New addition to the flock : Welcome to the ex battery hen

We have a new addition to our flock, Sally!



I had seen an article about a lady called Jo Egland (yes, I believe that is her real last name!) who runs a hen rehoming charity called Little Hen Rescue. She rehomes ex battery hens from a farm in Norfolk.



After reading the article on the BBC News website, I decided that I had to have one.

Our Eglu can accomodate 4 hens, so I wasn't worried about taking another one in.

I then broke it to John very gently! He was fine about it though.

So, last saturday we drove to the Little Hen Rescue farm. We took John's new 4x4, which was good, because it was really muddy and you had to drive up on the verges etc.



It had been snowing the week before and there was loads of ice and snow still on the ground.

Despite the weather, there was still loads of people there. Everyone was walking around with cat baskets full of chickens.



All of the hens were released from their ex battery prison that very morning and they had been placed in stables. There were over 4,000 chickens and it smelt a bit and there was lots of activity.



After going to the "reception", I had to write my name and address and how many chickens I was taking. That list gets forwarded to DEFRA, who, in the event of any outbreak of diseases, can contact me. Sally was £1.50 but I gave her £10 and told her to keep the change.

It all goes back to a great cause, after all.



We were shown to a stable with a lady. Because we have two hens already, we weren't allowed to take an "Oven Ready" chicken- i.e, one without feathers. This is to prevent the ex battery chicken from being attacked.



John picked out a very handsome and alert chook, with dark brown plumage and a large floppy comb.

Hens expel heat through their combs. In the hot confines of the battery buildings, it gets very warm, so the combs grow larger than normal to keep them cool.

Our "normal" chickens have much smaller combs. Sally has got a large comb which is very pale pink. However, it is getting redder as the days go by.



The lady collected Sally and placed her in the cat basket we had brought down.

Some people were taking 20+ chooks, and I wish I could have taken more but unfortunatley, we have space constraints and cleaning and caring for that many chickens would require a lot more time than I would be able to cope with at the moment.



We put Sally in the boot and drove home. It is advised that when you introduce a new hen into your flock, you should do it at night. So we opened the eggport and placed her in there.

She soon settled down.



Hens establish a pecking order within a few days to a week. Sally is venturing out of the Eglu a lot more, but Bellina has been pecking at Sally's large comb. It's distressing to see but it's essential, and unless they really are sparring, you need to let them get on with it.



I try and separate them so Sally has access to the food and drink without being intimidated by Bellina. I am very pleased with her progress. We've even had a few eggs. One soft shelled the day after she arrived. I have mixed ground oyster shells in with their Layers Pellets and invested in some Chicken tonic which is a vitamin suppliment that you add to their water which helps with their health and improves things like feather growth.



Sally has a few missing feathers so I am sure she will be pleased with the help!



Caring for an ex battery hen takes a bit of time. They have never seen daylight or even stood before. They have lived in the space which is the same as an A4 piece of paper.

Sally couldn't jump, so you have to lift them up and down on their legs slightly so you build up their muscle. I had to teach her to eat from the Grub and Glug. She also didn't know how to put herself to roost (sleep) at night and I would find her cold in the run.

Now she snuggles close to Bellina and Dilys. It's really sweet to see. I sometimes open the eggport and stroke them.



They are so sweet and affectionate!



I emptied their pooh tray and changed the straw in their nesting box. We had an egg today which is good. I had started a tally but I forgot to update it :(



I also invested a little mesh ball that's on a chain which you can fasten to something high and you fill it with food that they can peck out. Well, I gave them a whole bag of Sainsburys Taste the Difference wild rocket salad which Dillys devoured very quickly.

I also chopped up a cooking apple that I had in the fruit bowl that wasn't going anywhere fast!