Advice please - thinking of rehoming chickens

[CourtJester]

After a lot of deliberating I have decided that I would love to rehome some chickens - probably three. We have horses at home so I am thinking that the chickens would fit easily in with the horses routine.

I have been looking at BHWT who have a collection point not too far away. However I really don’t know anything much about chickens and am struggling to find unbiased views online.

I saw a recent post on here which made my realise there is a lot of knowledge and experience on here on this subject (as well as many others!). These are my burning questions to date, I would be very grateful for any advice and/or recommendations on reading material.

Though I would love to have the chickens free range we have foxes around here so they will have to be in a run. (once they are settled I hope to be able to have them out whilst we are around). The run will probably be on gravel rather than grass so what would be a good surface for them to scratch around ? Straw is obviously most convenient. Plenty of it around so it would be easy to keep fresh.

What would be a good sized run for 3 hens ?

There are lots of options online for hen housing. If I bought something advertised for 4 to 6 hens would it be comfortable fit for 3 hens ?

Wood v plastic for the hen house ? Wood looks better and seems more comfortable but then I am thinking plastic sounds easier to keep clean and would be lighter to move.

How often would you recommend cleaning the hen house and run area ?

Temperatures how do hens cope with weather extremes ? Should we be able to move them inside to a stable if it is minus 10 outside ? (we are in Beds so this doesn’t happen too often!) and are they comfortable in hot weather as long as there is some natural shade ?

Apologies if this is a really stupid question but when do they eat ? Do they nibble 24 hours a day or do you feed them in the run and they sleep at night ?

Thank you for reading this far and I would really appreciate any advice.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Best thing would be to ask the hen-rehoming people.

Be aware that hens are hard work! Their pen will need regular cleaning (deep clean once a week) and you will have to be prepared to deal with parasites such as Red Mite which is a real PITA - anyone with poultry will tell you!

You need to also be aware (sorry!) that there will inevitably come a time when you will have to cull one of the flock for humane reasons. It usually happens at a Bank Holiday or Christmas time! You need to know how to do this job quickly and humanely; and I really wouldn't recommend anyone start keeping poultry unless you know how and are prepared to do it. You could of course take the creature to the vets and they will euthanise it for you.

If you're having ex-battery hens, bear in mind they will look awful when you get them, but they will soon feather up. Also be aware that they won't be able to physically use a house where they have to fly up or use a steep ramp to get inside at night: their wing muscles will have atrophied and they just won't manage it.

I would suggest you join a local FB Smallholders Group where you might well be able to access a little poultry keeping course which would be an excellent start!

Good luck.

 

[CourtJester]

i have considered the humane culling issue not something we are comfortable with. I once had to ask the OH to finish off a pigeon I wouldn’t ask him again. We do have people locally who have helped out with the odd mixi rabbit which we have found in the field so I was hoping that their skills would extend to poultry.
I have managed to avoid joining FB to date but it is coming more and more inconvenient not to belong I must just give in and sign up! Thank you for the advice.

 

[Leo Walker]

Please dont rehome them, support a good local breeder instead. By rehoming "rescue" chickens you are supporting the very unpleasant business structure that currently exists.you are also making life harder than it needs to be health and behaviour wise. I can give you a whole essay on why to not buy ex battery hens if that doesnt persuade you. If you genuinely wish to rehome then contact a genuine charity and get some that have been surrendered. But I'd always recommend supporting decent breeders and if you can, having some of the english breeds that are in danger of extinction, as they are overlooked.

A coop for 4 to 6 hens would be fine. I have wood, plastic is sold as not getting red mite, but it does, so really its personal preference. Run size its recommended a square metre per chicken, but more is better. I've got 8 bantams, 3 of whom are the size of a coke can and they have 10 square metres and then 10 metres of chunnels (chicken tunnels) to take them to the food and back to the coop. A track system for chickens almost!

