I'm getting some ex battery hens, any tips please?

hayinamanger

hayinamanger

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Collecting 8 next week, haven't bought the hen house/run yet, not sure whether to go for an ark or house. Have studied the Ex Batt site but I'd be grateful for any experience/advice. Thanks.
 
I'd advise buying something you can get inside yourself... otherwise cleaning them out is a nightmare...

Also don't be suprised when they will eat anything and I mean anything... a woman down the road from us feeds hers left over chicken... we draw the line at that but they rip frogs and slugs apart...they are really violent!!

BnBx
 
They will be sadly lacking feathers..and must be kept warm until their new ones grow in,either by means of a heat lamp or you can get little jackets for ex bats.I lost a dozen that way..so be warned,although indoors outside turned cold..it was pathetic to see them,even my resident layers would let them huddle under their wings like chicks.Just shows though that even hens have compassion!
 
Get a shed and let them free range would be my advise, a few nest boxes and perches built inside the shed makes it the perfect hen house.
 
Some hen houses have slide out trays for easy cleaning I think thats a good idea. Also when you get them keep them in the hen house for a couple of weeks before letting them out other wise they will just sit on the grass when it goes dark and you will have to go around collecting them to put them in! they will get the hang of it once they are used to their new house. One change for them at a time.
 
They are so friendly so beware - they'll be in your house before you know it! We love our ex batts to bits - far nicer and more family friendly than the snooty Light Sussex we have! Good layers too (obviously) all the way through the snow over winter they never stopped laying bless them.
 
Echo suggestion about a house that is easy to clean out! And regarding free ranging, don't be fooled in to thinking that foxes only visit at night - we have had hens and ducks taken in broad daylight, despite really good fencing round the pen and chicken house, with the bottom of the wire buried well in to the ground. The last time the foxes managed to dig a huge hole under the fence, but we couldn't see it taking shape because they dug beneath a huge berberis shrub. :(

Not all ex batts have hardly any feathers - the last ones we rescued were pretty well covered, but if they are poorly feathered and the weather is like this make sure to keep them warm and dry.

And most of all - enjoy those fabulously fresh eggs and the hens personalities. :D
 
You will probably need to clip their claws, as most are horrendously curled round. Human nail clippers will do it, or doggie ones. Just dont tell your partner that you used his nail clippers for a chicken...

The most rewarding thing is seeing their combs turn from pinky white anaemic colour into vibrant red healthy colour within the first few days, and of course the noise they make when they feel grass underfoot for the first time - makes it all worthwhile (and makes me cry!)

It goes without saying that feeding hens on chicken :-O is not only a bit of a sick idea but also very illegal. While chickens are not strict veggies (worms, even a mouse(!) and their layer pellet feed has some animal product content for their bone health), it is against the law to feed them any kitchen scraps.

In the letter of the law that means anything, veggie or non veggie that has been through a processing plant or supermarket or your kitchen. Only veggie waste straight from your garden to the chickens is allowed. That's not to say that everyone follows it that draconian-ly but basically anything that has anything of animal origin or processed in a place where it could be contaminated with animal products is a no-no.

I use a moveable house on wheels and an electric netting run which can also be moved which protects them from foxes and means it can all be moved to fresh ground. The electric net works very well but I still shut them up at night. At our old place we had an auto opener/closer which was good but using that means you need a house/ark with a door that drops down, not a door that closes from the side.

Good luck with your lovelies!
 
Thank you for all your replies. I am worried about them being cold, I was going to get some wooly jumpers for them but the info from the British Hen Welfare Trust says not to as they can get caught up and stressed. I might just take a chance on that and go for the jumpers.

I'm taking the fox angle very seriously too. I aim to get the most secure housing for them, quite like the idea of a shed with some cosy corners. I will only let them out when I can be around to watch them.

I can't wait!
 
don't be afraid to let them wander once they're used to their surroundings - but be warned that your garden will take a battering (or should that be a battery-ing?! ;)).

Hens will eat anything, and ours love nothing better than raking over the muck heap and any newly put up beds, getting in feed bowls with the horses still eating, and trying to eat sandwiches out of our hands when we eat outside, drinking tea and even beer.

