tobyuk Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Hello all... last September some members of our youth club helped transform a bit of s"Ooops, word censored!" ground behind the youth club into a chicken yard and we got two lovely hens through omlet. Sadly this morning we had to have one of the pair PTS as she wasn't very well. This has now left us with one chicken, who seems a bit out of sorts today but ok. My question to all you lovely folk is what to do now- I've read through these forums and can't find anything that quite answers our problem. We obviously don't want to leave our one chicken on her own for too long, but equally I have read that getting one chicken is tricky to introduce, so is it best to get two? And is that too many for our EGLU? Would we better off getting some ex-battery hens, so that the young people can see that there is a positive outcome to Shelley dying, or are these tricky to introduce to a single chicken? Incidentally the one chicken that we have now was top of the pecking order. Any advice would be welcomed as I am seeing the young people this evening at youth club and will break the news to them and try and be as positive about the future as we can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I'd be inclined to get 2 new hybrids quite soon. Just make sure that the reason the last hen was PTS is not contagious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Here my quick thoughts 1) Get at least two more hens. Then, should the same thing happen to another chook, you won't be in the same situation again. 2) A standard Eglu will take 4 good sized hens, no problem at all. I was in a very similar situation last November, down to one (old) chook, who was always 'queen hen'. I got two new hens, hatched some 6 months before, so they weren't too young to introduce to my old girl. All went well, and the three were sleeping together after just three nights and roaming the garden together as long time friends after just a week. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobyuk Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 I'd be inclined to get 2 new hybrids quite soon. Just make sure that the reason the last hen was PTS is not contagious. No, it wasn't contagious, but good thought. It was a tumour of some sort by all accounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregson Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Sorry to hear your sad news. I'd definitely get 2 more, from what I've read on hear it's always better to have 3 rather than 2 for the very reason you've posted this thread. Good luck with breaking the news to everyone tonight - hope it's not too upsetting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Sorry to hear about your poor hen . I agree, adding 2 would be the way to go. Three will fit into an eglu no problem. Can they freerange at all and what size run do they have? It should be OK, but 3 might be cramped if they're not freeranging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 little hen rescue loking for homes for 10,000 ex bats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 A standard Eglu will take 4 good sized hens, no problem at all. That is true, but a standard run will not be big enough for 4 hens. I would get 2 more hens, just as soon as you are sure that she is well, and add a converter to the run. Article on managing intros **here** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobyuk Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 thanks for all the advice so far... told some of the young people tonight and we are having a memory evening next week. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice on getting two ex-bats - will they intergrate well with the single hen we have? or are we better off getting two non-battery hens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Getting ex-batts is a lovely idea, but they do come with certain problems, and it is a good idea to quarantine them from the other hens and to give them time to rest and recover before introducing then=m to other hens. Because they have had to battle for food in the battery cage, they can be a bit aggressive around food issues, but conversely, because they haven't had opportunity for exercise, their muscles are weak at first and they may not be able to stand up for themselves against a healthy and heavier hen. If you could borrow some separate accommodation for them for a while whilst they fatten up a it and learn how to be hens, it would be help. It would be a very worthwhile and educational thing to do and the young people would gain a great deal from caring for ex batts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 So sorry to hear about your loss An eglu is fine for 3 - my 3 heavenly hens (ex-batts) lived very happily in their till their arrived on Friday. I can highly recommend ex-batts (but then I have 9 of them so I'm biased ) and agree with Egluntine re how educational and rewarding they can be for young people. My niece and nephews aged 11 and 10 now understand a whole lot more about where all their food comes from. We started talking about chickens and eggs, battery and otherwise, and that naturally led to conversations about other food animals and crops too. Your young people may be stunned by the state the hens are in when they arrive, but they will utterly love them and will be entranced by their development, and you may be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you will get very deep insights from youngsters . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Getting ex-batts is a lovely idea, but they do come with certain problems, and it is a good idea to quarantine them from the other hens and to give them time to rest and recover before introducing then=m to other hens. Because they have had to battle for food in the battery cage, they can be a bit aggressive around food issues, but conversely, because they haven't had opportunity for exercise, their muscles are weak at first and they may not be able to stand up for themselves against a healthy and heavier hen. If you could borrow some separate accommodation for them for a while whilst they fatten up a it and learn how to be hens, it would be help. It would be a very worthwhile and educational thing to do and the young people would gain a great deal from caring for ex batts. What a brilliant way of putting it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