Mine have the big run filled with slate chips and an area with bark. Some like sand baths as well. Mine dont for some reason, but do go nuts for sun bathing, so they all are a bit different. They love both as bugs and creepy crawlies like to live in the bark and the crevices between the slate and the chickens like to eat them. It also keeps them and the eggs clean as they arent trailing through mud!

Temperature wise they are very hardy. Even my little seramas cope easily in the snow. I'm in Bucks/Northants so similar weather to you. They do have shade for hot weather and are out of the worst of the wind, but they dont care. They are out in all weathers.

Dont leave food down over night. Chickens attract rats. Picking the food up before dusk can deter them a bit. Once dusk comes they will put themselves to bed and happily stay there until you let them out, so they wont be worrying about food. They graze through the day. We take the food up a couple of hours before dusk, which means they pick up any spilled bits and go bug hunting if they are hungry after that.

My coop has a tray under the roosts. I have wood pellets in it and it gets changed once a week or so. Nest boxes have pellets and straw and get changed much less. I dont find chickens hard work at all. We treat for red mite coming into spring, and usually once in the summer and never have an issue. If you dont have cats that they will come into contact with, ant powder is the most effective and cheapest option. I mix it with DE and puff it into the crevices then scrub it all round with dust pan brush. Twice yearly treatment and we never have a red mite problem.

Other than that they are let out and mash and veg down on a morning, water checked, and then food up, eggs collected and chickens to bed on an evening. Takes about 2 mins each end of the day. If you have an automatic door opener its even less work.

Other than that I tend to spend time sitting and handing out treats when its not hideous weather, and while doing that I do health checks. Chickens are pretty hardy, esp decently bred ones/

 

[Nudibranch]

The other bonus with a traditional breed rather than an ex batt is that they keep laying for longer - they spread their eggs out over many years rather than laying the majority in a year or two. I agree they're not particularly hard work. We have a big wooden house with walk in run, but they're let out during the day. I have never had mites, but then I run a "closed flock" so only buy hatching eggs or hatch our own. I use Easibed in the house and bark chippings in the run. When we have a lot of straw (not this year!) I just use straw on the run floor and it works better than you'd expect. The chickens do a great job of turning it over and I just top up regularly and take it all out now and again. As they free range the cleaning isn't too onerous at all. And the compost is absolutely superb for the garden. We've not had any problems with foxes (touch wood) although we have a collie and are outside a lot so presumably that keeps them away.
Cochins are my hen of choice...so pretty, and very tame, plus they keep themselves nice and warm in our northern winters.

 

[Leo Walker]

I'm thinking about getting a couple of bigger hens. As much as I love my little fluffy bantams, theres times you just need a bigger egg. I need something very steady and placid though as I don't want the bantams being bullied. How do you find the cochins?

 

[ycbm]

Can someone explain why it's not a good idea to give ex battery hens a home? A friend did, and they were the happiest birds ever. They were nearly bald when they arrived but became lovely birds. They are only going to be killed if not rehomed and they aren't being bred for the rehoming market like Gypsy Cobs, so taking them won't increase the number bred. What's the problem with it?

.

 

[Archangel]

Oh dear, I am about to pick up some hens via Fresh Start for Hens - having previously taken some from Hen Welfare Trust. My thinking is these hens have had a totally shyte life and it is about to get much, much, worse. I would rather give a few a home than buy ones that are already guaranteed a good home.

I target the end product and bang the drum about not buying eggs from caged birds at every opportunity. My friends bought eggs from The Happy Egg Company who say "Our girls know what happiness is. Fresh air and fields to roam in" yeah right - they also run a massive caged bird business.

 

[CourtJester]

Hi Leo and Nudibranch thank you for the info. Leo you have highlighted some niggles that I had over the idea of rescue hens after all if someone was thinking of getting a rescue as their first horse straight from the ‘bad’ home we would all be saying NO don’t do it !
How do I find a reputable breeder ? There is a place a couple of miles from me Woodside Farm at Slip End. Someone I used to work with bought his laying hens from there. He was very complimentary about them but that was 10/15 years ago. Do you know anything of it ?

