Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[blackgold]

I am getting some ex battery hens tomorrow...... i was on a waiting list for some in january but the rescuer has just phoned to say there are 4 left that someone has let her down with..... She said I can have them tomorrow. Will it be ok to put 4 in an eglu/? The run has an extention and i have got our big lawn fenced off so they can free range when i am in to watch them. Will i have to put them in one of our stables/kennels as the weather is supposed to be really cold this weekend. i am very excited but worried in case i get things wrong. I have big dog runs that are roofed where our puppies go when we breed the kennels are really snug and i could put the eglu minus the run in there.The puppy pen fencing will be fox and chicken proof and the dogs would be able to see them but not get to them. They will all have to get used to each other. or should i just put the eglu down the bottom of the garden and start that way? i am so happy about this but so very afraid....... Can the experts on here please give me some advice.....

Edited November 21, 2008 by Guest

[aaronmusgrove123]

i would say go for it i dont think you will have to move it into the dog runs what type of dogs do you breed i bred my chihuahua and ended up keeping 2/4 of them hahahhaha

Aaron

[helenmb]

I have big dog runs that are roofed where our puppies go when we breed the kennels are really snug and i could put the eglu minus the run in there.The puppy pen fencing will be fox and chicken proof and the dogs would be able to see them but not get to them

Sounds like a good plan to me, as they will have been kept in very warm conditions it might be a bit of a shock if it does get very cold as forcast. Plus their combs will be very big and floppy (until they re-adjust to the world outside) and more prone to frost bite so keeping them a bit more snug will help with that too.

 

Good luck with them and well done for choosing ex-batts. What are you going to call them?

[blackgold]

we breed BorderCollies but only one litter a year and we wont be having any until next year even though we didnt have any this year. I will need to buy food tomorrow cos my friend said battery hens are fed diffently from our chickens. These hens will be living in my garden not with our other chickens. Bit complicated please look at my collie talk spaces link to understand.....

[blackgold]

I will not be naming them until I meet them. our other chickesn suit their names....

[Egluntyne]

I would say so. When you compare it to the accommodation they have been used to, they will be rattling around.

 

You might want to review whether or not they will need another extension at a later date, but once they get used to free ranging, they might not.

 

Good luck tomorrow.

[Tweety]

If you have the room, I would put the eglu in a stable. I keep my cubes and eglu in a stable all the time, and it works very well. The girls - including 4 ex batts - are safe and dry when the weather is bad, and it gives them some extra protection when it is very cold.

Good luck tomorrow - so exciting!

[poachedegg]

Good luck with them tomorrow.

[mostin]

Good luck tomorrow, I am sure it will all go well. Who better for the chooks to start their new lives with on a freezing weekend than somebody with the power of the omleteers behind them .

[blackgold]

I asked what food do i buy for them. I was told they have different food than our other chooks

[mostin]

As far as I know from reading other posts battery hens are used to mash and not pellets.

[blackgold]

Mash would that be layers pellets moisened with warm water?

[mostin]

Mash is a different version of chicken food. It has the same make up as pellets but is in powder form instead of being pressed into pellets. I think battery hens need this as some may have mal-formed or badly trimmed beaks so will not be able to manage pellets and need there main form of nutrition to be in powder form.

 

You can make this "mash" into porridge by adding hot water to it just the same as with the pellets.

 

The names of all the chicken feeds are very confusing at first I think. If you ask for Layers Mash where ever you normally shop they should give you a bag of food suitable for egg laying battery hens. Beware though, mash makes alot more mess than pellets, but I think your new girls will deserve to throw their food around abit .

[blackgold]

Thanks\ Mostin, I hope that is your name. To tell you the truth when people first said mash i honestly thought they meant potates.......... The only other mash i could think of was bran mash for horses.....I still have so much to learn about ex batts/ Thank you all so much Have got new batteries for my camera\so will take some pics and put them on my collietalk thing tomorrow. Sue xx

[mostin]

No problem,

 

I remember thinking for ages that layers pellets must have come with "layers" of different ingredients in. It took me months to realise that they we for for layers ie. hens that layed eggs .

 

I too also thought that hen mash was made from spuds until I saw some in the farm shop and realised.

 

Once your girls are fully up to health and if their beaks are normal you will be able to wean them onto the same pellets as your other girls in time.

 

Good luck tomorrow,

 

mostin xxxx

[Redwing]

Good luck today - hope all goes well

[helenmb]

Thanks\ Mostin, I hope that is your name. To tell you the truth when people first said mash i honestly thought they meant potates.......... The only other mash i could think of was bran mash for horses.....I still have so much to learn about ex batts/ Thank you all so much Have got new batteries for my camera\so will take some pics and put them on my collietalk thing tomorrow. Sue xx

Sometimes Layers Mash is also called Layers Meal. You could crush up some pellets if you only have them for now and then slowly introduce the pellets so that they are eventually on the same stuff as your other girls. I have to admit that I use both mash and pellets in different feeders as they love the mash and it keeps them occupied as my girls are confined during the day when I am working.

 

You can also mix the mash (or pellets) with warm water to make a sort of crumbly damp mix that they also love too. You can also add in some yoghurt too as this would help a bit with the stress of their change of environment and to help settle their tums due to a change of feed.

[blackgold]

They are now here..... Sorry but i put their arrival story on a different part of the forum Pics on my collietalk spaces.

[mostin]

Cool, will go looking for piccies