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

[Guest]

mum and I were chatting about rescuing ex batts and the battery cage system this afternoon. It's cost us quite a fair bit getting vet attention for our ex-batt girls and it's becoming a bit of a strain. I do not begrudge them one single penny as I love them so much but money is a bit tight round here at the moment (and maybe for a while) and mum asked me something I didn't know the answer to...

 

She suggested we get hold of some young birds that would be destined for the battery cage and 'rescue' them instead as they wouldn't have the health issues that the poor ex batt ladies have but she said we would still be rescuing a chicken from a miserable life.

 

Does anyone know where the battery farms get their chickens from and do they arrive at the battery farms fully vaccinated and at POL? I wouldn't even know where to look but it seems a good idea in theory, I'd quite like to put it into practive if at all possible.

[Redwing]

Thats an interesting question! I've never thought too hard about who breeds them and brings them up but would imagine that they go in at POL as the cost and space implications of raising them may be too high for a battery farm. Hopefully someone will know the answer..

[Scramble]

I really don't know

Just wanted to say Good Luck , it would be wonderful if that was possible:)

x

[Charlottechicken]

Hmm....I'm sure I came across a large chicken supplier in the Midlands last year when I was looking for a new girl. I found a large commercial supplier instead of a place selling a few birds Maybe Lesley would know? I'll have a look in my favourites to see if I saved the site.

 

My Francesca is a Warren with a clipped beak and I bought her from Notcutts in Solihull last year. At the time I felt pleased with myself as I thought I had encouraged sales at Notcutts and they would go back and buy more hens which could have gone to battery farms, hence saving them from a terrible fate. There was a bit of an outcry on here that Notcutts were selling hens at all, and now I'm inclined to think that it is better these hens are not bred in vast quantities at all. Francesca is now hardly laying, whilst Bossy, my elderly Pepperpot, continues to fire out a regular supply of lovely eggs.

 

Have you thought of hatching your own? It doesn't have to be expensive and I'm sure you could deal with any unwanted boys

[Lewis]

Hmm....I'm sure I came across a large chicken supplier in the Midlands last year when I was looking for a new girl. I found a large commercial supplier instead of a place selling a few birds Maybe Lesley would know? I'll have a look in my favourites to see if I saved the site.

Oooooh. COuld you have a look please Work experience me thinks

 

 

I've got one of the hatching guide that the commercial hatcheries use, so I think you'd be best to find one of those. I've seen chickens being driven in massive lorries, I presume to battery farms .

I think some places raise them from day old chicks, as it helps with infections etc, because they can't bring any in straight from the egg.

They often don't advertise they are there because of protestors etc, so you may have difficulty finding them. DEFRA registers come to mind.

[Charlottechicken]

I think it's these folk http://www.potterspoultry.co.uk the logo looks familiar although the site may have been altered in the last 14 months, I am sure there was a large pic of the industrial looking buildings on the main page

 

Skimming through the site, it looks like they rear the chicks not hatch them Not sure if Poet wants to take on day olds or POL.

[sandyhas3chucks]

Would they not be just the same as POL hybrids , ie bred to lay & lay, just not forced to live on A4 size prison cell? Would not be rescuing or saving as Mr Farmer will still want x number of hens.

I know just where you are coming from though with vet bills. but some people DO seem to have troublefree ex bats!

And there are lots of postings with various breeds that have problems even if not what seems to be our Typiical egg related problems..

i really fancy having tiny choick & watch it grow up, but then for me I then thibk that is 1 girls I cannot help.

Perhaps we should start a poll. Who has had trouble free ex bats? Lets not forget a couple of months back ther was 28 months of freedom, can't remember lucky chooky's name!

[missuscluck]

I think my brown warrens hens were destined for a battery farm. We got them through a friend of a friend. Im thinking this was the case as last time the intermediary chap was ill and a large chook supplier phoned me to arrange a drop off (our 4 were tagged onto a larger order for someone we know)

[Kalu]

Not sure if this will help but there is a programme on one of the Discovery channels called "How its made" they showed the production line from egg to chick - it was horrific (and was in fact what inspired me to get chooks!). It is available on You Tube, don't know if it will give a clue as to whether they were table birds or off to a battery farm.......hope it helps in some way.