 

[CourtJester]

Archangel I am totally with you on the Happy Egg Company my OH bought their eggs mistakenly I had to point out the small print to him it makes my blood boil. How was you experience with the Hen Welfare Trust ?

 

[Lady Jane]

If you are not keeping hens to get the eggs particularly, I think rescue hens are the right choice. They will all be slaughtered anyway, whereas hens from a reputable breeder don't need to be found good homes. Why buy a dog from a reputable breeder as opposed to getting a dog from a rescue?

 

[Bradsmum]

Over the years I have taken 3-4 hens at a time from the BHWT. All have been good layers , one or two haven't lived long lives but they have enjoyed their final year or so living with other chooks outside. I currently have one still who is about 7 or 8 years old and still lays regularly. I would take hens again if only to give them a more natural existence in their final years.

 

[Archangel]

How was you experience with the Hen Welfare Trust ?

The collection of the hens was very easy and they adapted to their new life surprisingly quickly, but as Bradsmum says they aren't that long lived. Having said that, my 2 bluebells died around 3 years old. I am only going with Fresh Start as Hen Welfare don't have any hens available near me at the moment.

 

[Leo Walker]

Hi Leo and Nudibranch thank you for the info. Leo you have highlighted some niggles that I had over the idea of rescue hens after all if someone was thinking of getting a rescue as their first horse straight from the ‘bad’ home we would all be saying NO don’t do it !
How do I find a reputable breeder ? There is a place a couple of miles from me Woodside Farm at Slip End. Someone I used to work with bought his laying hens from there. He was very complimentary about them but that was 10/15 years ago. Do you know anything of it ?

I am happy to 100% recommend Woodside. The manager is a friend of mine now and I've had birds from him and him from me previously. He will sell you good quality, healthy stock and be happy to give you advice if you need it. Hes a good guy who looks after everything there to a high standard.

 

[Leo Walker]

If you are not keeping hens to get the eggs particularly, I think rescue hens are the right choice. They will all be slaughtered anyway, whereas hens from a reputable breeder don't need to be found good homes. Why buy a dog from a reputable breeder as opposed to getting a dog from a rescue?

Because its not a rescue its a business. They buy birds from the farms and sell them on. That pushes the prices up, for what is effectively a waste product sadly, and funds a business model that's abhorrent.

Our native breeds are dying out while people buy ex battery hens.

Theres lots of other reasons, but that should be enough for anyone.

 

[Nudibranch]

LW the cochins are big softies with other hens. I had 3 wyandotte bantams living with them; I'm down to the last bantam and she's just part of the flock. In fact the cockerels leave her alone. Not sure if she tells them where to go or they just don't see her in that way!

 

[QuantockHills]

Oh dear, I am about to pick up some hens via Fresh Start for Hens - having previously taken some from Hen Welfare Trust. My thinking is these hens have had a totally shyte life and it is about to get much, much, worse. I would rather give a few a home than buy ones that are already guaranteed a good home.

I target the end product and bang the drum about not buying eggs from caged birds at every opportunity. My friends bought eggs from The Happy Egg Company who say "Our girls know what happiness is. Fresh air and fields to roam in" yeah right - they also run a massive caged bird business.

Thankyou for using Fresh start for hens!! I'm a volunteer and help at Taunton collection point. these girls will still lay for years and would other wise have been slaughtered at 70-72 weeks old. I've had both pure breds from very young and also lots of ex-commercial girls, and the ex tatty batty (or ex free range) are always so much friendlier and inquisitive than the pure breds. I've currently got 29 and they free range over 3 acres with my 2 large GSD's and 2 horses. You wont stop at 3 though....!

 

[ycbm]

This is a registered charity which funds hen welfare research as well as rehoming birds.

