Mrs

[Shirl]

These girls came from the midlands and I collected them just an hour ago. I got some very quick pics before the light faded. One is already trying to peck the other 2 to bits so I will get some anti-peck spray tomorrow. I have seperated (but still in view) her from the other 2 until bedtime. The rescuers said this batch of rescue hens was the most oven ready they'd had in a long time

 

This is Elizabeth (the pecker)

 

This is Evie, she seems very shell shocked.

 

And this is my favourite Emily because she is small and extremely oven ready.

[mags]

oh poor girls

 

my girls Ethel was really oven ready when i got her 3 weeks ago but she has got some frilly knickers and feathers on her back .

 

 

mags

[Pikey]

Bless them.....esp poor Emily

 

Well done you for giving these girls the life they deserve.....I love watching them turn into "normal" hens esp when they get to the fluffy feather stage.

 

Photos of their progress will be required

[Bramble]

Oh bless them! Good luck little girls, you are going to have a lovely life now and lots of fun!

[beach chick]

oh bless them, what a life they have had. onwards and upwards from now only girls!

[Trougher]

They look a bit pathetic, I hope they feather up soon and have a wonderful life with you!

[skye]

Well done you Very lovely gesture, adopting these poor little girls.

 

I'm sure you will nurture them back to health... hope the little pecky madam sorts herself out, a couple of ours were like that the first few days they were with us, we just managed it the best we could until it settled down. such a stressful few days for them, but it will all be worth it for them to have a happy and peaceful retirement

 

skye x

[Gertie]

Hi Shirl

Wow, poor Emily is really bare!

 

I'm a week on with mine collected last Sunday & though bald they seem really happy & are getting bolder by the day. They didn't come out of the coop for 2 days.

 

Hope your lucky girls settle in quickly & enjoy proper chicken living!

[dancing cloud]

Aaww! Just look at them - but they will become gorgeous girls in next to no time . Well done everyone that offers these rather sad little girls the chance to live real happy-chookie lives .

 

My second batch of adoptees, including Sun and Sky, were as oven-ready as Emily and Sun was fully-feathered within eight weeks. Both of them are now as cheeky as you like and Sun's recently become top-chook too!

 

Hope your little ones settle in soon (and Elizabeth finds better things to do than peck) and please keep us posted on their progress.

[chicken bark]

Your pictures really bring it home what a horrible life those poor girls have.

 

Hope yours soon settle and feather up in time for the colder weather. Guess you will be looking for a chicken jumper or three.

Well done you.

[Shirl]

I did consider making fleece jumpers for them but I'd worry about them catching feet and getting tangled so I've decided against it. I also considered putting them in the garage but unless I leave the door open it will be pretty dark. They are in the WIR with a rabbit hutch to sleep in. The WIR has a solid roof and is against a fence with the house just 6 or so feet away on the other side which it makes it quite enclosed and sheltered. There are also lots of trees to give shelter from the wind.The cube has been wheeled out of the run and into the garden so the others will just free range all day. They will all be able to see each other before the physical introductions take place. My old girls have already voiced their displeasure.

[Powerlady]

Poor little girls..but what a fantastic life they will have now.

Good for you taking them on

[scarlettohara]

Mine are getting more and more feathers all the time, Peggy is almost fully fetheared and Mrs Summers just needs chest and bum feathers. I have had them six weeks. Give them plenty of bedding (I use straw) and they will snuggle together and be fine

[Aunty e]

I have some of those girls too turned up late (got lost) and somehow came away with eight rather than four.

 

They're happily ensconced in my conservatory for the night, as they just have no feathers at all. Will get some pics tomorrow, but I don't think they'll be going fully outside for a few weeks yet. They've plenty of room in there and it's not a room we use at all (it's a conservatory off the garage for some bizarre reason) so it's become chook hospital for the forseeable. OH rolled his eyes a lot when I announced I'd brought home a few extras. They're all called Bonnie I'm afraid, we'll have to see if they develop more distinctive personalities as they feather up, then they might get more names

[Shirl]

Don't forget the pics of the Bonnie gang although I do think the pics make it look like they have more eathers than they do as Emily especially is pretty bald except for a few on her head. Would like to see OH face if I said I was putting our new girls in our garden room .

