We've just taken on 4 ex battery hens from a local charity, two weeks in they are thriving & we are getting 4 eggs a day, our older hens not laying but we'll keep them till they snuff it, fresh propa free range eggs.... you can't beat them.
How are your older hens getting on with the new ones? I’m about to try and do the same here. I hate the pecking order spats and fights. Any tips?
Morning @ arsenetatters, was a bit of “pecking order” to start with but minor, we tend to put new additions in a dog basket and leave it in chicken run for 5-6 hours so hens can’t see each other then let them out when it gets dusk as they are then a bit dosy, lock them in their house then let them out as soon as dawn arrives the next day. We also have 2-3 feed areas so they don’t fight over just one. Seems to work but ultimately, as you know, there will always be a degree of pecking order, it’s the nature of hens.
Morning @ arsenetatters, was a bit of “pecking order” to start with but minor, we tend to put new additions in a dog basket and leave it in chicken run for 5-6 hours so hens can’t see each other then let them out when it gets dusk as they are then a bit dosy, lock them in their house then let them out as soon as dawn arrives the next day. We also have 2-3 feed areas so they don’t fight over just one. Seems to work but ultimately, as you know, there will always be a degree of pecking order, it’s the nature of hens.
Morning @ arsenetatters, was a bit of “pecking order” to start with but minor, we tend to put new additions in a dog basket and leave it in chicken run for 5-6 hours so hens can’t see each other then let them out when it gets dusk as they are then a bit dosy, lock them in their house then let them out as soon as dawn arrives the next day. We also have 2-3 feed areas so they don’t fight over just one. Seems to work but ultimately, as you know, there will always be a degree of pecking order, it’s the nature of hens.
For dog basket meant wire grid crate/cage
Thank you. We've got some of those crate/cage things indoors for poorly hens. I'd not thought of using those for newbies - good idea, will give it a go. The 'new' hens are the last 5 ex-caged hens out of the 80 we had for rehoming. So these are the sad looking ones that no-one chose. They're going to join a flock of two elderly hens and their cockerel. Hoping they will all get on.
Hens, turkeys and other captive birds in Britain will have to be kept indoors from 14 December to prevent the spread of bird flu, the government has said.
The chief vets for England, Scotland and Wales made the decision after a number of cases were detected among both captive and wild birds.
Hens, turkeys and other captive birds in Britain will have to be kept indoors from 14 December to prevent the spread of bird flu, the government has said.
The chief vets for England, Scotland and Wales made the decision after a number of cases were detected among both captive and wild birds.
Yes sadly it’s this time of year again. Luckily indoors doesn’t mean the house! The main thing is to prevent wild birds getting access to the poultry. We’re going to use poly tunnels with some and fine netting and clear tarps with others.
The main areas of risk are the migrating birds flight route, so coastal (hence the case in Deal) and Bristol Channel etc.
One of the other large hen rescue organisations- the British Hen Welfare Trust- stopped all rescues a month ago. Fresh Start For Hens are in regular contact with DEFRA and have permission to carry on with added bio security measures in place. Because the rescues were abandoned by the Hen Welfare Trust we are getting calls from the farmers asking if we can step in. We’re doing our best and are currently doing two rescues each weekend.
I hope BHWT have passed your organisation's details to their rehomers, so you have places for all your extra birds - or your joke about them not being in the house with you might ring hollow in a few weeks' time!
Hens, turkeys and other captive birds in Britain will have to be kept indoors from 14 December to prevent the spread of bird flu, the government has said.
The chief vets for England, Scotland and Wales made the decision after a number of cases were detected among both captive and wild birds.
Yes sadly it’s this time of year again. Luckily indoors doesn’t mean the house! The main thing is to prevent wild birds getting access to the poultry. We’re going to use poly tunnels with some and fine netting and clear tarps with others.
The main areas of risk are the migrating birds flight route, so coastal (hence the case in Deal) and Bristol Channel etc.
One of the other large hen rescue organisations- the British Hen Welfare Trust- stopped all rescues a month ago. Fresh Start For Hens are in regular contact with DEFRA and have permission to carry on with added bio security measures in place. Because the rescues were abandoned by the Hen Welfare Trust we are getting calls from the farmers asking if we can step in. We’re doing our best and are currently doing two rescues each weekend.
Our supplier was the Deal farm hit last month and lost 470 birds, surprisingly with no positive results being returned from Defra, only 2 non-negative!
Ironically they supplied some of the healthiest birds I have ever kept. We're still letting ours run in the fenced off areas of the garden with covers.
Hens, turkeys and other captive birds in Britain will have to be kept indoors from 14 December to prevent the spread of bird flu, the government has said.
The chief vets for England, Scotland and Wales made the decision after a number of cases were detected among both captive and wild birds.
Yes sadly it’s this time of year again. Luckily indoors doesn’t mean the house! The main thing is to prevent wild birds getting access to the poultry. We’re going to use poly tunnels with some and fine netting and clear tarps with others.
The main areas of risk are the migrating birds flight route, so coastal (hence the case in Deal) and Bristol Channel etc.
