Dont buy anything that has a sniffle, scaly leg etc etc just make sure that whatever you buy you isolate for a couple of weeks as even moving can cause stress & bring out sniffles etc. Have a great weekend 'shopping'!!!!!
A
Anonymous
Guest
I would be very careful about the health of the chicken, what I don't know is if I got two more (so we had 3 again) how do I introduce them to Fanny! Do I let them all wander round the garden together, do I keep them apart, I can do this as Fanny can go in the small shed for a few days and free range in the garden and the new two can go in the chicken run (says MrsTweedy!)
I would love another Plymouth Rock, Delia was beautiful! and a Rhode Island Red. Mum and Dad always had Rhode Island reds.
Not sure I am ready for battery hens until I'm a bit more experienced!
I would love another Plymouth Rock, Delia was beautiful! and a Rhode Island Red. Mum and Dad always had Rhode Island reds.
Not sure I am ready for battery hens until I'm a bit more experienced!
A
Anonymous
Guest
Think I've just found it isolate for 7-10 days, we are going on holiday in one week so think we would have to purchase after holiday, my poor nephew is looking after Fanny, he was rather worried so I gave him a crash course and he's quite taken to her! 
A
Anonymous
Guest
I found this so I'm having a read 
http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/caring-for-hens/
http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/caring-for-hens/
A
Anonymous
Guest
Looby,
Have just rescued 3 battery hens! Coming in 4 weeks so plenty of time to research, decided I want to rescue and look after something even if the odd one, or two die. The lady said if they do die it's swift which I can cope with.
Anyway she said allow a football in size for each hen in the house so we can rescue 3.
Have read all about retraining them, not putting them on perches as legs can bruise getting off them, putting them to bed, coaxing them out in the morning, having them feed on chick crumb pellets then slowly moving them onto pellets. Keeping them to a routine etc., my way of looking at it was we got 3 chickens in May, supposedly healthy ones and two died so may as well go for some healthy but unloved battery hens and give them a good home. Really looking forward to it, have already chosen names, Maisie, Marjory and Maureen. Fanny is going to live in the little shed and free range for two weeks while the new hens go in the chicken run, then they can get used to each other through the chicken wire fence.
So sorted but would appreciate any advice on taking on my 3 new baldies
Have just rescued 3 battery hens! Coming in 4 weeks so plenty of time to research, decided I want to rescue and look after something even if the odd one, or two die. The lady said if they do die it's swift which I can cope with.
Anyway she said allow a football in size for each hen in the house so we can rescue 3.
Have read all about retraining them, not putting them on perches as legs can bruise getting off them, putting them to bed, coaxing them out in the morning, having them feed on chick crumb pellets then slowly moving them onto pellets. Keeping them to a routine etc., my way of looking at it was we got 3 chickens in May, supposedly healthy ones and two died so may as well go for some healthy but unloved battery hens and give them a good home. Really looking forward to it, have already chosen names, Maisie, Marjory and Maureen. Fanny is going to live in the little shed and free range for two weeks while the new hens go in the chicken run, then they can get used to each other through the chicken wire fence.
So sorted but would appreciate any advice on taking on my 3 new baldies
Tim
Administrator
Hello Pip,
I have just been catching up (a whole 2 pages worth of posts...) with your story, and I'm very sorry to hear you lost Nigella.
As for the Ex Bats - that's great news. They will need some TLC and you sound just the right sort of person to give it to them!
I started an Ex Battery Hen section on the site which has some FAQs. They won't take long to read and cover the basics of what you'll need to know specific to Ex-Bats. (you'll also get to see my little girl holding one of our Ex-bats ) I hope it's useful for you.
Kindest Regards,
Tim
I have just been catching up (a whole 2 pages worth of posts...) with your story, and I'm very sorry to hear you lost Nigella.
As for the Ex Bats - that's great news. They will need some TLC and you sound just the right sort of person to give it to them!
