How to Care for Ex Battery Hens

If you decide to get ex-battery hens, you'll find it rewarding and satisfying to give them a new lease of life. But these hens will need extra care and attention for the first few weeks and months. If you already have chickens, you'll notice a big difference in the appearance and condition of your new ex-battery hens. They'll probably have feathers missing and their comb will be very pale. At first the hens may be frightened and confused about their new surroundings, as they have spent their life shut in a cage, with a wire floor to stand on.

How to Adopt Ex-Battery hens.

Sometimes you can buy ex-battery hens from local animal auctions. These auctions are all above board and anyone can go along and bid. One of the market towns near to where I live runs regular auctions. You can buy anything from chickens to ducks and small pets.

Two other websites that I've found, that has lots of useful information are the Battery Hen Welfare Trust www.bhwt.org.uk and the Little Hen Rescue www.littlehenrescue.co.uk. Both these sites will help you to find hens for re-homing in your local area.

Health Check.

When your new hens arrive, they may be in quite poor condition. But with lots of TLC they'll soon start to improve. There are a few health checks you can make which are listed below.

1. They may have feathers missing and bald patches. The feathers will grow back eventually, but if the other hens start to peck the bald patches, you can use an antiseptic spray on them. The spray is available from animal/horse feed suppliers or pet shops.
2. The comb will be very pale and large, this will redden again and shrink.
3. Toenails are often long, because of being confined to a cage. When your hens start scratching about in the ground, they'll soon wear them down. But if the nails are so long and they can't stand properly, they can be trimmed with toenail clippers used for dogs.
4. Sometimes their legs are weak, and they may find it difficult to walk. But as they get used to having more space, they'll build up their strength. Occasionally, they have a broken leg or wing, which can be repaired at the vets.

Making Your Hens Comfortable.

In the first couple of weeks, keep the hens inside the hen house, leaving the door open during the day, so they can investigate the outside world if they want. They might not move around much to begin with.

Housing.

Converting a standard garden shed will make a perfectly acceptable hen house. A 6x4ft shed will house around 12 chickens. At first the hens won't be strong enough to jump onto the perch to roost, so you may have to provide them with a box on the floor, or a ramp to walk up. The perch, should be about 1ft off the ground. Make sure the shed is secure from predators, and has plenty of ventilation.

Bedding.

There are many products suitable for bedding, which you'll find available from animal feed suppliers. Wood shavings and straw are good bedding for the floor, and hay is soft enough for the nest boxes.

Feeding.

It's a good idea to feed your hens on layers mash for the first few weeks, as they probably won't eat anything else to start with. You can gradually introduce other foods such as mixed corn if you wish. Food and water bowls need to be deeper, because the hens have usually been de-beaked, and they'll find it easier to scoop the food and water up. Watch your hens carefully to make sure they are feeding and drinking.

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Battery hens on average live for another 2-3 yrs after re-homing, some may only live for a few weeks. But just seeing them scratching about for insects, and enjoying their new lives is a very satisfying experience - and they'll reward you with great tasting eggs. Even though they have already laid around 300 eggs in their short life, you can expect to get one egg a day, or every other day from each hen.