4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[blackgold]

My ex batts are now home. Jimina, Oopsy and Daisy are now in one of our kennels and will be staying in there for the next couple of nights as it has lights and i will be able to check on them if i want to. I can also set up a heat lamp if i need too. They are all eating and drinking. i have put down some layers mash but also a bowl of mixed corn, maize layers pellets, grit and water. They are cuddied up in a dog bed filled with straw. They dont seem to want to walk much though and have got quite a few missing feathers bless them. First pictures on my collie talk spaces including one of them and the other rescued hens in the holding shed before they went to their new homes... Adele had put some purple ink on my 3 as they all came from the same cage and so know each other and so far are not fighting. Have not checked for anything yet but will leave them tonight and check for any problems in the morning. I hope they are ok.

[poachedegg]

Glad it went ok - bet they love it tomorrow on grass.

 

We are down for getting 3 from Adele in January and got our new eglu on Thursday, though won't be able to offer extra heating like you have, so hopefully we can keep them warm enough - yours seem to have quite a few feathers, so shouldn't be too affected by the weather.

[Redwing]

They look sweet Sue, they have more feathers on than I expected

[blackgold]

They have bald necks and tummies and just before their tails. They do have enough feathers to keep warm when lying in the straw though.I keep checking on them and havent switched the kennel light off yet. I am not forcing them to lay just want to make sure they get enough to eat tonight as they seem to be thin. They actually look plucked underneath....... Their keels are quite prominent. i am worried that they wont walk. I have had to pick them up to show them the food and water. Once by the bowl they ate as if they were starving.......But then they just stand there and wouldnt walk the couple of feet back to the bed.

[Egg Lou]

Congratulations! They are so lucky to have found such a caring mum!

[poachedegg]

How are they this morning Blackgold?

[blackgold]

They are fine this morning. It snowed during the night and it is very cold this mroning so they are still in the kennels. I opened the run door and one has actually made it out. She doesnt seem to mind the dogs all staring at her I didnt want them to have to stay on concrete but it is too wet and cold in the garden at the moment. The other 2 are still just standing in the dog bed but are lokking around so i will leave them for now. The food and water are only about 2 foot away so hopefully hunger will make them walk to find it.... I will give them another hour before I take the bowls to them.......

[Hen Watch]

They look very cute, are they still shy this morning or a bit perkier? Must be a bit of a shock going from a cage, to a rescue barn and then a nice warm home.

[mostin]

Aww bless them, you just can't imagine can you how new everything must be to them. I hope they all have a lovely first day, and fancy them seeing seeing snow on their 1st real day out .

[Egluntyne]

They look to be in pretty good condition Sue. Congratulations.

[blackgold]

I have put lots more about the chickens on my colliespaces blog page. I am quite sad they havent been able to go out in the garden but the weather has been so awful I am lucky to have a very large covered dog run. I hope they are perkier tomorrow and now i have done their feet can walk a bit better nails i will do later Sue xx

[dancing cloud]

How are they today? - they look lovely on their photos.

 

Mine varied a lot re moving around initially. Joy and Hope were very much out and about being nosey wotsits, but Daisy particularly just sat in a huddle for most of the first two days, barely eating or drinking at all and I was very concerned about her. Once out though there was no stopping her and she took over as boss-hen on day three!

 

I'd got layers mash for them to start with and mixed pellets in for them to get used to - little monsters just chucked all the mash out and went straight for the pellets

 

Feet and nails done? Just how spoiled are they going to be

[blackgold]

I wonder how old my hens are? If they are put into the cages at approx 6 months and then only used for eggs for about 12 months, that makes them about 18 months. Anybody else got any ideas?

[Margalot]

wow, your girls are so lucky to have found you as their foster Mum!

 

I too have been thinking about ex batts its so awful to think how they have lived previously, so seems nice to give them some love and to try to make their lives better

 

the only thing that concerns me is how long it takes for them to get to full health? I will watch your posts with interest as due to get my hens next year

 

Good luck!

