Selfsufficientish.com

Hi
I am so excited

I collected 6 former battery ladies from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust today. They are in far better shape than I expected with most of their feathers.

They seem to have settled in to their new home and are scratching, pecking and eating.

They are so cute.

Thanks to all who have given advice on this site as it has given me the confidence to get the chooks.

Zoe

You know what always intrigues me?... I just find it absolutely fascinating how battery hens, who have spent their entire lives inside cages, with wire floors and no perch - immediately start scratching and head up to roost at dusk.

How do they know how to do that? They have never seen it, so its not a learned behaviour, and they have never had the chance to do it - but they just do it, at the first opportunity.

Amazes me.

That's instinct for ya Boots!

We did the spent layer thing years ago and I can still remember the chooks poking there heads out of the shed where we had put them, heads on the side looking down at the grass outside. You could just about hear them asking eachother "What's that green crap?"

Nev

Have loads of fun with your new hens!

i would love to have hens, looking after the hens was one of my jobs when i lived at home, i like the noises they make.

I second that Jamara, I'd love to keep hens, but sadly my garden is just too small - especially with a couple of terriers. One day though...one day.

Tom

Hi
Well two eggs this morning I was amazed.

They haven't got the idea of the roosting thing yet, they all sleep in a pile by the door to the shed.

They are so cute and make the most amazing noises. One sounds like a horse and another thinks it's a duck.

The cats aren't entirely sure yet what's going on. The older one is just ignoring them but the younger one keeps sneaking up to look through the door and then running away.

The chooks are still inside at the moment as the run isn't finished but I shall take them out for a bit at the weekend - weather permitting.

Oh - and they think their cardboard-box nest boxes are a great game. They take great delight in pulling all the filling out and pushing the boxes around the shed. Needless to say, the eggs were nowhere near the nest boxes but had been left in a pile of poo next to the door. Positioned perfectly for the unwarey to tread on them. Great sense of humour these chooks!

Yippee, it's so eggciting isn't it?

Mine took about 3 months to cotton on to the perch idea - they slept in a heap by the pop hole. Then one day - Hop hop hop! they all suddenly realised they could jump. I felt so proud of them!

That's eggsactly what mine are doing. Dossing down by the pop hole even though they've not been out of it yet!

Off home in a minute for my omlette!

Zoe

Omlette was lovely and another egg this morning.

I'm trying to wean them off pure mash and get them into the habit of eating scraps as well but they are a bit suspicious of it at the moment.

Zoe

Thomzo wrote:Omlette was lovely and another egg this morning.

I'm trying to wean them off pure mash and get them into the habit of eating scraps as well but they are a bit suspicious of it at the moment.

Zoe

that reminds me when i lived at home we use to boil up the scraps on the back of the range and then add the mash and often people would come round and sy ohhh that smells good what is it and then Mum would have to explain its the chickens dinner ! :)