I started an Ex Battery Hen section on the site which has some FAQs. They won't take long to read and cover the basics of what you'll need to know specific to Ex-Bats. (you'll also get to see my little girl holding one of our Ex-bats
) I hope it's useful for you.Kindest Regards,
Tim
Tim
Administrator
Thanks... must take after her mum then :lol:
A
Anonymous
Guest
Oh Tim she is gorgeous!!!! Thanks for the advce will read up on it and Looby is going to ring me with advice. I know I shouldn't name them or get attached but I wasn't blessed with children so I am a surrogate Mum to my animals! 
) I love my dogs so much and me guinea pigs (or poonarmee as we call them)!
Can't wait to rescue the battery hens, I know I should hold back but love looking after things!
Flint grit and louse spray coming tomorrow, Fanny had good day been out the whole day, found her in the kitchen on the kitchen sofa alongside the dog! He's an Italian Spinone (hunting and shooting dog!) He's a good boy! Will post a pic of Fanny and HUmphs!
) I love my dogs so much and me guinea pigs (or poonarmee as we call them)!Can't wait to rescue the battery hens, I know I should hold back but love looking after things!
Flint grit and louse spray coming tomorrow, Fanny had good day been out the whole day, found her in the kitchen on the kitchen sofa alongside the dog! He's an Italian Spinone (hunting and shooting dog!) He's a good boy! Will post a pic of Fanny and HUmphs!
Attachments
well done girlie another 3 poor girls going to be loved for life yippppppppppeeeeeeee, i had my battery hen trust email yesterday and in september them managed to rehome 5, 229 birds thats so brillant but they were also asking for people to give extra specail homes to the birds that are injured etc and if i had known that before the other week then i would of taken on them but i know now for the future .
i do have premission for another run on my first plot so maybe next spring i can make another one and give those more injured birds a good home but will have to see how things go as i dont want to overload myself with to manys animals even though animals are my life but with working full time and having 3 horses 2 dogs and 21 birds i have to make sure that i can give all the animals the right kind of care without over doing myself if that makes sense :lol:
i do have premission for another run on my first plot so maybe next spring i can make another one and give those more injured birds a good home but will have to see how things go as i dont want to overload myself with to manys animals even though animals are my life but with working full time and having 3 horses 2 dogs and 21 birds i have to make sure that i can give all the animals the right kind of care without over doing myself if that makes sense :lol:
A
Anonymous
Guest
thanks for your advice Looby and your time on the phone today! Can't wait to get Miss. Baldy, Mrs. Baldy and Ms. Baldy in 4 weeks time!
hey pip :lol: anytime your so funny and barmy did we talk about chickens though i cant quite remember 05 05 umm but there was loads of chat about the eight legged things that freak most people out :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: but omgggggg what a day we could not take down the old shed of mine as when it was first moved it was rolled across the allotment site now i know why the bloke had screwed the roof down so much that we would of had to smash it to pieces not worth it so i stressed about the ex batts sleeping in yukky non waterproof housing so my mum brought me a brand new 6'4 shed from focus £117 with discount we have been putting that up all afternoon so a flying visit to the horses dogs never got walked but that wont hurt them for an afternoon and to top it all my friend did the roof wrong so i havent been able toput the new girls in there yet as i stil need to sort out the roof and felt it 
so gutted as i really wanted them in there tonight . omg i will sleep well tonight .
05 05 umm but there was loads of chat about the eight legged things that freak most people out :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: but omgggggg what a day we could not take down the old shed of mine as when it was first moved it was rolled across the allotment site now i know why the bloke had screwed the roof down so much that we would of had to smash it to pieces not worth it so i stressed about the ex batts sleeping in yukky non waterproof housing so my mum brought me a brand new 6'4 shed from focus £117 with discount we have been putting that up all afternoon so a flying visit to the horses dogs never got walked but that wont hurt them for an afternoon and to top it all my friend did the roof wrong so i havent been able toput the new girls in there yet as i stil need to sort out the roof and felt it so gutted as i really wanted them in there tonight . omg i will sleep well tonight .Amy
New member
Hi Mrs Tweedy
Can I just say that I am in the same boat as you, I dont have children so my animals are my life. When I started with chickens in Feb I got 4 and in May I lost 3 in the space of the month which was so upsetting I vowed no more chickens as I didnt think my heart could take all the emotion. But I just love my feathered friends and knew I would miss having them so I got some more including 4 ex-batts. I am pleased to say that ALL of my ex-batts are still alive and I have had no trouble with them at all. They are amazingly cheeky but good as gold. I now have 11 chickens; 1 black rock, 1 speckled star, 1 bluebelle, 4 ex-batts, 2 marrans and 2 rhode Island reds and spend many an hour outside with them having cuddles. Like you, I always try to keep everything clean and give them a great diet (they eat better than I do!) and thats all we can do.
