Poorly chicken

[Mercedes55]

We got our 4 ex batts on the 3rd of July, so had them for a week and half.

 

We put them straight into their run and just let them settle in, we didn't attempt to put them into the coop as it was very hot that day.

 

I think it takes time for them to become tame, I hadn't even realised that the hens we bring home would be strangers to each other as well as to us. For some reason it didn't register with me that they have spent all the time in the battery farm with different hens to the ones they now find themselves with, so from the start there is a new battle for leader of the pack

 

Our 4 hens have quickly established their pecking order and Bella who is the leader rounds the others up like sheep. Yesterday she made them all go into the coop and she came came out into the run, spread out her wings and promptly lay down to sunbathe before having some food and water

 

I now have to make sure I have 2 bowls of food out as Bella and second in command Lola hog the food. My limp hen Mia is 3rd in command and poor Coco is bottom of the pecking order. Bella is always the first to go into the nest to lay her eggs too and seems to be the one making the most progress with growing her feathers back.

 

After such a short space of time it's amazing the progress they make looks wise. Ours now have nice fluffy bums which before were bald and even the feathers on the sides of their bodies are starting to show.

 

We haven't had any success with getting them to feed out of our hands. I think they are all still a bit wary of us, but hopefully they will come round

[heatherjulia]

Oh it's good to know that their feathers regrow quickly - ours all have various bald patches, poor loves.

 

One of ours - Henrietta - has started asserting herself as the boss already too. It is very comical to watch, it's as if she is their supervisor - she constantly struts round looking at what each one of the others is doing. If she approves, she leaves them to it and moves onto the next one, if not, she gives them a peck or a shove!!! The others don't seem bothered though!

[Mercedes55]

I had expected to have to wait about 8wks before they started to look anywhere near normal but I've been really amazed at how quickly the feathers grow. I'm not sure what state ours were in compared to others, I know my other half said he saw some who had far fewer feathers than the hens we have. The worst areas seem to be the bum and neck which were totally bald when we got them and even now the necks look bald till you look real close and they are all getting new pin feathers. What looks really funny is when the new feathers start to poke through the sheaths as they look like tiny little paint brushes splaying out, so cute

[Bexibex]

After reading your posts - Kira, Heatherjulia and Mercedes55, I am getting more and more excited. It is going to be such a steep learning curve and I know I will worry like crazy but what joy to see these poor girls starting to enjoy life and really starting to bloom. It sounds like you are doing an incredible job and I feel so reassured to know that we are all in the same boat.

 

I have now received my email from BHWT and I am collecting my girls between 12noon and 2pm on Sunday - I'm hoping the weather stays cool as it is a two hour journey back to York and I know I will be franctic if it is really hot!

 

Did any of you give your girls anything on the journey back/stop to give them water etc. etc?

[heatherjulia]

ooh good, I'm so glad you're excited! This forum is a lifesaver isnt it!!

 

Totally agree with you about the weather - it was SO hot for us on Saturday and the BHWT volunteers kept telling us to keep them cool in the car, but it was virtually impossible! Our journey was over an hour and it was VERY stressful! We were desperate to get them home as quickly as poss but also trying to drive carefully so as not to fling them around in their box whenever we went round a corner! It certainly was an experience - I've never been so glad to be home!! I'm sure the forecast for this weekend is looking like it will be a lot cooler than the last one, so hopefully you won't struggle with the heat too much.

 

I read on here that someone recommended putting chunks of iceberg lettuce in the box with them for food/water - which we did - but they didn't touch it! Then we thought that as soon as we got back they'd be desperate for water, so I (literally!) RAN to the kitchen while hubby was carrying the box in to get them a little dish of water (even put ice cubes in it!), placed it in the box with them... and still nothing! They just looked at me like I was slightly mad...

 

In fact, I dont think they even drank or ate ANYTHING until the next day, when they couldn't get enough of it all! Looking back now, I think they were just COMPLETELY overwhelmed at what they had been through that day, which is understandable. It was all a bit much for them. As I said earlier though, the next day they really came on in leaps and bounds, so I guess patience is the key!!

 

Hope your collection goes well, I'm excited for you! Make sure you let us know how you get on!

[Bexibex]

I promise to let you all know how I get on. The poor things go through so much in one day, it is no surprise they go off the food and water! My cats and my dog often look at me as though I am completely crazy so that is a feeling I am well and truly used to. In fact my OH tells me on a regular basis that I am as mad as a box of frogs so the pets probably all feel sorry for me!