 

K

 

(it is Canadian so unfortunately won't help)

Edited May 13, 2009 by Guest

[sandyhas3chucks]

Kalu got a link to post?

[feemcg]

I've seen a programme where the fertile eggs were vaccinated as they went along the huge conveyor belts, also another where the female chicks were sprayed with a solution to vaccinate them (the boys were long gone along 'another conveyor belt'.

[Kalu]

Here you go, it's not nice viewing.....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkuohLV2u0k

[Kalu]

Wish i hadn't looked now......

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pELuSUzd--E

[Patricia W]

I think Taj mentioned that she had a hatchery nearby - she lives in Cheltenham. I think that's where she got her meat chicks from.

 

I'm sure there are healthy ex-batts and we may hear more about the ones that aren't. But I agree with Poet that the possible vet's bills need to be taken in account when getting them.

[smithy36]

Here you go, it's not nice viewing.....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkuohLV2u0k

 

 

Did it make anyone else want to go out and hug their chicks immediately?

 

Mine are def having warm porridge for brekkie tomorrow... with a drizzle of honey - pellets can wait!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Those poor little chicks . I hated the way they were just dropped off the end of the conveyor belt and fell through those rollers . The sexing was just horrible too - chucking them through those holes . It's all so unnatural .

[..lay a little egg for me]

I had two thoughts about getting battery hens before the battery cage

1. It won't reduce the number of battery hens that are slaughtered at the end of their commercial laying life unlike having them afterwards.

2. If one gets standard RIR hybrids from a poultry supplier, were they not originally sourced from a commercial hatchery anyway? I assumed they were which is why they are so much cheaper than the pure breeds and less common hybrids.

[poachedegg]

The thing is vets bills have to be a consideration before taking on any pet. An animal can be taken ill/injured at any time.

[chelsea]

Shame you didnt live closer Poet.

 

Although they are not battery chooks, I could get you as many 8 week old hens as you wanted (from broiler houses ).

 

I know exactly what you mean about expense. You dont begrudge them and would never let them go without...but it is hard sometimes.

[Guest]

thanks for all the replies, still ploughing thru them

 

We did consider vets bills before we got the girls but Ian has just been made redundant for the 2nd time in the last year. I didn't really want to talk about that but I'm just responding to some of the comments about vet bills...

 

He worked for MFI for 20 + years and was still there when we got the girls and we didn't expect the company he was working for to go bust or for him to lose his job.

 

I'm not one to jump into anything without forward planning but this was totally unexpected. It doesn't mean my girls will go without essential vet treatment (I'd rather go without than for that to happen) but unless our circumstances get a whole lot better, I'm considering what other options are available in terms of building my flock as and when I need to.

 

Chels, that is a pity, I'd even be prepared to pop down in the camper van and spend a few days exploring your part of the world, I won't use the obvious pun! ... but I'm thinking the trip back might be a bit too much for the girls

[Egluntyne]

That is bad luck, Poet - re Ian's job. I am sorry to hear it.

[Guest]

thanks Egluntine, we'll get there

[poachedegg]

Hi Poet - really sorry to hear about Ian's job. When I made the comment about vets bills it wasn't aimed specifically at you, as you always do the best for your girls - it was just to raise the point that any animal could get ill and incure vet's bills, so gettting an ex batt before it was an ex batt wouldn't necessarily prevent these bills.

 

Hope Ian finds something soon.

 

[chelsea]

Blimey, what awful luck Ian has had. Am so sorry.

 

I am sure something will come along xx

[Guest]

I think pure breeds and ordinary hybrids are less prone to the problems that ex batts have, although I know it's not a guarantee that they won't get ill.

 

Just got back from the vets again with Maud, she's had another calcium injection and got another 2 weeks worth of baytril. The 2 visits (Mon and today) have cost £48 in total. The vet is a lovely girl and thinks, while there has been a bit of improvement, it's worth persevering but there's no guarantee she won't go downhill again.

 

wish us luck