ex battery hens :-)

[Frith2013]

Just got 3 ex battery hens home from the British Hen Welfare Trust.

A bit skinny and bald but ok so far.

Has anyone else rehomed battery hens?

Yes, friend had problem with her dogs so I took them a week later. One died in the first couple of weeks...pecked by another. She had been pulling feathers out of the others I think.
They look marvellous now. They meet me when I come home from work. Talk to them and pick them up so if they need treating you can catch them. I stroke them for a few minutes then put them down and give a treat. Two are very friendly third very shy. They started laying as soon as they settled about a week. Just one egg at first now getting three most days. They look so happy now. Can't leave my door open or they are in visiting! Great fun such characters!

Don't currently but use to, got my first lot from the bhwt too, I think they say one quite commonly dies within the first week or two, I think it's just such a shock to their systems and weren't healthy to begin with. We used to give them treats from the kitchen quite often and they would all race to the fence whenever they heard us coming! Tuna, sweet corn and rice were the favourite treats! Also you can hang broccoli upside down with string and they liked that. At first they were very nervous and didn't seem to know what was edible aside from the mash that they ate as quickly as possible but was lovely to see them settle in and begin to stratch and eat bugs and plants like their supposed to.

They were my feather babies before the real ones came along. Ours were also bald and sad but we spoilt them rotten and they got fat and fluffy with all their feathers back and laid eggs every day! They lasted about 18-24 months. I loved having them but last one died just before dd1 was born and we never got anymore and then moved to a less suitable garden.
Ours loved warm porridge in the winter, melons cut in half for a treat, slugs - ewww. They were great fun when let out to run the garden, destructive but fun - curious and friendly, would hop up onto my knee, and once got in the kitchen!
I did have to separate one for a while when she was bullied by the others but was ok in the end.

Thanks, all.

They've been here a week now so I hope none dies over the next week or 2!

First two days were a bit sad - they'd walk into the sleeping end then not be able to find their way back to the run. :-/ I was taught by the BHWT to make sure they knew how to drink... but only one needed its head dunking in the water, fortunately. The weather has been AWFUL - snow flurries every day! - so we've covered up most of the run with a piece of carpet to keep the weather off them.

They've gone from that to walking all over the run (one had a limp but is fine now). They go mad over grass so we've been moving the run a lot. They eat bits from our hands already. We put perches in yesterday (told not to until their legs got a bit stronger) and they love those!

One is at the top of the pecking order and will peck any that go near her while she is eating. She's pecked me once and it's not very hard. There is one who is scruffier but also a lot more intelligent than the rest who spends a lot of time stretching up, looking around... she is the first to learn new things (like the perches).

So far we've had 11 eggs!

That's fab frith! So lovely and exciting. Give them a cuddle from me.

Great. Sounds like they are doing well. Ours love it if we lift a stone, mmmm slugs!