They will quickly learn to come when you call - we call Henny Henny Henny Chick Chick Chick at high pitch and volume, then get mobbed! Train them by shaking the feed scoop as you call.

They will turn fresh water green in a matter of hours, so be prepared to refresh it at least daily.

they love sun and will sunbathe, but they need shade as well

buy the best quality feed you can afford, you will actually feed less of it. Look out for fishmeal or soya meal as the protein source rather than peas or beans in the ingredients. Pellets or mash is just down to personal preference. Keep it away from horses as they will gorge on it.

Supplement the feed with leftovers, and something like Vermex Keep-Well to help your ex-batts regrow feathers as quickly as poss and to thrive as they settle in. Oyster shell grit, or crushed egg shells should be added to their ration too to replace the calcium they lose in laying eggs.

and enjoy them! hens are a lot of fun to have around.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
It goes without saying that feeding hens on chicken :-O is not only a bit of a sick idea but also very illegal. While chickens are not strict veggies (worms, even a mouse(!) and their layer pellet feed has some animal product content for their bone health), it is against the law to feed them any kitchen scraps.

In the letter of the law that means anything, veggie or non veggie that has been through a processing plant or supermarket or your kitchen. Only veggie waste straight from your garden to the chickens is allowed. That's not to say that everyone follows it that draconian-ly but basically anything that has anything of animal origin or processed in a place where it could be contaminated with animal products is a no-no.
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technically - it is only illegal to feed hens kitchen scraps if you intend to sell the eggs. if they are for your own consumption then you are ok to feed them what you lik (within the bounds of humane treatment obviously).

I agree - wouldn't feed chicken to them either. They will eat eggs if left to their own devices though - which I guess is nutrient recycling.
 
We bought a purpose-made wooden house with a slide out floor for cleaning. Next time I'd just buy a shed and make some perches and nesting boxes.

Ours were quite well feathered too. They were completely baffled by outside for a couple of months. We opened the door right from day one, but they took a few days to come out, and even then, just stood around for a bit and went back in! Ours have a huge shaped run, and it was perhaps six months until they ventured round the corner out of view of their house! Once they got used to free range, they have been fab - running around, digging and sunning themselves. Ours have laid every day without fail since they arrived.

I used to use shavings for the floor of the hut, but they love rolling and scratching , and filled up the water etc. So I now put straw in. I find mucking them out is easiest if you put on marrigolds and pick it out - takes 2 minutes. I put the shavings outside now and again in a pile with louse and mite powder in it because they adore rolling around in it.

Generally they are so easy to keep. They don't mind the wet at all. They weren't impressed with cold feet in the ice and snow, so I put a bit of straw around their house for them to walk on, and they were happy again.

Enjoy them! The hen welfare trust website is great for everything that you need to know.
 
This may or may not be correct so please no one shoot me, I am interested to know the answer - at least 3 people have told me that ex-battery hens tend to only lay for about another year or so. Is this true?
 
They won't need jumpers!! Some people put heaters in their henhuts (special ones for hens) but they are warm creatures once they are feathered. If the hut is well draught-proofed they will be fine. Ours survived a pennine winter naturally - within two weeks of us getting our hens it snowed for two months and was freezing - they were fine and kept laying.
 
SuziQ77 - interesting you should say that, we've had our ex batts almost a year to the day and they seem to have stopped laying, having laid every single day since we had them! I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as they are moulting and that can make them go off lay, plus one of them was broody recently too, but I was beginning to wonder how long their laying life would last....
 
Suziq77 said:
This may or may not be correct so please no one shoot me, I am interested to know the answer - at least 3 people have told me that ex-battery hens tend to only lay for about another year or so. Is this true?
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The birds are not bred for a long life,just as laying machines..having said that some ex bats we`ve had have gone onto four years old and still laying. Pedigree breeds are generally longer lived than bats,but very expensive and not the egg output of bats.Just be sure to kep them warm and dry untill their feathers regrow cos they won`t have much protection or resistance.
 