When my friend adopted five birds, they were pitiful bald traumatised birds, who blossomed into a bunch of chatty auburn girls scratching around her garden. They had a lovely end to their lives.

https://www.bhwt.org.uk/rehome-hens/

What is the British Hen Welfare Trust?

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is a UK registered national charity best known for its rehoming work, saving the lives of 60,000 commercial laying hens annually and rehoming them as family pets. Established in 2005 by Jane Howorth MBE the charity also informs consumers about how they can influence hen welfare through their shopping basket, educates school children about the pleasures of hen keeping and promotes the UK egg industry in growing its free-range sector.

The charity has more than 50,000 supporters, 900 volunteers and 12 salaried staff, and its funding comes largely from donations for hens and other fundraising initiatives.

One of the charity’s key strategic aims is to see improvement in veterinary knowledge of pet hens, including diagnosis, management and treatment options.

 

[CourtJester]

Thanks ! I thought they were I was just about to double check !

 

[teacups]

ex-battery hens in my experience have been very friendly and easy to handle - they are lovely, and it's so nice to be able to give them a good life outside.
Heat is more likely to be a problem rather than cold. I imagine a coop for 4-6 will be fine for 3 (and allows for expansion..) and officially one square metre per hen is OK but that is quite a small area imo. We clean ours of poo every day - mainly that means it never becomes a big job. Others do once a week, say. You need to worm them and treat the coop for red mite.
We just put food down in a bowl and let them eat whenever, yes you do need to adapt that if vermin become a problem. There are rat-proof chicken feeders, not sure if they work.
You will need to provide water too. A handful of mixed corn later in the day keeps them warm at night - it digests more slowly. They need access to some mixed poultry grit too if kept in a run on straw.
Go for it: they are pretty easy to look after, come with benefits (eggs) and are lovely. Not all chicken breeds are as good to handle or approachable

 

[Evie91]

Please dont rehome them, support a good local breeder instead. By rehoming "rescue" chickens you are supporting the very unpleasant business structure that currently exists.you are also making life harder than it needs to be health and behaviour wise. I can give you a whole essay on why to not buy ex battery hens if that doesnt persuade you. If you genuinely wish to rehome then contact a genuine charity and get some that have been surrendered. But I'd always recommend supporting decent breeders and if you can, having some of the english breeds that are in danger of extinction, as they are overlooked.

A coop for 4 to 6 hens would be fine. I have wood, plastic is sold as not getting red mite, but it does, so really its personal preference. Run size its recommended a square metre per chicken, but more is better. I've got 8 bantams, 3 of whom are the size of a coke can and they have 10 square metres and then 10 metres of chunnels (chicken tunnels) to take them to the food and back to the coop. A track system for chickens almost!

Mine have the big run filled with slate chips and an area with bark. Some like sand baths as well. Mine dont for some reason, but do go nuts for sun bathing, so they all are a bit different. They love both as bugs and creepy crawlies like to live in the bark and the crevices between the slate and the chickens like to eat them. It also keeps them and the eggs clean as they arent trailing through mud!

Temperature wise they are very hardy. Even my little seramas cope easily in the snow. I'm in Bucks/Northants so similar weather to you. They do have shade for hot weather and are out of the worst of the wind, but they dont care. They are out in all weathers.

Dont leave food down over night. Chickens attract rats. Picking the food up before dusk can deter them a bit. Once dusk comes they will put themselves to bed and happily stay there until you let them out, so they wont be worrying about food. They graze through the day. We take the food up a couple of hours before dusk, which means they pick up any spilled bits and go bug hunting if they are hungry after that.

My coop has a tray under the roosts. I have wood pellets in it and it gets changed once a week or so. Nest boxes have pellets and straw and get changed much less. I dont find chickens hard work at all. We treat for red mite coming into spring, and usually once in the summer and never have an issue. If you dont have cats that they will come into contact with, ant powder is the most effective and cheapest option. I mix it with DE and puff it into the crevices then scrub it all round with dust pan brush. Twice yearly treatment and we never have a red mite problem.

