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Scotty

Totally new to chickens...

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Well hello "Fellow Chicken People" :lol:

 

We adopted our first ex-battery hens on Saturday, what a riot. We wish we had done this years ago! - our poor girls all looking rather battered and tired, arrived to their new home (cube green) and we feel that they settled in quickly. I'm sure they think it is the Ritz! although having the Scott family constantly peering in at them must be quite daughting! - we relate this back to "BIG BROTHER" and laugh when they trot back from the lounge to what we call the DIARY ROOM.

 

3 days in and already they have given us 7 beautiful !eggbrown! , they have attempted to step outside and have felt the grass beneath their feet and the fresh air on their feathers! - So far they've tucked themselves away at night and greeted us each morning with a cluck cluck and more eggs.

 

Can anybody tell us "treats" that our chickens might like? so far we just feed them Mash but wonder if its safe to offer them something a little more interesting seeing as this is all they've ever been exposed to?

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I would give them a couple more days to settle in, then try them on something basic like a bit of mixed corn to scratch around for - best served late in the afternoon so they fill up on "real" food first! Something with a bit of protein will help them regrow any missing feathers, e.g. rinsed and drained tinned tuna, perhaps mixed with a bit of plain live yogurt.

 

Later on you can introduce greens (lettuce, broccoli, etc) and even a bit of fruit, but take it slowly and be prepared for them not to recognise new things as food :)

 

BTW, welcome to the forum!

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Hi, welcome to you and your family. Also congratulations on collecting your hens. We collected our on Saturday as well.

I have been throwing down mixed chicken corn in the afternoons for a treat. They seem to love pecking around for this. Also, mine like the pale green cabbage we hung up for them, and also tore off some big leaves for the run yesterday. Today they like it even more. A/c to my experienced hen friend, they like verggie when it has gone a bit limp a day old or so. I cannot work out how to do pics at moment as I have'nt much time to sit down at present. Good luck.

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Oh PS Scotty and Co, are your's already in the cube and climbing the ladder? We've put our cube on the paving slabs without the wheels in the conservatory until they get stronger. My Lucy would probably actually fall through in between the rungs as she is the tiniest of the 300 they rescued last week....but lively and able to stick up for herself.

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I collected 4 ex batts on Saturday too - what a fiasco and what a lot of mud! Poor Jean is a saint to allow this mayhem on her premisies!

I tried to give the girls some treats but they were not interested at all. I think the advice to leave it for a week is good, especially as their droppings are only just becoming 'normal' after their experience. Introducing the treats slowly is the best thing. If they are on grass they will be scratching around on that for bits to eat too so you don't want to overindulge their battered bodies too much too soon!

 

 

Good luck!

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