Foxy girl said:
SuziQ77 - interesting you should say that, we've had our ex batts almost a year to the day and they seem to have stopped laying, having laid every single day since we had them! I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as they are moulting and that can make them go off lay, plus one of them was broody recently too, but I was beginning to wonder how long their laying life would last....
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Have faith! They will restart once their new feathers are in,a hen cannot lay and moult,it is too draining on their system.
 
Foxy girl said:
They are so friendly so beware - they'll be in your house before you know it! We love our ex batts to bits - far nicer and more family friendly than the snooty Light Sussex we have! Good layers too (obviously) all the way through the snow over winter they never stopped laying bless them.
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I had ex batts and other breeds, my ex battys used to follow the horse down the bloomin lane!! Had to lock them up to go hacking. My sister used to take them in the car down the the yard to get feed very happy social chickens :)



My Light Sussex was a evil baggage of a hen!!


Just give them a thorough look over when you get them. I did get a couple (out of 12) have gangreen that I had to bump :( RIP battys ladys. I may be shot but if your worried about distressing them, just hang them upside down they seem comatose and they dont get too distressed, just let them go straigh after though.




Also layers mash rather than corn really bulked them up, bear in mind that some might have beaks cut short so may not be able to scrap grain easily although they will still prob try. I would also just put a bit of wormer in their water. As for warmth mine did find in some barley straw as they huddle together anyways. Just make sure they are draft free.


We used to have them in a stable and then a run attached, many friends just have an adapted shed (made nesting boxes on the side) and used to let them out in the morning and back in at night.

Good luck!!! once I know I am staying put for a bit I will be looking into getting some but for now we are not settled yet.
 
I'd advise you to avoid the plastic water and feed holders. They tend to freeze up easily and crack. The metal ones are much more expensive, but they stand up to rough treatment and you can defrost them with the kettle in the winter!

We've got a little purpose built house with an integral run. I keep newbies in this area for a week a so before letting them out free range during the day, as they then seem to understand where home and bed is!

I always lock mine up at night and have a catch and a bolt on each door to ensure Mr Fox can't get in.
 
we have an old shed with an avery built on the side. we made the avery as it was soo much cheaper and could make it whatever size we like. its reinforced at the bottom to keep foxes out. lost five in one go a couple of months ago fox got through the fence and it was broad daylight.

our hens are free range. would say that if you keep them at the yard then close stable doors. ours are pretty good at putting beds down when you dont want them to!!

as for laying i had heard that they only lay for a year but ours have carried on over a year. think it just depends on their age. ours are like pets most even have names!

good luck and enjoy the crazy birds
 
just to add to all this great info. check them over for mites, leg mites, check their vent (bottom), check all through their feathers. make sure there is nothing abnormal. also an idea to worm them? if they are lacking lusture there is a wondefull tonic you can get them, it works wonders to give them a quick pick me up, also helpes stressed birds settle

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Net-Tex-N...t=UK_Pet_Supplies_Poultry&hash=item2a13224fab

super stuff. you can get it from country wide and any other chicken places. if you arent confident putting it down their throats you can mix it in with water.

good luck and keep us posted :-)
 
JenHunt said:
technically - it is only illegal to feed hens kitchen scraps if you intend to sell the eggs. if they are for your own consumption then you are ok to feed them what you lik (within the bounds of humane treatment obviously).
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This is not correct. Altho you dont have to register your flock unless you have more than 50 birds, or stamp your eggs unless selling through shops etc, the animal health/disease rules are exactly the same. Which makes sense as a disease outbreak could happen in a tiny 3 hen flock or a large one.

To quote the directgov site:
"Feeding and watering chickens

You can buy ready-made food that has everything chickens need to keep them healthy. It is illegal to feed chickens with waste food from your kitchen, including vegetable scraps."

Clearly this statement is talking about a domestic situation as it refers to 'your kitchen'.

Now Im sure almost everyone has at one time or another fed some veg that's been in their kitchen, but a new chicken keeper needs to be aware of the law, so that if they decide to feed something like veg from the kitchen, a crust of bread or some porridge, they do so knowing the risk, rather than thinking its ok cos lots of people do it all the time.

