Ex-battery hens

[agapanthus]

Does anyone know where I could get some ex-battery hens in the Suffolk area?

[Heldi]

Sorry I can't help Aga. I shall go and look through my Practical Poultry magazine to see if there is anything in there.

 Did you see "Jimmy's Farm " on tv last Tuesday?  He went and picked up a 100 ex battery hens. They were in a pitiful state poor things.

[Heldi]

There's an article in Practical Poultry about the charity  BHWT   British Hen Welfare Trust. There is a telephone number    01769 580310

The article is about different ways of helping the charity in it's cause.letter writing and suchlike, but hopefully they would be able to help you locate some chooks.

[agapanthus]

Thanks for that Hel.....no I did'nt see it but I can imagine what a dreadful state they must have been in If I can help just 2 or 3 it'll be a start.

[Heldi]

Brilliant Aga. I'd love to know how you get on. Have thought about it myself but I think I have alot of hens already...but still I could squeeze 2 or 3 in! Trying to persuade myself here.


The ones on Jimmy's farm were featherless and confused. They have gone to live in to two converted caravans in a field and were gadding about as happy as larry after a couple of weeks 

[grawrc]

I'm totally ignorant about the lives of hens and poultry keeping in general. How long do hens live for? Is there a website where I could read about them? Glad to hear that ex battery hens are getting a chance at a better life. In retirement?

[Heldi]

The magazine I get has it's own forum  www.practicalpoultry.co.uk   Haven't been there for a while as they were updating it and afterwards I couldn't log in!

Have read that well kept chooks can live for about 8 to 10 years.

[grawrc]

Thanks Heldi!

[Debs]

I thought that taking on ex-battery hens was very thoughtful of Jimmy.

Poor things looked like they had been plucked ready for the oven.

I think he said they were about 50p each...

[Heldi]

I thought it was thoughtful too. Did you see it when they only got one egg out of 100 hens!   

Those little pigs were lovely too.  I wouldn't be able to let them go to slaughter they were such rascals and so cute!

[agapanthus]

I'm a bit worried Hel in case I get the urge to have more afterwards!!!! The old man woud go nuts!!

[mat]

All battery poultry farmers get rid of their hens just before the end of their first laying season.  Yellow pages may help you here

Without teaching anyone to suck eggs... here's a few tips from when we used to do this when I was a kid/teenager.

1) When bringing them home, don't put them outside as they did on Jimmys farm, the poor things will be scared stiff.  Place them inside a shed or somewhere for the first day, then let them come out in their own time from day 2.  They have never seen daylight before you got them, so no wonder its all scary 
2) You will need to teach them to perch, they have lived on slatted cages
3) You may need to teach them to lay their eggs in nest boxes (this was usually easy - just place the eggs there!)
4) You may need to teach them to drink and feed
5) Start by feeding them proprietory pellets, this will be what they are used to, don't expect them to solely eat other items from day one without stomach upsets - introduce other foods slowly
6) They are unlikely to "know" each other, so expect some sorting out of "pecking order" this shouldn't be serious, as they are "all in it together" so to speak, and do genuinely appear grateful and happy.
6b) added later! - if you do get "hen pecking" deal with it with stockholm tar immediately...
7) They will bring diseases (this was why in the end mum stopped buying them, and we went over to "point of lays")
They will stop laying soon after you get them, they will have a moult, they will then recommence (depending on time of year!)
9) You WILL get attached to them - Egg production will drop dramatically after their 2nd season - think about what you will do with them then; are you happy with the occasional egg in order to keep them as pets? (this was why my parents in the end stopped having hens altogether as Dad hated dispatching them  )  I did have a friend who kept all their hens till they died of old age, and one of them was still providing an egg a week in summer at an age I think of 8, but I believe this was unusual!!!

10) They will become the friendliest birds of all.  I have a photo of me "cuddling" one when I was young! - it was very happy for me to do this  (but then again, I trained my rabbit to lie upside down in a pram covered with a blanket!!!)