Dont be disheartened and I think it is great that you are thinking of giving ex-batts a go. I always kept in my head, that even if they were to die, even if it was the day after you get them, then at least they had 1 happy day of freedom, daylight, fresh food and cuddles. Better than dying in a cage in captivity.
I have also got 2 ducks and now 3 turkeys which are really entertaining and so very naughty if you really want to dive into the unknown! This last year has been a steep, steep learning curve and the vet is also considering giving me shares in their practice as I am their best customer!!!!
Good luck and dont give up on our feathered friends... x
Can I just say that I am in the same boat as you, I dont have children so my animals are my life. When I started with chickens in Feb I got 4 and in May I lost 3 in the space of the month which was so upsetting I vowed no more chickens as I didnt think my heart could take all the emotion. But I just love my feathered friends and knew I would miss having them so I got some more including 4 ex-batts. I am pleased to say that ALL of my ex-batts are still alive and I have had no trouble with them at all. They are amazingly cheeky but good as gold. I now have 11 chickens; 1 black rock, 1 speckled star, 1 bluebelle, 4 ex-batts, 2 marrans and 2 rhode Island reds and spend many an hour outside with them having cuddles. Like you, I always try to keep everything clean and give them a great diet (they eat better than I do!) and thats all we can do.
Dont be disheartened and I think it is great that you are thinking of giving ex-batts a go. I always kept in my head, that even if they were to die, even if it was the day after you get them, then at least they had 1 happy day of freedom, daylight, fresh food and cuddles. Better than dying in a cage in captivity.
I have also got 2 ducks and now 3 turkeys which are really entertaining and so very naughty if you really want to dive into the unknown! This last year has been a steep, steep learning curve and the vet is also considering giving me shares in their practice as I am their best customer!!!!
Good luck and dont give up on our feathered friends... x
A
Anonymous
Guest
Hello everyone,
Sorry for quietness , I've been on a canal boat holiday and god I loved being outdoors 24/7 away from the office! Came back and promptly put my back out so have flattened the vets bill with a chiropractors bill which is still ongoing!07
Battery hens due in about a week or two, timing feels just right have cleared out small 6x4 shed and we are ready! I am also replacing fish that died! ( I had a right run of it!)
The good news is my nephew did a grand job of feeding Fanny while I was away, she laid 6 eggs for the seven days and he got confused and scrambled all of them and fed them back to her, I did say if he couldn't eat them all give one or two to the chicken! PLUS he fed her a whole container of dried meal worms, the whole lot had gone, I did laugh, anyway, this HUGE light sussex hen came sprinting up the garden when I got home, with a comb as red as blood looking like she'd escaped some prize show! I'm soooooOOOO proud!08 She now has flint grit and also has been sprayed with Johnsons small animal spray, that was a learning curve for her and for me!!!!
I got a text from my nephew one day when I was on the boat, it said
"Aunty Pip just been and checked out Fanny and there is no egg, is this normal!?" I did laugh, the next day another text "Just to let you know we have an egg this morning and Fanny is back on track!"
One more funny story: Hubby last night said to me " have you put the chicken away?"...I said no, she's still walking around in the garden...he paused then said "I meant the remains of the roast chicken on the kitchen counter!" lol! Oh how we laughed!!! Apparently my black labrador was doing a good impression of River Dance in front of the kitchen counter on the laminate!