One of the other large hen rescue organisations- the British Hen Welfare Trust- stopped all rescues a month ago. Fresh Start For Hens are in regular contact with DEFRA and have permission to carry on with added bio security measures in place. Because the rescues were abandoned by the Hen Welfare Trust we are getting calls from the farmers asking if we can step in. We’re doing our best and are currently doing two rescues each weekend.
Our supplier was the Deal farm hit last month and lost 470 birds, surprisingly with no positive results being returned from Defra, only 2 non-negative!
Ironically they supplied some of the healthiest birds I have ever kept. We're still letting ours run in the fenced off areas of the garden with covers.
Good luck with the rescues.
I heard something about the two non negative. Really sad for the farmer. I’ve got a feeling that the TB test in cattle has a similar thing with non negative- but I may be wrong.
Hens, turkeys and other captive birds in Britain will have to be kept indoors from 14 December to prevent the spread of bird flu, the government has said.
The chief vets for England, Scotland and Wales made the decision after a number of cases were detected among both captive and wild birds.
Yes sadly it’s this time of year again. Luckily indoors doesn’t mean the house! The main thing is to prevent wild birds getting access to the poultry. We’re going to use poly tunnels with some and fine netting and clear tarps with others.
The main areas of risk are the migrating birds flight route, so coastal (hence the case in Deal) and Bristol Channel etc.
One of the other large hen rescue organisations- the British Hen Welfare Trust- stopped all rescues a month ago. Fresh Start For Hens are in regular contact with DEFRA and have permission to carry on with added bio security measures in place. Because the rescues were abandoned by the Hen Welfare Trust we are getting calls from the farmers asking if we can step in. We’re doing our best and are currently doing two rescues each weekend.
Our supplier was the Deal farm hit last month and lost 470 birds, surprisingly with no positive results being returned from Defra, only 2 non-negative!
Ironically they supplied some of the healthiest birds I have ever kept. We're still letting ours run in the fenced off areas of the garden with covers.
Good luck with the rescues.
I heard something about the two non negative. Really sad for the farmer. I’ve got a feeling that the TB test in cattle has a similar thing with non negative- but I may be wrong.
Poor Sophie has spent the last ten years building this business and I think she is challenging the decisions for compensation. She was absolutely broken. She is slowly getting back on her feet with food sales etc., but it will be sometime before she has any stock again.
Hens, turkeys and other captive birds in Britain will have to be kept indoors from 14 December to prevent the spread of bird flu, the government has said.
The chief vets for England, Scotland and Wales made the decision after a number of cases were detected among both captive and wild birds.
Yes sadly it’s this time of year again. Luckily indoors doesn’t mean the house! The main thing is to prevent wild birds getting access to the poultry. We’re going to use poly tunnels with some and fine netting and clear tarps with others.
The main areas of risk are the migrating birds flight route, so coastal (hence the case in Deal) and Bristol Channel etc.
One of the other large hen rescue organisations- the British Hen Welfare Trust- stopped all rescues a month ago. Fresh Start For Hens are in regular contact with DEFRA and have permission to carry on with added bio security measures in place. Because the rescues were abandoned by the Hen Welfare Trust we are getting calls from the farmers asking if we can step in. We’re doing our best and are currently doing two rescues each weekend.
Our supplier was the Deal farm hit last month and lost 470 birds, surprisingly with no positive results being returned from Defra, only 2 non-negative!
Ironically they supplied some of the healthiest birds I have ever kept. We're still letting ours run in the fenced off areas of the garden with covers.
Good luck with the rescues.
I heard something about the two non negative. Really sad for the farmer. I’ve got a feeling that the TB test in cattle has a similar thing with non negative- but I may be wrong.
Poor Sophie has spent the last ten years building this business and I think she is challenging the decisions for compensation. She was absolutely broken. She is slowly getting back on her feet with food sales etc., but it will be sometime before she has any stock again.
I really hope she gets some compensation. Even so, it cannot replace the flock she loved. Life can be so cruel.
An ex-caged hen rescue yesterday. Quite a few poorlies as usual. This hen has a leg problem. Notice how large and floppy her comb (top of head) is. That’s because it helps regulate heat and in the cages it’s really warm so the comb grows abnormally. It should return to normal but not always. The poor thing has already laid an egg at the back of her bed.
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Thank you. We've got some of those crate/cage things indoors for poorly hens. I'd not thought of using those for newbies - good idea, will give it a go. The 'new' hens are the last 5 ex-caged hens out of the 80 we had for rehoming. So these are the sad looking ones that no-one chose. They're going to join a flock of two elderly hens and their cockerel. Hoping they will all get on.
Hens, turkeys and other captive birds in Britain will have to be kept indoors from 14 December to prevent the spread of bird flu, the government has said.
The chief vets for England, Scotland and Wales made the decision after a number of cases were detected among both captive and wild birds.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55201167
I hope BHWT have passed your organisation's details to their rehomers, so you have places for all your extra birds - or your joke about them not being in the house with you might ring hollow in a few weeks' time!
I’m not good at technology but please have a look at the link hope I’ve posted
This content isn't available at the moment
I'm not a facebook member, so that could be another reason it does not work for me.
I hope the gradual easing of lockdown makes your rescue work a lot easier - it must have been very difficult since November. Good Luck!
I need to sort out my techno phobia and have a go at posting the original post 🙂🙏