Good luck
mat

[agapanthus]

They will sleep with me initially....or in my room I hasten to add! I understand they will need a lot of love and care....which I am very prepared to give them I already have 1 ex-battery hen that I took from a friend who has a farm in Yorkshire....she was yet left to get on with it....but I fell in love with her and brought her home with me about 4 or 5 years ago. She is a chicken with attitude.  8)I'll let you all know how I get on.

[grawrc]

Thanks Mat. As a grandmother of 8, I'm happy to suck these eggs ! That was really helpful! My mum lived through 2 wars and had loads of chickens. She was really soft-hearted and couldn't stand to see them on the dinner table, hence we got none in the yard!

[mat]

They will sleep with me initially....or in my room I hasten to add! I understand they will need a lot of love and care....which I am very prepared to give them I already have 1 ex-battery hen that I took from a friend who has a farm in Yorkshire....she was yet left to get on with it....but I fell in love with her and brought her home with me about 4 or 5 years ago. She is a chicken with attitude.  8)I'll let you all know how I get on.

Be cautious of the fact that just as they are scared of daylight; they are initially scared of people, as they do not see people frequently, and when they do, it is generally not very pleasant!  They are fed and watered automatically, the eggs are removed automatically and dead ones could be in a cage for a day, before being noticed, as they are so tightly packed together...  I used to work in agriculture (sheep) and I was helping on a HUGE estate (i.e. over 800 milking cows!!!) at lambing time one year.  I got to know the elderly poultry man (as I was on sole duty of "night shift" and we would chat as he came on duty early) and he invited me in to see the hens in one of their buildings (massive).  I have to say, the welfare standards on this estate were VERY high, but he warned me I would be shocked... I was  and could only stand about a minute of it: it was dimly lit, smelly, the chickens could hardly move, dead hens were brought out every morning (the lucky ones) and it really was shocking.  And this was on an estate where I knew he cared and welfare standards were met... I could appreciate why our few hens we bought each year were initially traumatised, but became so friendly...

Oh and inflation of ex-battery hens must be 0%, because although it was many years ago we used to get them, they were only 50p then!!! (and that ws cheap even then!)

I never buy eggs from battery or barn hens now - only free range...

Good luck with your new "purchases"
mat

[lorna]

When I was first married (53years ago) I lived with in-laws as Charlie was still in the Army. When Mum and I returned from shopping there would be Pat (wired Fox Terrier, Dad used to breed them)  and Sarah Cluck Ma-i-l's one and only chicken waiting at the end of the drive for us

[Margaret]

I feel sick knowing what dreadful short lives these poor birds have ,dreadful deaths too.When the full horror of their existence became apparent to me,several years ago i became a vegetarian,and made sure i only ever ate what i knew to be free range eggs.

My mother kept hens and she rescued quite a few of these poor souls.They couldn't walk properly,kept falling over,just looked terrified,half bald,and so thin .I  just cried at the difference between them and the lively friendly fat free range hens she already had.This is what made me investigate further and i was so  shocked and angered by it i have campaigned ever since.

It is going to be banned ......... in about another 5 years,but only in Europe.Why the hell does it take 5 years? There is one of these concentration camps on the outskirts of my village.Surrounding it is 2 huge fields,laid to waste.This so angers me,i so wish i could go and open those doors and let them out into the fields!But why can't they become free range? In fact they would probably earn the owner more,as we all pay a premium for free range.Good on M and S and Waitrose for only supplying free range.

Sorry to go on but i get so upset at the whole issue.........

[glow777]

links for rehoming battery hens that may be of interest

http://www.thehenshouse.co.uk/

Dogpages forum - rehoming other animals

http://www.dogpages.org.uk

[agapanthus]

Thanks for all the info folks

[Merlins Mum]

Hi Aga
you might find this site interesting,
http://www.downthelane.net/Page_35.html 
it's certainly made me think about having ex battery hens when I finally get some chooks.  But for the time being I've got to be patient, something I'm not terribly good at 

MM