Sorry for quietness , I've been on a canal boat holiday and god I loved being outdoors 24/7 away from the office! Came back and promptly put my back out so have flattened the vets bill with a chiropractors bill which is still ongoing!
07 Battery hens due in about a week or two, timing feels just right have cleared out small 6x4 shed and we are ready! I am also replacing fish that died! ( I had a right run of it!)
The good news is my nephew did a grand job of feeding Fanny while I was away, she laid 6 eggs for the seven days and he got confused and scrambled all of them and fed them back to her, I did say if he couldn't eat them all give one or two to the chicken! PLUS he fed her a whole container of dried meal worms, the whole lot had gone, I did laugh, anyway, this HUGE light sussex hen came sprinting up the garden when I got home, with a comb as red as blood looking like she'd escaped some prize show! I'm soooooOOOO proud!
08 She now has flint grit and also has been sprayed with Johnsons small animal spray, that was a learning curve for her and for me!!!!I got a text from my nephew one day when I was on the boat, it said
"Aunty Pip just been and checked out Fanny and there is no egg, is this normal!?" I did laugh, the next day another text "Just to let you know we have an egg this morning and Fanny is back on track!"
One more funny story: Hubby last night said to me " have you put the chicken away?"...I said no, she's still walking around in the garden...he paused then said "I meant the remains of the roast chicken on the kitchen counter!" lol! Oh how we laughed!!! Apparently my black labrador was doing a good impression of River Dance in front of the kitchen counter on the laminate!
A
Anonymous
Guest
Good news on the shed Looby! Hope you've got the roof fixed now!
A
Anonymous
Guest
Amy thanks for the advice and the not giving up wishes, gives me faith that I may make this work. ALthough they are only chickens they have such a comical way that I love! I've been told livestock is deadstock so being a little harder and more practical about it all! Hopefully perserverance will pay off! If Nugget, Marjory, Bob and can't remember the 4th name peg it, have been recommended a local chicken breeder with fab brown hens that are wormed and innoculated! Would love to succeed with the battery hens, hubby was hell bent on calling one Duracell!
A
Anonymous
Guest
oh goodness me, ive just sat and read your whole post...why is it we get so emotionally attached to these wondeful creatures.....how are you doing any news on the ex batts...im afraid im not brave enough to rescue some just yet, but you never know. we currently have 3 buff orpingtons and 1 gingernut ranger, who is slightly worse for wear but is such a character. within the last 12 months we have lost 3 of oir girls, and i said never again, ( i sat all day, the day before xmas eve last year with Dora our little cream legbar,knowing she was going to die, but i had to look after her right to the end, ) but we were down to just Beti (gingernut) a few weeks ago, and now have Scramble, Omlet, and Ortum, all orpies. i would not be without them. keep us informed, its my first time on here, thanks.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Hellooooo!
Sorry for delay, my life is not my own right now, the business is going bonkers and I volunteered to do some charity work to rehome dogs by raising money selling calendars I designed! (Must do a calendar for chickens!!!) Anyway the orders from the website went bonkers and loads of entertaining at home as Looby found out when she rang last Friday, and I was just bracing myself for 10 for dinner so thanks Looby nice to relax and have a quick chat before the doorbell started bonging, will ring you next week!!!
