Ex battery hen rescues - please tell me your stories

[saltyseadog]

I've become very quickly addicted to chicken keeping, and I'm now keen to add to my flock - not immediately but in the not too distant future .

I'd love to re-home some ex batts, so I'm keen to find out a little more about them. Anyone got some ex-batts ?

I have, they are fantastic, i rescued 3 in feb last year, unfortunatly we now only have one left but they all lasted well over a year, thats a year of happy life that they wouldn't have had, they lay well. It is wonderful watching them turn from the frightened bald creatures they come as and learn how to be real chooks.
You would need to keep them seperate from y9our healthy chooks for quite a while to allow them to fatten upo and grow feathers and gain confidence, I now can't tell the difference between my remaining ex batt and my other brown hens.
Was probably ione of the most rewarding things I have ever done and I will do it again in the future.
The place to contact or have a look at their sikte is the battery hen welfare trust.
You have made me smile just thinking about it
And I think there are pics on my profile of when we first got them.

Aww dita thank you for telling me about your girls. They sound lovely.

I am just trying to secure a second coop on eBay, if I get that then I will contact the BHWT. I couldn't put any other chooks in with my current lot, healthy or not, as they're such a bunch of bullies. My Orpington prowls the perimeter of the run like a burly security guard on the lookout for things to attack!

I can't see your profile (I might be being fick). Would love to see some pics if you could post them

hadn't moved my profile, try now.

I got some, partially rehabilitated, from a customer's farrier - it's such a pleasure, every day, to see them plump and healthy and marching imperiously into the house at every opportunity. I love all animals but often think if could only keep one sort of pet it would be ex-batts.

Right - I am resolved - I must find another coop. Your ex-batts all sound lovely .

Gorgeous pup too dita.

Do they lay as much as non-battery chickens or are they all 'egged' out?

We only have two hens now but get three large eggs a day. This shouldn't be possible, and I'm not ruling out the possibility that someone else's chook is breaking in to lay an egg each day, but seems unlikely?

We have three lovely ex battery hens : Henny Erica and Norma.
They are mad as hatters with no fear- but are fantastic too!
We have had them for three months and they give us an egg each a day. Norma lays slightly strange looking ones but they are perfectly edible.
They also try to come onto the house at any time, much to our cats digust.
They eat anything and everything and have recently discovered how to eat worms and snails. Ants are still a mystery though!
Ours cost £5 each and are just brilliant. slushy but true

Awww amummyinwaiting - they sound great

I've just lost the eBay auction for the house I had my eyes on. Gah. No ex-batts until I can find them a house!

We watched quite a few on ebay and they went for such a lot of money!In the end we got a rabbit hutch off freecycle and my husband made a run to attach to it-not that they spend much time in there as we let them free range when we are at home.

I have had 3 ex bats for over a year and routinely have 3 large eggs a day. They are doing great, no problems at all. Would highly recommend rehoming ex bats. It's good for the soul.