Got our Ex battery hens yesterday!

[pinkgirl 10]

Thanks to Jo

They settled lovely and gave us an egg after 90 minutes:love:

[H.P 10]

Well I hope they bring you lots of pleasure just as our rescue hens did, we only have one rescue hen left now, the other died last year. We love our hens, although the bottom of the garden is like a mudpit at the moment

We fetched two pullets before christmas to keep the remaining rescue hen company, they are laying us lots of lovley eggs, infact they are laying more than we can eat at the moment.

[uniden300 10]

we got ours yesterday to grandson had his first fresh egg this mornig and they laid 2 more this afternoon to settleing in ok going to build a nice big run for them and will be getting about 6 more to top of my garden is massive so they will be haveing all that 2 them selves

[Dhimmi 10]

Are rescued hens going to be any good for egg laying? It seems unlikely that they'd have been made redundant without good reason.

[Gemima 10]

ex batts do lay very well, but there lifespan can be short. We had 12 and they were fantastic if I still had land, I would definately get more ex batts. The sight at seeing them running around, pecking at grass and being free is so worth it.

[HenHugger 10]

Are rescued hens going to be any good for egg laying? It seems unlikely that they'd have been made redundant without good reason.

 

They're sent to slaughter because at approx 72 weeks old they enter their first moult. During the moult egg production drops and after the moult they are considered commercially unviable as they lay only 4 eggs a week instead of the required 6 per week, and also the colour of the shell and size of the egg varies. Supermarkets like their eggs to be uniform in shape, size and colour.

 

They might not live as long as pure breds, but they have just as much character, and it's far more rewarding to see them recover and bloom than any other pet hen IMO.

[Moonbird 11]

Just out of interest and because I covert hens how long do they live? how much do they cost to feed? and what happens if they are ill? do they get ill often and do you have to have a lot of knowledge to keep them?

 

Oh and sorry....well done for taking them Pinkgirl, would be nice if you keep us up to date with their progress, and feel free to add pics if you like

[HenHugger 10]

Ex-batts generally live anything from a few months to 3-4 years, although of course, there are exceptions to that.

Generally speaking with bedding and feed you're looking at around 60-70p per hen per week to keep.

The can and do get ill, but hens only generally show that they are ill when they are very ill. As many ex-batts are more pets than anything else, like with any pet, you get to know when they are off colour long before they reach deaths door. For most illnesses treatment is fairly simple, depending on what it is. They can suffer with prolapses, just as any other breed can. There are also some diseases that they will have been vaccinated against as chicks. Worming and delousing/ checking for mites should be done routinely.

You don't have to have years of experience to keep hens, just common sense, animal sence and be willing to learn. Ex-batts are good natured and the first hen of choice for many back garden hen keeping newbies, incl myself!

[Gemima 10]

There is also a large selection of books in libraries which proved invaluable when I kept chickens.

[Moonbird 11]

Thanks for that Henhugger, I have to say that I am so tempted by hens and have longed for some since I was a little girl, I used to go and visit someone who had some ex battery hens and I loved her girls.

I know that if I can get away with it with the housing association it's just a matter of time before I weaken does anyone know if they can share an exercise area with rabbits? it is a really large area by the way not just a small run.

[Gemima 10]

Its not ideal Moonbird as the hens will eat the rabbit food and also peck the rabbits.

 

If you are thinking of getting hens I am soooooo jealous.

[Moonbird 11]

Its not ideal Moonbird as the hens will eat the rabbit food and also peck the rabbits.

If you are thinking of getting hens I am soooooo jealous.

 

Well thats no good is it, I am going to increase the size of my rabbit area anyway so I guess that I could partition part of it off...at some point

It is something that I have always wanted to do but I think that I would need to think it through a lot more before I did it, I would want the hens to have a good life if they came here, with a nice home and plenty of room, to do hen things.