Rescued battery hens not eating the mash?

[GemmaEllen]

I rescued 2 battery chickens from our local RSPCA yesterday. Both seem fairly OK (shaky on their feet, de-beaked, patchy feathers, washed out and pale, but otherwise responsive and alert) but neither seems to notice the mash I've put out for them, or even recognise it as food. I thought it might just be the shock of the new coop and all the room they now have, but its been 24 hours and I'm starting to worry that they just wont eat at all.

has anyone else had any similar problems or have any suggestions for alternatives until they will eat it? I have 4 other chickens on site (currently kept away) who love the stuff, so know its not the food, and remember being told by the lady who originally sold me the food (many moons ago) that battery hens eat only mash anyway.

all thoughts and comments welcome!

 

[Marigold]

Hi GemmaEllen and welcome to the Forum.
I've found its quite common for any hens to go off their feed when first arriving at a new place. Its a great shock to them,
however nice the new home will turn out to be, and for your poor little girls the shock must be simply enormous, from being caged all their lives, to a traumatic journey to another home at the RSPCA, then on to you. You're doing the right thing to keep them separate as they simply won't be physically or mentally up to meeting a flock of four established hens, who would no doubt bully them unmercifully.
You're right to be feeding them mash rather than pellets, and they would be used to this and therefore recognise this as food, but their stress level at present is just too high for them to be able to feed, I expect. I wonder what sort of feeder you are using? If this is different from what they're used to, this may be a problem for them. Perhaps they would be used to a trough along the front of their cage? Maybe try feeding it in an open bowl, if you've been using the usual kind with a rim and a tower which feeds the food down round the edges? Or just try scattering some on the floor? I don't think you're likely to have better success with other foods, which will also be new to them, but you might try things that hens generally find irresistible, such as mixed corn, or dried mealworms or hulled sunflower seeds, which are high in protein and very nourishing. Also if they could discover what grass is, they might be delighted!

The most important thing is to see that they're drinking, as they can go without food for quite a long time without too much harm, but need to keep hydrated. Try to leave them alone, observe from a distance or just go in to the run very quietly, so they remain as quiet and undisturbed as possible until they begin to relax and feel a bit more at home. You may need to put them into their coop at night as they won't know where to go or how to get into it at first, and certainly they won't know how to perch.
I'm sure you've found the website of the British Hen Welfare Trust, which has lots more info about looking after exbatts. Good luck and do let us know how they get on.

 

[GemmaEllen]

Hi, thank you for replying!
We've had the girls for 4 days now, and I managed to get them to eat on sunday. I'd tried everything from putting food in various bowls and scattering it on the floor up until that point, and decided it was time for a little 'chicken see, chicken do'. At this point the girls were still ever so weak, and wobbly on their feet, but they seemed interested in me, and would try and wobble over every time I went near the run. I sat right next to the run, as close to the chicken wire as I could get, with a bowl full of food, which my other 4 chickens dived on, as they always do. I made sure that the 2 new girls could see that there was something in the bowl, and they soon begun to take an interest in what I had in there. after a bit, once I was sure I had their attention, I popped the bowl into their run (throwing a handful of seed onto the grass to keep the others occupied!)
they tentatively pecked at the contents of the bowl, discovered it was food, and wolfed it down in record time! I gave them half an hour before giving them some more, which went the same way. (by that point I was so relieved I was in tears!haha!)
The difference since then is amazing. they are secure on their feet, grazing on grass, and taking a real interest in their surroundings. they greet me whenever i go near them, and always rush over to see me. they put themselves to bed and are so curious - pecking at anything they find interesting (including buttons, toes, and jewellery!)
I have no idea why they didn't recognise the feed as food, but now that they have, I'm confident that they will be fine, and I'm sure after a month or so, when their feathers have grown back, they'll be just like the other 4!

 

[Marigold]

Oh well done, what a relief! It's lovely to hear of exbatts really making progress and having a happy time finding out what they've been missing all their lives, poor girls. What an excellent idea, to use the other hens as teachers. Whatever the feeding arrangement was in their cages, it was obviously quite unlike anything you would provide in a normal world, and with any animal, context is so important when training them. Are they going into roost by themselves yet, or do you need to help them find the way in to the coop?
Can you post a photo or two for us? Then, when they grow their feathers, it will be good to see the contrast. What are you going to call them?

 

[GemmaEllen]

I've attached some pictures that I managed to snap just yesterday. We've had them a week now and they are the happiest, friendliest chickens - utterly happy to climb all over us and curious about everything and anything. we called them Gracie and Maggie.

Unfortunately, there was a dog attack today. First time ever! We live on a large plot of private land, but there is a public footpath that runs from the hill behind us (the Sussex Downs) a dog got off its lead, jumped the fence from the field, and ran straight for them. One of the older chickens, Georgie, got grabbed, and we managed to get her out of the dogs mouth, but then it rushed at another - one of our new girls. Georgie was panting and panicked and all lolling about like she couldn't hold her head up. there were no external injuries other than a couple of scrapes, but I'm a little worried she's got internal injuries. I've put her in one of the coops for now, with food and water. after a quick check up on her, she's doing a little better. less panting, but still not moving about and fairly laboured breathing. I'm hoping she's just bruised.

As for Gracie, she's suffered the worst I'm afraid. she's got a large wound to her back. I guess because her skin is so much thinner than Georgie and the other girls - the dog just pulled her feathers and left a huge hole. she scarpered straight into the coop the moment the dog let go, and I've not been able to get to her yet. I've got some antiseptic cream (no spray available right now but I'll be picking some up tomorrow) but wanted to give her some quiet in the coop before I tried to apply it. She seems awake and alert, just very quiet and subdued, and not interested in coming out of the coop at all.

Gerti, our top hen, has been sitting with Mags and both seem quiet but fine. the other 2 girls, Hari and Henri, are missing. I know they are just hiding somewhere, and will turn up once they are sure the dog has gone, (they are entirely free range and sometimes do that if they don't like people!) but I'm so worried about them all.

 

[Marigold]

I see you've also posted about this in the Chickens Health section, so I've replied to you there. I hope others with more experience of injuries to poultry will be able to help as well, (in the Health section so the replies don't get split up, please folks.) So glad they have settled in well, even if you had such a terrible day today.