Author Topic: Ex Battery 'ens ... and getting them in condition (Read 3119 times)

Kitchen Cottage · « **on:** June 14, 2013, 07:58:29 pm »

I collected 8 ex "welfare enriched"

hens a few weeks ago. Generally they are doing well, but one, the most featherless still has a very droopy comb. I've separated it at night, cos the others have attacked it a bit and it gets a boiled egg, some sultanas and honey water... but she still looks very miserable.

How long before I see some change in condition in her, they are wormed and have no fleas or mites (they did have when they arrived!!)and what else can I give her to improve her?

new camera hens 023

doganjo · « **Reply #1 on:** June 14, 2013, 08:44:15 pm »

I make a concoction for my new ones - my goodness that one IS over ready, isn't it

Porridge oats, honey, boiling water to mix, milk to cool it, plus a liberal sprinkling of poultry spice. They love it.

Kitchen Cottage · « **Reply #2 on:** June 14, 2013, 09:06:11 pm »

I will try that but..... what is "poultry spice"?

Sorry for being dim

doganjo · « **Reply #3 on:** June 14, 2013, 09:08:24 pm »

I don't know what it is, a tonic I reckon, and you can get liquid tonic for hens too. I think I got it at McCaskies, a country farm store here.

Here you go - google is soooo useful

Poultry Spice is a mineral supplement to give to poultry to improve all round condition and performance. The aromatic blend of highly palatable spices will encourage them to eat their ration and so help to keep them strong and healthy. The high mineral content will promote good egg shell quality. Invaluable to help birds get over the moult. Will help to keep condition on during cold weather. Easy to use, just add to their daily ration.
http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/acatalog/Poultry_Spice_450g.html

sh3ph3rd · « **Reply #4 on:** June 17, 2013, 10:25:36 am »

I've used kelp for mine, it's a natural carminative and powerful endocrinal regulator. Haven't found much else that gets them into such vivid health and keeps them there. And I have tried other things, lol... Generally they sell kelp granulated at the feed/produce stores around here, all it takes is a pinch per bird per day.

chrismahon · « **Reply #5 on:** June 18, 2013, 07:03:46 am »

You can get feed compounded specifically for ex-batts KC. It is designed to get them back into good condition. One of the Smallholder, Dobson and Horrell or Garvo ranges I think?

devonlad · « **Reply #6 on:** June 25, 2013, 12:08:41 pm »

oh my- poor old girl- glad to see that the newly enriched welfare has improved things so dramatically ! generally our girls take a good while to become "normal". of our most recent ones, Maisie took ages to adapt and to grow feathers. we were worried about her for weeks. she seemed totally over awed by the whole business, rarely left the coop and seemed totally depressed- now six months on she is the brightest cheekiest hen of the lot and loves hopping up on the wheelbarrow when i'm cleaning them out and clucking right in my face. sadly one or two never quite get there. our favourite treat for them is cooked spaghetti with a spoon of marmite melted through it. not got a clue whether it actually helps but we feel like we're doing something extra to help them and they love it. we always keep them on batt crumbs for a few weeks. good luck

twizzel · « **Reply #7 on:** June 25, 2013, 08:17:48 pm »

We got some ex free range hens off a chicken farmer friend of ours in January- he changes his hens every 50 weeks and the old hens go into pies... so we had 15. They were a bit pecked and thin, feathers were poor. Had them on a mix of rolled barley and layers pellets and also shut them in for 2 weeks in Feb so they moulted, sounded a bit cruel but it's done wonders and they regrew new feathers and look fantastic now, laying every day and generally loving life!

AndynJ · « **Reply #8 on:** June 25, 2013, 09:00:44 pm »

The best recipe for your tired ex bats
Sage & onion or a pastry surround

shygirl · « **Reply #9 on:** June 26, 2013, 12:26:52 am »

try anti-pecking spray - it does work, especially if its the comb they are pecking, or they have drawn blood.

ellied · « **Reply #10 on:** June 26, 2013, 09:18:32 am »

Mine loved cooked rice, sometimes mixed with a few treats like sultanas or something. There is always a lowest hen in the pecking order and one of my ex "commercial free range" is always that whether there are 8 hens or 28. I started letting her out of the run to free range for a few hours and fed her raisins by hand, took her gardening etc - eventually the rest became free range aswell and tho she still gets pecked at in the run overnight or if she crosses someone's path, they all have enough space that mostly she does her own thing. Still follows me from the let out feed to the doorstep for her raisins tho she doesn't always get any, wee thing came oven ready, deformed neck, permanently damaged wing and tiny, caught a chill within the first week after trying to stay out of the coop and huddling behind instead, so she was indoors in a cat box for a few days at the start anyway and I think that didn't help in terms of the others picking on her since.