 

I LOVE the Omlet forum, I have been addicted to it ever since I found it and now check the posts all the time - there is so much good advice on here, I am finding it invaluable.

[kira]

It is great to see that everyone is in the same boat!

 

We don't have an omlet house for ours, so I wasn't even sure that I should be here

 

But today I have installed some Omlet merchandise in our run; one purple and one orange grub & glug set. They are so much better than anything else that I could find for feeders and drinkers. The temporary dishes that I was using were getting trodden in and tipped over and took up so much floor space that there was nowhere to root around The only problem is that they are very much designed for an Omlet run, so I had a bit of DIY to do to get them to stay put in our run. So touch wood they will still be there next week

[Mercedes55]

I think there are a lot of people on here that don't have Omlet coops

 

I have one but was going to buy a wooden coop as I want a bigger set up, but I am now going to get a Cube instead as I'm too worried about red mite to risk buying a wood one

 

I can't get on with the grubs and glugs at all, my hens won't eat out of the grubs as they don't seem to like putting their heads inside them, but that could be because they are ex batts. They are fine with the glugs but I have to really fill them to the brim and then they are so heavy that they kind of tip forward

[MedusA]

I can completely understand why you would be nervous at getting your ex-batts. I was nervous too, even though I'd kept chickens for 3 years. I can now say that my only regret is not doing it before! I love my ex-batt girls and they have been so good in adapting to being "proper" chickens again, after such a horrible start in life, even if with a little initial nervousness.

 

Here is a pic of my girls on rescue day.

 

 

And now. six weeks after rescue, they are proper little vultures and growing their feathers back. Parsley (on the right in this pic) was virtually completely bald when she arrived.

 

[Mercedes55]

They look lovely, isn't it such a lovely feeling when you start to see the new feathers growing in

[Bexibex]

Oh wow MedusA, they look incredible. I am so pleased they have settled in well and it is great to see photos of how they are coming on. Only four more sleeps to go til I collect mine! Yippee!!!!!

[Mercedes55]

Oh wow MedusA, they look incredible. I am so pleased they have settled in well and it is great to see photos of how they are coming on. Only four more sleeps to go til I collect mine! Yippee!!!!!

It's so exciting isn't it, I was counting the days down till we got ours too

[Bexibex]

Hi everyone - an update for you! The girls arrived on Sunday and they seem to be settling in well. We have already had seven eggs since yesterday. I am so happy. I am going to work out how to add photos and start a new post as I already need advice!

[Tutti Frutti]

Yay congrats! :dance:

[Mercedes55]

Glad they are settling in so well and it's great they are laying eggs too

[Bramble]

Hello! I picked up my first ever hens (also ex-batts) on Sunday. I had been really excited but got more and more nervous as the day approached to the point that by the time I got to the "collection point" I would have turned the car round and gone home without them if I could. However, today is their third full day at home and so far so good. I'm incredibly anxious for ALL the same reasons as you, but keep stopping by this forum and post any questions or concerns you have, I can't tell you how much it helps having this huge mine of information to dip into whenever its needed.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[capper]

I can relate to everything everyone has said, my ex-batts where my first experience of chicken keeping and you still learn something everyday about them. Yesterday we had torrential rain in my area and my poor girls looked so pathetic you can see all their bald spots when they are wet it upset me so much that I have now decided that they need a WIR and the eglu placed on a coop table to get them off the floor. If I get that upset over rain what will I be like in the middle of Winter!! Chooks really get under your skin and I think ex-batts are extra special so just enjoy watching them becoming real chickens again. This forum is a life saver!!!!

[Mercedes55]

It's a very steep learning curve isn't it

 

Today it's so hot here that I can't let mine free range as I can't find any shade to sit in. From the look of the inside of my hen's run I think they are trying to dig their way out, they are digging all around the edges of the run and one has made a hole right in front of the door to the Eglu that is about 8ins deep

 

I've given them a plate full of strawberries to distract them

[Pharaoh]

Too much rain here, a little sunshine yesterday!

My ex-batts won't look at strawberries apart from any slugs that are lurking there.

They love London Pride (not much left in the garden now), corn on the cob and mealworms. They don't seem to eat much of their ex-bats food.

[Mercedes55]

Too much rain here, a little sunshine yesterday!

