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LisaP

Getting some ex-batts on Sunday!!!!

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Cheaky Chook, here in Bracknell the sun has just come out but it is chilly. It poured down all day yesterday (stopped once the girls were tucked up in bed :roll: ) and was frosty this morning.

 

All 3 of our girls are out and about in the eglu run and I think all 3 are eating and drinking, I say "I think" because I can't quite tell Tilly and Lulu apart yet :oops: .

 

I'll keep posting with their progress and some photos asap :wink:

 

Lisa P

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Hi Everyone

 

That is so great that your hens have been out and are eating and settling in LisaP. So far I'm not convinced mine have even ventured out of the coop (although there is straw hanging out the eglu door and roundabout, so maybe). The food does not seem to have been touched (in the run). I have managed to check on them about 4 times during the day (drove home in lunch break). I saw their heads peeking out of the door but so far I have not actually seen them in the run. :(

 

I rang the BHWT careline as I was worried about them not eating and drinking. They were very nice and reassured me that this was normal. She advised that tomorrow I put food and water in the coop and recommended using those red feeders as they are attracted to red things. The food I put in the coop yesterday seems to have gone down but I cannot be sure that it has not just been spilled as I can't get a better look. I'll take it out at night so they don't get wet though!

 

I am amazingly surprised but we had 2 large eggs from them. Even though they had all that trauma they still layed. I peeked in when I got home after work tonight - it was all nice and warm in there.

 

I'm just so hoping they are going to be ok... :pray:

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Gertie if it's any comfort I've been anxious about our 3 girls all day too :anxious:

 

I think your girls may be a bit smarter than ours by staying in the eglu because although ours were in the run, they did mainly just stand still and I'm sure they were shivering sometimes. DD is currently crocheting them some little jumpers and I'm going to try and knit one up tomorrow :wink:

 

Holly is proving to be a bit of a bother because she keeps bullying the other two - I know they need to sort out their pecking order but she keeps grabbing them by the comb and pecking them for no reason.

 

I hope your girls settle in soon, I'm sure all ex-batts can't quite believe their luck to begin with and like you say how amazing that they still laid for us this morning 8)

 

Lisa P

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How fantsatic to hear about your new girls. I'm getting 2 ex-batts on Saturday. They wil be coming from a farm in the midlands so will have quite a long journey before they get to us. It is 3 years since we got our last ex-batts so reading this is bringing back the memories and reminding what I have to look forward to.

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That's good news Shirl. Hope the week and the journey speeds by for you!

 

LisaP - Aw, I bet they are cold!! I do feel terribly sorry for them being bald. I know they have a higher body temperature and I think someone elses post said theres were feathering up 5 weeks later. I hope they do before the snow comes.

 

I'm sure that is is showing how anxious I am...I'm a worrier though. We both just want them to settle in. I can't wait to be able to post some pics.

 

The BHWT lady said that if they are not out by Wednesday to put them out in the run. I might do that at the end of the day before it gets dark so they are not out for long. Hopefully they will know where to go to bed... I'll have a torch handy if not!

 

Sorry to hear that they are battling it out. Hopefully it won't last long. I just got 3 new girls to introduce to my remaining hen about a month ago. I think they settled down within 2 weeks. So I hope your girls will get on with each other soon.

 

Hope tomorrow is another good day for you all.

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Well, I put food and water in the nest area today. I came home at lunchtime and it was everywhere (as expected) and they had tossed the drinker out of the coop entirely!! Still they did not come out of the coop though. When I got home from work, just before it got dark, I cleaned them out with fresh bedding. I pushed them out into the run and they had a wander about. One of them is really scared and hunched. The other 2 were walking tall and came right down to the food end of the coop – although they did not touch the food or water. It was too dark to take pictures but I managed to take one picture through the eggport this morning.

 

I cannot believe what I got through the letterbox today either - a surprise. I told a friend I had rehomed some ex battery hens. She knew someone who knits jumpers for them…so I now have 2 cute attractive purple knitted jumpers. What do people think about hens and jumpers? Apart from looking really cute in them, is this a good idea, is it safe?

 

Here they are. It's not a very good shot but I did not want to scare them with the flash on.

 

5182148329_92aa9a50ce.jpg

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Aw can we have a picture of the chooks in their jumpers? I would have thought that it would be quite nice for them as they really are quite bald poor wee things. I admit however that I don't know much about ex-bats though I do long for some. So far my OH won't allow it, but I'm dripping away like the proverbial water torture :wink:

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