The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: patchy1990 on February 27, 2011, 05:25:59 pm
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Has anyone every rehomed any battery hens?
We have lots of chicken and ducks at home, used for laying not meat. Also a few geese, but these are just pets!
Anyway, we are after some new hens, and were thinking of rehoming some battery hens, we're aware they don't look the best. But have spoken to many charities that rehome them, and the stories are so sad, most of them still have never seen daylight. So seems like the best option, giving them a better life?
Or will there be after effects? Illnesses? Would it be easier to buy some non ex battery hens? We do always hatch our own every year, but seem to be jinxed with having cockerals!
Any views?
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I have always had ex batts. Some are fine - others keel over quite quickly. Shortest time I've had one is about 4 months - no apparent reason for demise - just looked 'hang dogged' one day and found dead the next. But I have had some that lived 7 or 8 years. They are often very grateful for being rescued and are very friendly. (and they 'talk' to you! ;D) I have found them much easier to handle than my Light Sussex who are a bunch of scaredy pies by comparison. Go for it - save a few hens - even if you only give them a few months it's better than what they have had.
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Sounds good to me, think we will go ahead with it :)
Did their looks improve with time?
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We re-homed 4 and they are so lovely. The batch they came from weren't too bad according to the rescuer, they were usually much worse. They integrated well with our others but they did have a separate house just in case.
I've attached a pic where you can see two of them, they are of course the ones with lots of white patches from missing feathers.
They laid quite well to start with but now I think we only get the odd egg and we've had them for over 2 years now.
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Glad you posted a picture! They still look nice! I was picturing small straggly looking chickens!
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Don't get too excited, I believe some can virtually have no feathers! But they do grow back and look very smart little ladies.
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Yeah, am aware that they will come looking bad, but aslong as they develop! As people often like to see where our eggs come from, and wouldn't be very nice if there were constantly bald chickens running around!
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If most of your current stock is homebred you have to be every careful to introduce new stock, especially exbattery hens.... I personally would not take the risk, your homebred stock will have an inbred resistance to your local bugs, and that is quite valuable.
if you go ahead with exbats at least have them isolated for a good while, until they have proved themselves not to harbour any disease, and then introduce to your others slowly. You will need a second house/run for them.
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We've had some for about 18 months. They were in a terrible state when we got them but within a few months they had mostly feathered up. They were fantastic layers for about 12 months but have declined over this last winter. Going to give them a chance to start again as the days get longer but I'm wondering if they've come to the end of their laying careers. No pets here I'm afraid, everything has to pay it's way or it's curtains. They've had a good life since we got them though so I can feel good about myself when the redundancies have to be made. ;D
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No matter whether you take in ex-batts or pure breeds you should ALWAYS isolate! (I even do that with puppies! It's common sense) ::)
Once they are considered healthy (and most ex-batts will be, due to the amount of drugs they pump into them) there is no reason for them to have separate living quarters, unless you need to do that for your own benefit. Mine all live together after an initial period of segregation - usually just a week or a fortnight so they get a chance to settle in and grow some feathers, as well as becoming more confident so that they can fit in with the rest of the flock. You can tell by the colour of their combs as they will be very pale to start with and improve considerably over a few days. Any that are likely to die are those that can't take the shock of withdrawal.
But if you are aiming to make a lot of money off them rather than doing it for their sake then just forget it. You won't! The reason they ARE ex-batts is because they are laying erratically and are considered no longer viable.
It is very worthwhile. I love my little brown girls.
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One of the main places we are thinking or rescuing from is a charity that has rescued from a closed down battery farm, so many may still have laying time.
But agree with you segregation, i never thought of that, but luckily we have large pens, with houses attached, that we could keep the chickens in. So thankyou for that :)
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We got out 1st hens as ex-bats - from the BHWT. They turned up looking middling - I have seen worse. One died within 2 months, but I dont think she ever was 'better'. They laid for a few weeks, then went into an 8 week 'spa break', moulted and re-featehr and looked so much happier and healthier. Unfortunately we then lost another one as she had what I think they call a prolapse. However number 3 is still with us and very healthy. She now lays erratically but could be the winter - we have had her 11 months.
I have to say though that my recent 3 hens are from a breeder and POL as I want the for the regular supply of eggs, not as pets first an foremost. I would rescue more, but only if I had enough eggs from the other hens to keep us all, plus the room to start a rescue home for abused chickens!
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from the BHWT. a rescue home for abused chickens!
I think that's what people see me as - a rescue home - they even bring me trees that have been dug out and left lying ...........
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Oh and the yolks become deeper yellow as time goes on. They are pale to begin with.
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Our first 4 were battery hens from the BHWT, Baldilocks and the three Bares!!! Mummy, Daddy and Baby!!!
Baldilocks, as her name would suggest was the baldest of the lot, but within about 6 months all four of them were fully feathered and laying well.
Baldilocks went broody, unusual for a hybrid and raised a brood of 6, it was so nice to see her from the dishevelled pile she was when she arrived to clucking round the garden showing her chicks what to do.
Sadly she passed away a year to the day of us getting them but we know in that year she enjoyed a proper free range chickeny life!!!