Anyway cut to the chase! I went to Gordano Motorway services to collect 7 hens, 4 for me and 3 for my friend in Shropshire. Gordano is in Bristol so about an hours drive. I arrived to chaos as a lorry had broken down in the out sliplane and the whole of the services were gridlocked. At that point we could get to the back of the car park and there was the small sheep trailer (I was expecting a huge lorry!) with orange crates with the chooks, quite a few even on a small trailer! Anyway I got my MASSIVE boxes out (the BWHT were well impressed) and they got the chickens out and put them in, 3 looked pretty good and 4 were bald bottoms and feathers missing but at least they had feathers on their backs and wings. This was Wednesday, blue sky sunshine! Got them home after 2 hours (1 hour of queing to get out of Gordano because of the broken down truck!) When I got home, we opened the box and there was an egg! I was so chuffed! They were all settled on the straw in the boxes, happy as larry! We took them in and then separated them, 4 for us in the hen house and 3 in the shed. Marjory the biggest ex bat had already escaped and was strutting herself across the decking like she had been here for years, I was amazed! Fanny (my last left standing chicken). Temperatures then plummeted and although all shut away with loads of straw to keep them warm I didn't sleep much as I was so excited! Got up at...4.45am (I'm a farmer!) and went out to see them, all asleep but fine! We then had gales yesterday, the 3 in the shed stayed in the shed, our 4 were out in the run going up and down the run, being blown all over the place! They looked a bit not sure and fed up but took themselves to bed up the ramp last night and are exceptionally happy this morning! Probably because the blue stuff is back (sky) and the wet stuff has gone (rain!). We've had 5 eggs from the ex batt hens and two eggs from Fanny in the last day so we are all okay on eggs!! They are eating the ex bat chick feed by Small Holder and I've started mixing in a small amount of pellets which they are also eating, they have lots of grit and water with poultry tonic in it and all seem fine and dandy! I've probably cursed them now!
Best of all Fanny is strutting around as if she's won the crown jewels!
Sorry for delay, my life is not my own right now, the business is going bonkers and I volunteered to do some charity work to rehome dogs by raising money selling calendars I designed! (Must do a calendar for chickens!!!) Anyway the orders from the website went bonkers and loads of entertaining at home as Looby found out when she rang last Friday, and I was just bracing myself for 10 for dinner so thanks Looby nice to relax and have a quick chat before the doorbell started bonging, will ring you next week!!!
Anyway cut to the chase! I went to Gordano Motorway services to collect 7 hens, 4 for me and 3 for my friend in Shropshire. Gordano is in Bristol so about an hours drive. I arrived to chaos as a lorry had broken down in the out sliplane and the whole of the services were gridlocked. At that point we could get to the back of the car park and there was the small sheep trailer (I was expecting a huge lorry!) with orange crates with the chooks, quite a few even on a small trailer! Anyway I got my MASSIVE boxes out (the BWHT were well impressed) and they got the chickens out and put them in, 3 looked pretty good and 4 were bald bottoms and feathers missing but at least they had feathers on their backs and wings. This was Wednesday, blue sky sunshine! Got them home after 2 hours (1 hour of queing to get out of Gordano because of the broken down truck!) When I got home, we opened the box and there was an egg! I was so chuffed! They were all settled on the straw in the boxes, happy as larry! We took them in and then separated them, 4 for us in the hen house and 3 in the shed. Marjory the biggest ex bat had already escaped and was strutting herself across the decking like she had been here for years, I was amazed! Fanny (my last left standing chicken). Temperatures then plummeted and although all shut away with loads of straw to keep them warm I didn't sleep much as I was so excited! Got up at...4.45am (I'm a farmer!) and went out to see them, all asleep but fine! We then had gales yesterday, the 3 in the shed stayed in the shed, our 4 were out in the run going up and down the run, being blown all over the place! They looked a bit not sure and fed up but took themselves to bed up the ramp last night and are exceptionally happy this morning! Probably because the blue stuff is back (sky) and the wet stuff has gone (rain!). We've had 5 eggs from the ex batt hens and two eggs from Fanny in the last day so we are all okay on eggs!! They are eating the ex bat chick feed by Small Holder and I've started mixing in a small amount of pellets which they are also eating, they have lots of grit and water with poultry tonic in it and all seem fine and dandy! I've probably cursed them now!
Best of all Fanny is strutting around as if she's won the crown jewels!
A
Anonymous
Guest
Forgot to say Nugget the runt is staying with us, she only has half her feathers and looks half the size of the rest but I'm already fond of her, she don't give up! One of the most rewarding things I have ever done and enjoying every minute of it!
One of the most rewarding things I have ever done and enjoying every minute of it!