Not trying to be a killjoy, just concerned that everyone on forums is quite open about feeding lots of stuff that might cause the authorities to decide that all chicken keepers will have to register their 2 or 3 hens in future, as hobby keepers clearly cant be trusted to follow the rules.

In reality I think the rules have been framed really tightly to try to get 80% compliance and result in people thinking about the risks and at least restricting their feed to non-meat/animal products (like the chicken scraps fed to hens example!)
 
EAST KENT said:
Have faith! They will restart once their new feathers are in,a hen cannot lay and moult,it is too draining on their system.
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How long does the moult last for roughly? Our ex-bats never did it last year - think they were too messed up to have a body clock that recognised seasons. This year they probably will.
 
I was a coordinator for a battery hen rescue and have had hundreds come through our yard waiting for their new families to collect them. They will only have ever eaten layers mash so you should have some of that it to start as they may not cope with pellets and just won't eat, you can change to pellets if you prefer over a few weeks. Watch out for any that are being bullied and hide away because they are so frightened of the others. They often take some persuading to come outside, we had to teach ours to eat worms (fun!!). I assume that you're getting them through a rescue so they should have been checked before you get them for nails and prolapse etc but try and have a good look at them as soon as you can and check especially for leg injuries. I wouldn't worry about the cold so much as wet, they do not understand to get out of the rain at first so will literally stand and freeze. I used to throw away any eggs on the first few mornings because I considered them to be battery eggs on the first day and then 'stressy' eggs on the next couple of days. You will very quickly notice the difference in the eggs you are getting as they become happy, healthy hen eggs. They will be very frightened when they first arrive so try to leave them alone overnight to settle a bit, they come round very quickly.

You are entering a world that is addictive, be warned!! Get a shed big enough to take the next lot that you are bound to 'need' fairly soon. The pleasure in watching them behave like 'normal' hens is fantastic, you will see what I mean when they arrive, you can see the difference as they realise they are free of the cages. Ex batts are the friendliest hens ever, I really hope they give you as much pleasure and mine do me. I can't help but smile when I am around them.
 
Honey08 said:
How long does the moult last for roughly? Our ex-bats never did it last year - think they were too messed up to have a body clock that recognised seasons. This year they probably will.
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They don't moult in the cages as the seasons don't exist, they have a set amount of light at the same level each day the whole time they are in the unit, they are fed 'rocket fuel' to maximise egg production and every scrap of what they eat goes into the eggs. That is why they are usually so thin when they come out. They don't put weight on like other hens because they are bred not to, it all goes to the egg. The moult usually lasts a few weeks and they can look dreadful and be a bit quiet, laying usually reduces drastically or stops completely depending on how the hen is coping with the moult.

In response to feeding them chicken, that is really sick and I have never fed them any kind of meat! (other than worms!!) I rarely feed mine scraps anyway because they are at the yard but even the ones at home tend to get leaves before I prepare the food and very occasionally spaghetti if there is some left over.
 
re: feeding kitchen scraps.... the way a lot of people get round this is putting veg scraps on the muck heap or compost heap and allowing the hens access to it. I'm sure if you're not selling the eggs and only have a handful of hens then defra have better things to do than prosecute.... not that I'm advocating breaking the law. obviously.
 
Good on you for rescuing them - they are real characters - I had four, Agnes, Beatrice, Charlotte and Dorothy - Dorothy would come into the house whenever she got the chance - you would hear a click, click as she walked across the wooden floor. They all laid extremely well. They often arrive semi naked but grow feathers back pretty quick and look really flash in their new feathers.

If you value your garden then they are exceptional weeders except no-one has taught them the difference between weeds and plants that you like so if you free range them you may have to fence off youor prized plants. They eat just about anything - and can be fed household scraps - but boil them into a mush first and add to the layers mash.

Some oyster grit on the floor of the shed helps make the egg shells nice and strong. Wether an old wives tale or not I was told not to feed them old egg shells as it suposidly encourages them to eat their own eggs.

They need some boxes in the dark for laying in and some perches to sit on at night. Initially keep in for a couple of weeks so that they get to understand that they live in the hen house, try to shut them in before dark otherwise you will find them up the trees.
 
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