Stepping out

They concluded an average hen’s step is four inches and collated the results over a 16-hour period on hens which were free to roam in a 5-acre field.

The birds varied tremendously in the way they utilised their time and, as with people, there were sedentary and sporty types. The average bird, however, took more than 7,000 steps – nearly half a mile.

There were some health fanatics, however, who made an amazing 16,245 steps – a tremendous mile a day. This means, the researchers concluded, that a hen would take 54 days to walk between London and Brighton and 68 years to walk around the world!

Clarence Court - which has already featured on Field Day because of its hencam and music policy - has pioneered the revival of traditional British specialty breeds from old pure bloodlines.

They say the experiment demonstrates that, unlike modern hybrid birds, old breeds are naturally more athletic and given the correct environment will utilise their time and energy to the full - resulting in a fuller-flavoured egg.

“I am amazed at the results of this experiment," says Clarence Court director Lisa Rowe.

"Although I have always recognised that our hens need ample space to move around and express themselves, I didn’t realise that certain members of the flock were clocking up over a mile a day. It seems like an enormous effort for a single egg but it definitely gives ‘food miles’ a new meaning.”

Now onto such other earth-shatteringly important questions like, eer, how many times does a sheep go baa and how many times does a cow spend a penny in a typical day...

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