[blackgold]

Daisy has actually taken a grape from my fingers..... she dropped it straight away but as least she is not running away from me all the time.... I made them some mash and they actually ate it. Only a bit each though... I hope they are eating enough cos it is so cold... How will I know they are so thin, you can feel all their keels. I thought battery hens were fed a lot so they can produce lots of eggs so why are mine so thin?

[dancing cloud]

Well done that brave Daisy-hen! My Daisy says a special hello to yours and she's very jealous about the grapes

 

My ex-batts were very thin and scrawny too when they arrived. 6 months on and they're now looking much better, though still short of feathers in a couple of cases. I posted piccies yesterday to celebrate our 6-month henniversay, so you can see just how they were/are.

 

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35390

 

It may take them a while to settle and realise that food is always available and no one's going to beat them up for it. Mine soon found their appetites once they'd got over some of the initial shock of the big wide world and they'd now sell their little souls for grapes

[blackgold]

Your girls look lovely........ I might bring mine into the house and take individual pics and then i can do comparisons. I really need to do a proper examination of each of them really. I have only had a quick look because they get so stressed when picked up. It is 5 oc clock now and i have put all the lights on our in the kennels and runs so they have all come out for supper. They dont seem to mind the cold even if they are a bit threadbare....Sue xx

[blackgold]

Oh it is so cold tonight, freezing fog. Went out to check up on my girls and they are as warm as toast in their eglu. have shut kennel door but they can range around in there in the morning until I get up to open the door into the run. Havent put vaseline or anything on them cos they are really warm in there......

[blackgold]

i have decided that as I have had my girls for a week tomorrow is the day i am going to let them have a mooch about on the lawn. i am going to set up my omlet netting up in the morning and after i have walked my dogs I am going to let them out.....i hope it doesnt rain cos that will stop things. We have a webcam that we use when we have pups so i might set that up as well. i will be taking lots of pics as well.

[mostin]

How exciting, what a lovely day for them, real outdoors

[blackgold]

i need to wash the kennel run. It is concrete and usually use jeyes fluid. is that ok with hens? i will rinse it afterwards but it will still end up going down the cracks....

[dancing cloud]

Their first proper free range - how exciting. Mine headed for the flowerbeds with a great sense of purpose and have always loved "playing out" time since, even wet playtimes!

 

I do a poop-scoop and brush up, and jet wash the yard just using cold water. I'm sure chemicals are OK if you rinse them off, but I've not found they are needed.

 

All the best for your girls first play out and hope the weather holds. This is written on the Blackberry so cannot use smilies, but would be smiling a lot if I could.

[blackgold]

Didnt let the girls on the lawns today as everything is frozen. I cleaned everything out though and my lovley husband is moving one of my greenhouses out of the dog yard and putting it at the bottom of the garden with the other one. I now have a big space for my eglu and close to the house..... The dog yard is a flagged hill and there is a gate into the other garden so i will be able to let them out into there easily. What a lot of work for 3 scrawny hens though.........I originally said i would have the eglu at the end of the garden but it is a long way to go each day to look after them and I really wanted them closer to the house......Isnt he lovely afterall he didnt want them at first...... I have started to find extra goodies in the pen as well. He is secretly feeding them LOL Went to see my other hen family at my friends house and wow what a difference. I hope in 6 months my ex batts girls look like that. Suexx New pics on my collietalk spaces.

[mostin]

They all look like they are coming along beautifully, your old and your new girls. I love the pictures of Belle in with the girls, that is a true testement to how well they are coming along that they are happy and relaxed to have your lovely doggy lying next to them, when they hadn't even seen such a creature a month ago.

 

How sweet for you to have seen their first attempts at dust bathing. it's heart warming to know all their natural instincts are still there even after all they've been through xxxx.

[dancing cloud]

Aaww! they're gorgeous and Belle's lovely too.

 

It sounds like they've come a long way in their first week, so well done you too