i'm keen to get just two chickens, however we use the entire front garden for veg ets, wouldn't be possible to fence the veg off. Our rear garden is a decked yard, quite large but no grass, would chickens be happy on this surface or do they really need grass, mud etc to scratch around in. The yard has the advantage of being very secure and predators would not be able to tunnel in etc, obviously we would provide a suitable hen house etc. Our front garden would not be secure enough, we lost our bunnies to a fox despite going to great lengths to make them secure.

As long as you put a bit of straw or a few wood chippings down for them to scrut about it they should be fine. They also like a sand bath to dust bathe in (cat litter tray??). If you used straw you could easily compost it for the veg :)

Ex-batts are a great starter hen, generally very docile and child friendly and still produce plenty of eggs. Try googling Hen Rehomers UK, they have a local collection point, whereas BHWT are in Lincoln.

They would be fine but to be honest if you want them to have a good life then you need to let them have access to soil/ grass where they can dig around.

My chucks arrived in Oct and spent most of their time in their run ( is on soil and bark chips) since the start of the year I have been letting them roam the garden when I am in and I have to say they absolutly love it - they jump at the fence every morning calling for me (let me out! let me out!) as soon as I open the door to the enclosure they are out! Which shows how much they love it.

They spend hours digging in the mud and dust bathing under the conifers and they really are in their element - could you let them out on the grass when you are gardening?

Also I have been recommended and would also recommend getting 3 rather than 2 - it seems to be a better number - with just 2 one is top dog and one is not so this one would get all the negative attentions of no.1 chicken with 3 they seem to swap roles and no one seems to get the raw end of the deal all the time. Also if anything happens to one the other will be very lonely.

What size enclosure were you looking at giving them?

I have 3 ex batts which I got through Hen rehomers UK - they are great characters- they lay fantastic - I am getting an egg of each of them pretty much every day and have been through winter too- It also feels great to see these sorry birds bloom and have a life because of you, without this they would have had a rotten start and a rotten end to their life

Its nice to hear about your ladies mcl1. We have four ex-batts coming on 2nd May from Hen Re-homers.

We have been waiting for months as there dont seem to have been many rescues so far this year. But at least we have had time to prepare.

Any tips on what we should get for their arrival? We have the coop and run, feeder and drinker, sand bath (cat litter tray!) and have bought a bag of ex-batt crumb so far.

Also did you collect yours in cardboard boxes or buy a proper carrier?

As you can probably tell we are very excited about their arrival!! :D

HRUK have two so far this year, with another two planned for May. It can be hit and miss depending on the farmers and the market as a whole.

Exbatts are brill though!

You'll need a bit of layers mash to start them on and wean them onto the pellets. Some take to new foods right away, others take a few days or so to accept new things.

Diatomaceous earth is great for adding to a sand bath as it helps destroy red mites without damaging the birds or other wildlife.

Cat boxes are brill for collecting them in, you can get two exbatts in a standard one, 3-4 in a large one. Otherwise cardboard boxes are fine as long as they have good ventilation near the top. Too low or too big holes and you'll find the girls trying to get out! :)

Hen hugger pretty much covered what you need.

We collected them in those cardboard pet boxes but others had cardboard boxes and cat carriers etc - just make sure they are big enough - I was suprised how big the hens were and didn't think they would fit in our boxes - they did, just, but we didn't have too far to go.

Also the claws were a bit scary and big at first - they don't both me at all now - but I was a bit nervous to pick them up so I used a pair of gardening gloves which gave me a lot more confidence picking them up.

I got some poultry spice for their food and some tonic to put in their water - it's just a pep up for them which will give them a head start on regaining their health. Mine absolutly lurve sweetcorn - straight from the tin - thats how I gained there trust - if you have something they love to eat they automatically love you.!! :)


I would recommend a lid or cover for your dust bath as once it rains its a mud bath ! ha ha !

They might fight a bit a first - just a lot of pecking -this WILL settle don't worry. One of mine used to come out of their house in the morning with a bloody comb and I used to feel awful but now they have sorted their pecking order and get along brill.

And one final thing take a picture as soon as you get them and then you can see how far they come when living with you for just a few mths - you are doing a fab thing and you are gonna have 4 very lucky ladies!! Good luck and enjoy them!! Let us know how you get on!

Forgot to say that if they are in a particularly poor state (as they sometimes are) then giving them growers pellets for a while will help. It will help them gain condition. But don't worry too much if not. Scrambled egg is full of protein too, and tbh the first few eggs will be nothing like the ones you get after a while so to feed them back a few is no great shakes.

Also forgot to mention they'll need grit and either crushed oystershell (available from feed stores) or baked and crushed egg shells to help with egg formation and digestion. Especially so if they are in a run more often than not.

...if you want some fun, buy a bag of maggots from a tackle shop, then scatter them onto a tray....!

...if you want some fun, buy a bag of maggots from a tackle shop, then scatter them onto a tray....!
lol frisbee95!! We give ours some of the older mealworm that the gecko hasnt eaten and they love them. also if snails are a problem as they can be in our garden the 'accidentally' end up in the coop :) Natural pest control at its best i say!

thanks for replies everyone, our back yard is pretty big, about 30 feet square, though it's an odd shape, concrete with decking on top, there is a 6 foot square unused flower bed, and it's completely fenced 6ft high plus, they could potter round this when we are home, but really wouldn't be safe on front garden which is all given over to veg and isn't securely fenced, close to road etc, would that suffice do you think?

Im sure that compared to the conditions they had previously been living in, your back garden would be heaven to any ex-batt. :)