Mollie333 Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Hi everyone.. I was thinking when i have built my WIR that i can section a bit off for about 3 ex batts from bhwt.. i want to give them a secand chance at life, rather than being slaughtered. does anyone reccomend this? i was looking at getting 3 birds as i said and putting them in a eglu. so does anyone have some tips? do they need different food, as i feed my girls on layers pellets. thanks alot xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 As long as they are kept separately, to allow them time to re grow their feathers and settle in, I don't see why not Moillie. They will need layers mash when they first arrive, as they are usually fed that at the Battery 'farm'. After a while you can introduce more and more pellets into their diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alet_chicken Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Hi Mollie333, can definitely recommend getting ex-batts. They are very friendly and tame (once they've settled), and in my experience many of them lay reliably too. And it's wonderful watching them discover such wonderful things as sunlight, and grass, and dustbathing in real dust, etc. We've adopted 12 in total now. I have a cube (8 girls in at the moment, including 2 ex-batts), and use an eglu to house my 4 new ex-batts (rescued about 3 weeks ago) until they are happy to join the flock and move into the cube. Be prepared that introductions will take longer than with other birds. In fact it's best to delay introductions for a bit, until the ex-batts have built up their strength - they should be healthy, but will be very unfit, as they've stood in a small cage all their lives - and are ready for the rough and tumble of flock life. You would have to start them on layer's mash, as this is what they've had all their life (actually I prefer Ex-batt crumb, it's less messy). It is possible to then slowly introduce pellets. My most recent arrivals are already happy to eat pellets after 3 weeks, though they'll have a mixture until they've finished my 20kg bag of crumb. Fortunately my existing girls love crumb as a treat, so are happy to help. You should be able to find plenty of information on caring for ex-batts on the Omlet forum. I'm sure somebody more experienced than me will be along to offer more sagely advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyparrot Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 ex-bats are beautiful I have four just now, and they are so friendly (even my new two who have been here less than three weeks), gentle, oh just wonderful girls! I use ex-bat crumb (even with my girls who have been here a year) and the results have been amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 I would definitely recommend getting some ex-batts. I have had mine now for 7 months and they are happy, healthy and laying like the clappers! In fact, I have had 4 eggs from 4 hens for the last 6 days in a row Hope the poor girls don't wear themselves out. I would also second the suggestion to get the ex-batt crumb to start with instead of mash. To be honest, I haven't bothered to switch mine from the crumb to pellets as they love it and are thriving, so I don't want to upset the apple cart by switching to a different feed. Mash/crumb also keeps the hens occupied for longer as it takes longer to eat, so it can also help reduce boredom problems. I hope you decide to get some lovely ex-batt girls - you won't regret it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted May 22, 2010 Author Share Posted May 22, 2010 Thankyou everyone, we have decided to put the turkey on hold, and get 3 ex batts, and maybe a secand hand eglu.. can you put the girls on ex batt crumb, then layers pellets? (if so, how long will they have to be on the crumb?) Wow im nervous, il have to read up haha ! Also, those who have ex batt girls, how long did they take to come and do they deliver the birds? thankyou so much everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 You need to decide which rescue organisation you are going to have your ex batts from. There's the BHWT which is national and Little Hen Rescue which operates from Norfolk. There are probably some other organisations too. You then contact your local co-ordinator who will advise you of when the next rescue date will be. You collect the birds from a collection point so you will need something to transport them in. They don't deliver as the rescues are all staffed by volunteers. When switching the hens over from crumb/mash to pellets you need to start by offering both types of food together and then gradually reducing the amount of crumb that you offer to force then to eat the pellets. Hopefully they should soon get the hang of the fact that it's food! You can make the switch over a week or two. Hope that helps you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txswanie Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Does anyone know if you can get ex batts in California? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted May 22, 2010 Author Share Posted May 22, 2010 Thankyou so much. I was thinking of getting the girls from bhwt. i was just thinking because when i build my huge wir (literally- huge ) there will be my 2 pekins and 2 silkiesx pekins and 2 silkies and 2 hybrids, which dont actually take up THAT much room as they all stick together in a little pack . so i thought of like sectioning a bit of the wir off expecially for the ex batts.. so i can help them gain strenght and grow back feathers. od you think chicken wire will do to section a bit of the wir off.. okay this is hard to explain.. like this.. i always have to draw a diagram the wire will go about 4 foot up, so the girls cant get over, the silkie x pekins are a bit flighty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