My ex-batts won't look at strawberries apart from any slugs that are lurking there.

They love London Pride (not much left in the garden now), corn on the cob and mealworms. They don't seem to eat much of their ex-bats food.

 

Mine seem to prefer their treats to the ex batts food. I was wondering if it was the hot weather putting them off it I've got 3 bags of all different things, some layers mash, some layers crumbs and some layers pellets and I mix it up every day with a bit of poultry spice, but they aren't eating a lot of it

[The Dogmother]

Leave them to it, it'll be the shock of the move - they'll eat it if they are hungry.

[Bexibex]

Hi everyone

 

As promised, some pics of the girls - Maud, Blanche, Abby and Minnie.

 

 

 

Skinnie Minnie the rather featherless one is laying the biggest eggs and Blanche, the second largest is laying tiddlers which are not formed. I'm hoping that these will develop in time as she settles in.

 

My only concern now is that Minnie is getting really bullied and spending most of her time in the Eglu because of this. The others are pinning her dpwn, pecking her and chasing her all the time. They even go and force her back out of the Eglu so that they can start on her again. I'm really worried that Minnie is not eating enough and sits shaking in the Eglu. Today we have let them out into the garden but only Minnie has ventured out. She is really friendly towards us and lets us stroke her, the others just ignore us. Does anyone have any advice on how to make life happier for Minnie? Due to the state of her feathers, I think bullying is all she has known so far and I don't want her to be miserable here. HELP!

[Mercedes55]

It's awful when they go through this sorting out of who is head hen

 

I'm quite new to keeping hens, but if it were me I would try and make sure Minnie gets food by maybe putting out an extra food dish or trying to feed her some food by hand if she will take it off you.

 

When we first got ours by the 2nd day we put one of our hens on her own as she was limping badly and we felt she wasn't getting the chance to get to the food or water and just like yours she was tending to stay away from the others. However being on her own didn't help either as she just seemed so very lonely so the next day we put her back with the other 3. By the end of the day all 4 of them were fine as they had sorted out their pecking order and they've been really good with each other since.

[heatherjulia]

Hiya!

 

Glad you got them ok - they look in a very similar state to our 4 that we got just over a week ago.

 

Re the bullying - we are having the exact same issue right now. For the first 4 days or so, they all got on fine. Henrietta was clearly the top hen, but she seemed to be in charge without using any aggression, and the others accepted it with no problem. Just the odd peck from her occasionally and nothing more, so we thought 'wow, that was easy!'. Unfortunately not - the others that are below her in the pecking order have in the last few days become very aggressive and have been really attacking each other.

 

I have to admit, I've found it very upsetting as all was going so well at first! 2 days ago we got some anti-pecking spray and coated them all in it, then applied some more to the 2 who were being picked on the most this morning.

 

There has been quite a big improvement. The bullying is still going on, but it's MUCH less aggressive and I've stopped being so terrified of what they might do to each other while we're out at work! I feel now that in a few days or so it will hopefully fizzle out.

 

It is always the weakest one that gets it the worst, which is so heartbreaking. I can empathise with you! Ours is little Pollyanna, she is SUCH a sweetheart and I just wish they'd leave her alone! As I said though, it IS improving so I'm sure yours will settle down too.

 

As Mercedes said, I definitely think you should put some extra food and water points in the run so that Minnie can access them more easily. It might also be worth you trying the anti-peck spray - we've definitely seen an improvement since we've been using it, although whether that is just coincidence, we'll never know! At least you feel like you're doing something though!

[Mrs Potts]

Hello!

 

We have similar problems, having picked up four beautiful ex batts on Sunday. I am very new to this but want to do the best for them so apologies for the simplicity of the questions but -

 

How quickly do feathers grow?

How quickly does it take to establish a pecking order?

 

Leia is completely bald from the neck down and the bottom of the pile in our group. They haven't drawn blood, though her tail quills look sore. She's my husband's chicken and he wants to buy another Eglu to put her and Blossom in. Blossom comes off slightly better as she has a few more feathers than Leia. I bought another grub/glug on Tuesday and they got here yesterday, so there are two areas for food and water. I have hung up a seed bell and they will be playing sweetcorn swingball tomorrow (thank you to the person who suggested that elsewhere on the forum). The only trouble is that The Boss, Florence, hasn't noticed any of this. Her eyes are firmly on Leia.

 

Thank you!