Other than that they are let out and mash and veg down on a morning, water checked, and then food up, eggs collected and chickens to bed on an evening. Takes about 2 mins each end of the day. If you have an automatic door opener its even less work.

Other than that I tend to spend time sitting and handing out treats when its not hideous weather, and while doing that I do health checks. Chickens are pretty hardy, esp decently bred ones/

I have ex batts purely because I think they deserve a chance at a nice life. I’d love to have other breeds but always put off thinking I should rehome instead so I’d be interested in your concerns about ex batts.

OP - I generally find hens easy. Had issue with red mite in the past (bought in on hen from breeder and not ex batt - who seem to be clear). I generally rehome in the summer months, bath and blow dry the hens (they stink), cut nails then let them get on with it!
I’ve had issues with rats once in 10yrs of ownership.
They are in a run as used to free range but Mr Fox started to take one a day! Like to give them as much space as poss. Like Leo’s idea of slate. I have mud at the mo and bark. mealworms are key to chicken training - they will follow you anywhere if they know you have mealworms!!
They are good to have around.

 

[Clodagh]

I have (and breed) pure breeds but also a few ISAs for the eggs. (my ISAs are bought at POL). I rescued some blue egg layers a few years ago and they were great fun, incredibly tame and laid really well. Sadly they were so tame the hunt came through, they went to say hi and the hounds ate them. :-(
I have nothing against rescue hens and admire people that have them, but you do need to be comfortable with culling or be prepared to pay a vet as egg peritonitis is something their poor overworked bodies tend to succumb to. You get a lot of people who say they will leave it in a box and see how it does, while the poor bird rots internally. You'd be prosecuted if you did it to a dog.
Red mites kill more chooks than foxes, and are carried by wild birds so are always a threat. Good hygiene in the coop and do as LW suggests and you'll be fine.

 

[Clodagh]

And it is now illegal to feed mealworms to chooks - but I agree they would kill for them!

 

[ycbm]

And it is now illegal to feed mealworms to chooks - but I agree they would kill for them!

WTF?

 

[Leo Walker]

And it is now illegal to feed mealworms to chooks - but I agree they would kill for them!

I wont feed dried ones as they are a bit yucky, but live ones are ok. Its incredibly easy to make your own little hatchery of them.

 

[Clodagh]

WTF?

Has been for a long time, they are from China and full of chemicals.

 

[Clodagh]

I wont feed dried ones as they are a bit yucky, but live ones are ok. Its incredibly easy to make your own little hatchery of them.

You sick puppy! ?. I hate wiggly ones!

 

[Leo Walker]

I buy them from the feed shop and mine go nuts for them. I hate the way they grab my fingers when I pick them up though!

And just because no chicken thread is compelete without photo of my very best chicken, this is Doris. Runs my flock with a rod of iron, raises all my babies and amuses me endlessly!

 

[Clodagh]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

 

[Evie91]

Well I never knew that (about mealworms!). I buy huge bags of the dried ones, they are rsbp approved!! Must be for wild birds only! they do always have pictures of wild birds on the packet.

Just to add I do have a neighbour and also the dog walkers husband who will despatch for me. I can’t do it myself. I have Accepted ex-batts aren’t bred for longevity, so if they have a couple or three years life with me I consider that as good as it gets.
At one point I struggled as I don’t eat meat and felt I was responsible for more chicken deaths that if I ate them, but have now come to accept the despatch as part of chicken keeping.
Leo - could you explain your stance on ex batts Please? Plus this will sound very rude but is not meant to, but a lot of my ex batts come to me looking a bit like your favourite girl! - not exactly as they are paler and combs floppy, not as many feathers and not as good condition but mine are looking like that about half way to feathering up fully.

Want to revamp my chicken area this year and then would like another cockerel.