Keeping Chickens Newsletter

little bit of time before she will be ready to explore. In fact, in many ways, ex-battery hens may not act like 'normal' chickens at all, but be patient; a transformation is taking place.

Jill Capel : "I have rescued two chickens from the nugget factory they were in a right state when I got them mites red and brown, worms and looked as if they wouldn't last the week out. But after 4 weeks tlc they are now looking 100 times better."

As with any hen house, their new home should be a sturdy, comfortable, draft free place that offers good protection from predators. Also bear in mind that these hens might not be physically very strong due to a lifetime of inactivity, so you may wish to make sure that they have a ramp up to their roosts or nest boxes, or perhaps even start them off with a nest box or bedding on the floor. As they probably have never roosted before they are likely to huddle on the floor at night initially and so it must be safe for them to do so. If any eggs are laid they may not be in the nest boxes. 'False eggs' such as ceramic or wooden ones (or even golf balls) placed in the nests may encourage them to lay in them if they are not naturally inclined to do so.

Where there is already an existing flock, it is best to keep them separate, at least until they have built up their strength and confidence. Whenever two flocks are mixed, whatever the situation, a 'quarantine' period of at least 30 days is always advisable. Each flock will have built up it's own immunities to their own particular environment. Couple that with the stress of a move, and/or the upset new additions can bring and even seemingly healthy flocks can 'catch' something if mixed in together straight away. With battery hens you have the additional consideration of their appearance - bare and sore patches are often an invitation for others to peck (surprisingly this can happen even amongst themselves). There is also a good probability that they will already be at less than full strength and confidence, which can also sometimes prevent them approaching the feeder