a chicken tucked under one arm, I climbed back up, wondering: how exactly do you transport a rescue hen?” The solution? A seating reshuffle in her small blue hatchback: dogs on the back seat, chicken in the boot and a very interesting car ride home.
That “accidental” hen was the start of a 15-year journey for Rebecca and her family. Today, the flock consists of four characterful birds: Trunchbull (named after the Matilda villain for her bossy attitude), Grayling and the Colombian Blacktail duo, Autumn and Copper.
The joy of the flock comes in small, daily wonders. “The colour of the eggs from the black chickens is green, which is quite unusual and always a delight to see,” Rebecca says. Beyond the breakfast table, the chickens have become genuine garden companions. They are famously comical, tilting their heads to “talk” and charging across the grass the moment they hear the food tin shake.
The chickens have even taken over some of the gardening chores. By digging through weedy soil, they turn it into fine, perfectly fertilised earth ready for reuse. “Nothing goes to waste,” Rebecca notes, as the hens also happily manage any leftover vegetables from their garden.
Her practical advice for newcomers? Focus on their natural behaviours. “Chickens love digging and need mental stimulation. If you don’t want them roaming your borders, a Walk In Run is essential with the addition of a Poletree to keep them entertained“. She also shares a pro-tip from her own experience: given the choice between wood chips and soil as the base of their run, her girls will pick the soil side every time.
Rebecca had no idea at the time that things would come full circle and she’d one day be working at Omlet, where chickens are at the heart of everything.
And when we asked Rebecca to finish this sentence, she said: “My life is better #BecauseOfTheChicken because… I’ve always got a fresh egg in the morning and someone to enjoy being in the garden with.”
This entry was posted in Chickens