[Roxy]

Having been involved in battery hen rescues for a while now, I have seen some poor looking hens. Quite often I have kept them here and not rehomed them.  To be perfectly honest, the rehomers would run a mile  if they saw them.  One that came out nearly two weeks ago, was not in good condition when it came, and it seems no better, or maybe worse.

Its been walking round the field with the other hens, and my hubby saw it tonight, and asked whatever that was?  Its small, skinny, and just a few feathers hanging from its wings.  I have moved it into a run, and am going to try and build it up with extra feed, and boiled eggs etc.  If someone goes past the field and sees that, they will be accusing me of cruelty.

I am not going to post a pic, as it may be upsetting to some members.  But if the hen makes it (and its not looking too promising) I will post a before and after pic.  I will do my best, but sometimes they are beyond help.

I wish I could go and stand in the egg aisle of the supermarkets and when people pick up the caged hen eggs, I could bring out my sad looking hen, and say she could have laid those eggs!!

Some people just blot the image out of their minds, but if they saw my little hen, I am sure she would tug at their heartstrings, and make them change their egg buying.

I appreciate that budget is an issue, and the cheapest eggs are a lot cheaper than free range etc. but there must be a compromise.

[CameronS]

how terrible, fingers crossed for the poor wee chook   

[northfifeduckling]

What a life those poor things have, I hope you can give it a real good time - what life for a hen is supposed to be! Fingers crossed she'll recover.
A lot of people just don't care, but most of those eggs are hidden in ready products these days. That's the worst, you don't even make the choice.
 

[Sandy]

Arrhhhhhhhhh,the rescue 7  hens I had were not too bad and now some are a bit fat!, I realy  hope she perks up, she at least has a chance otherwise she would have been in the bin by now!!

[doganjo]

Well I've posted pics of my latest lot - here they are again.  I have stood beside the caged hen eggs in Morrison's and told people what these hens live in - one or two look at me like I need to be an asylum but others have said 'I didn't know' and moved to the barn or free range - not much better but those are the only other choices.  It is criminal to let them get to this state in my opinmon.  There is absolutely no need for it.  These hens are checked every day so they MUST see what is happening to them.

[jameslindsay]

Why the authorities allow this abuse to go on is in itself surely unlawful?

[doganjo]

Perhaps, but how do you get them to act?

[jameslindsay]

That's the million dollar question, no idea how you would start action.

[Sandy]

Well even BIG celebs have tried but ££££ talks and out of sight out of mind.....people just do their shopping and maybe for a few days take heed of the cruelty but then carry on...I know as until I had hens I would!!! and I am at least being honest. Anne, you are a suffragette and will get yourself arrested for harassing customers in Morrisons!!!!! well I suppose that WIll get into the papers and will be a change from the stabbings and usual murders around here 

[jameslindsay]

Thanks for the laugh Sandy. 

[sheardale]

My ex bat hens are doing great.  Just got them last Sat.  They still have pale faces.  But they are beginning to get their feathers to grow.  There are 2 that I have a job and a half to get them in their house at night.  They see me coming and hide.  I have to go into the field to pick them up after the dog sniffs them out.  Only been getting 2 eggs the last few days.  I am delighted with the hens.  Admittedly, thye were a sorry state when I got them, and there is no weight at all in them.  One is quite cheeky and tries to peck the dog.   Wish I had taken more now.
Cheers Helen

[doganjo]

Hi Helen, mine are doing well too - even the two scraggy ones.  They are going to get porridge with honey and poultry spice tonight as I couldn't get them to eat the last lot I put down for them - they wouldn't peck off the dish on the ground.  But Scraggy Aggie 1 and SA 2 showed them all how.  I had eggs from all of them last three days but some are getting smashed as they aren't used to the eggs being in the same place as them selves.  So now I need to find an outlet for the eggs.

[Roxy]

Some of those farms could have 30,000 hens - not sure they check every hen in those cramped cages every day?

The RSPCA surely must check these farms, as they do the intensive pig farms etc.  But, are hens like Doganjo's and mine considered "acceptable" - not to me they aren't!!

Barn eggs are a little better, but again, there are issues there. And free rang ....well, this is debatable. Having seen a free range egg unit, I was rather amazed when the side of the big shed opened, and down a ramp walked probably 500 hens, into a small paddock.  Some did not bother coming out, probably knew there was not room for them all.  So, people are buying free range eggs, off hens that are so tightly packed, there is no way they can walk round the field.

Yes, there are proper free range places.  I was speaking to a man at weekend, who said he had a new venture of 16,000 free range hens on 20 acres.  That sounds a lot, but with that many hens on .......I wonder.  I wished him luck, as it was his first time keeping any hens (talk about in at the deep end!)  He did tell me how much feed he used, forgotten the amount, but it made me gulp at his weekly feed bill!!

[sheardale]

I had no eggs at all today.  I have given them boiled egg chopped with the shells and 'chrunchy nut clusters' mixed together in one dish the other dish has the hen feeding and  oyster shell grit mixed in.  They drink a lot tho.  They all came out of their house today which was nice to see.           
Cheers Helen

[Roxy]

Yes, my ex batts who came a couple of weeks ago, have stopped too.  They laid for 5 days, because thats how many days eggs they store, and then stopped. Do not expect to see an egg for a couple of weeks or so, now.  The other hens are not laying as good as they ought to be either.