Hens and horses - I've been thinking too much

Sooty

Sooty

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A member on here has a sig that says something along the lines of ‘you wouldn’t buy a factory farmed chicken, so why buy a factory farmed horse?’. We used to keep laying hens, and latterly we stopped buying point-of-lay birds and started buying battery farm hens who were deemed to be past their best. They cost the grand sum of £1 each, and were easy to handle as they were used to people. However, when we got them home they wouldn’t walk on the straw on the shed floor initially, and were terrified of going outside. Eventually, over a period of time, they started going outside and scratching and pecking (as best as they could with clipped beaks), their wattles and combs went from flaccid pink to plump red and they laid regularly. Is there a comparison to be made with ‘factory farmed’ horses? Are they rehabilitatable?
 
Cant remember who it is but I think the reference in the signature relates to breeders on the continent who mass produce young horses and then sell them at a young age having just been backed.

I think she is promoting british bred horses??

I remember on Jimmys Fram they took in a load (100 I think)of ex-battery hens who were in a terrible state but they didint have as much luck as you I dont think.

Its nice to hear such a nice story, good on u x
 
Ah that makes sense. Are horses bred that way particularly poor in some way then? I know very little about breeding, but looking at some of the more 'popular' lines there seems to be some degree of inbreeding. If this is avoided, surely that is better?
 
There are some schools of thought that they are put under too much pressure in too short a time and that it can produce horses that arent right mentally or dont have longevity in their joints.

I cant comment Im afraid as Ive never bought one.
 
Also the studs tend to beed large quantities of horses and they do sometimes keep them differently.

Have known youngstock kept in large cattle style pens in groups of weanlings, then 1 year olds, then the two year olds.

They aren't handled and certainly not shod or turned out , if they have problems they are left to get on with it and if they don't make it through then hey there's plenty left in the pen anway.


Similar with ones that are infact turned out, they are turned out and left to get on with it. Those that have problems are again left to recover or not . Agai little handling but then there's the argument they are left to mature and be horses.

Both cases often arrive hear with no idea of how to be trurned out nicely daily on their own or sometimes in a group , often haven't been shod very oftend and certainly have never hacked etc and Handling has been minimal.

Can take a while to "British-ise" the horses.
 
The trouble is, with my soft attitude I would probably want to 'rescue' a horse that had that sort of start rather than buy a well bred one that would be more saleable. We thought Beano had it tough, but it was nothing compared to that sort of treatment.
 
I think this may be from 'Airedale's' signature??
Only I remember it because there is a line about 'ultra fashionable coloured nags'
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