[Shirl]

My girls are out and about in the run. They have all had food and water (I knew that super glug would be useful one day!) and I even put a little corn on the ground for them which they ate. It was funny to watch though because they didn't scratch just pecked. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for them to start scratching at the ground. Evie still looks more shell shocked but at least is moving away from Elizabeth when she tries to peck. I will just keep a close eye on them for now. I'm really pleased how they've settled in.

[Patricia W]

I've had 2 lots of three and I've found both groups very supportive of each other so hopefully yours will settle down.

 

Tricia

[LisaP]

My goodness, they really are quite bare aren't they? The three I got last week from the same rehome as Gertie are now becoming more settled. One of my three was being quite nasty to the other two to begin with but that seems to have settled now - think she'll probably be top chook.

 

Well done for rehoming them and good luck.

 

Lisa P

[Plum]

Oh Shirl and Auntye I can't take in how bare they are poor things Now lucky, lucky things, now free from hell and going to have a loving life with you both

[Shirl]

I'm having problems with my new girls. I saw blood the other day on the top of the grub. I checked the girls over and couldn't see any damage which I had assumed was probably one pecking the head /neck when another was trying to eat.

 

Anyway today I brought the girls indoors. It is -1 and far too cold for featherless chickens to be outside. I have put them in our downstairs WC. Not where the actual toilet is but in the adjoining room where the sink is. It's a fairly large area considering it only houses a sink so not as small as it sounds. I put newspaper on the tiled floor, put food in a large tub and water in an old chair type potty. They've knocked the food everywhere. Someone has been paddling in the potty because the water is filthy although it didn't tip over. The room stinks and they've only been in there a couple of hours. I can't believe the mess they've made. They are throwing themselves at the wall so there is poo all over it. They are trying to get out of the door. There is now blood on the floor which I think has actually come from a foot. It's dificult to check them over because they are throwing themselves at the door to get out and if they end up with poo all over the hall the OH will go mad because it's just been decorated.

 

I am at a loss what to do. Part of me thinks that I should just put them outside where they'd be calmer but it's so cold out there. Any suggestions?

[beach chick]

oh goodness Shirl, that sounds a nightmare. I think I would put them back outside, but make sure you have lots of aubiose/whatever in the eglu because it's insulating. have you got a cover over the run that would block the wind? I'm finding in my WIR that with the plastic sheeting up it stays nice and warm in there as soon as the sun gets on it.

I'm sure someone will be along with better advice soon!

[sage]

Hi Shirl

Do you have any jumper for them.

 

Sage

[Aunty e]

I'd put them outside again, but cover the run if you haven't - an old blanket will do, but a clear shower curtain would be better. Mine are in a conservatory/lean to and they've made it toasty warm with their own body heat. It's about four metres long, and a bit more than a metre wide, it's competely unheated, on a bare concrete floor, attached to the detached garage and has mostly glass walls and a clear plastic roof, but it's significantly warmer in there than in the walk in run. There's condensation on the glass most of the time, even with one of the windows cracked open for ventilation! So if you cover the run with something, they'll make it warm all by themselves, and put lots of bedding in the eglu, they'll go inside if they're too cold. My OH and I were talking about last time it snowed, and how glad we were we had a run with a roof on it this year as the poor girls refused to come out of the cube for three days until the snow melted.

 

They will make a terrible mess with bowls of food and water unfortunately, so another good reason to pop them back outside with properly designed feeders. One of my little jobs this weekend is to muck out the conservatory and screw some bars onto the wall so we can hang feeders up for them. They've made a shocking mess so far!

 

We've tried letting them out, one girl is very feisty and wants to barge her way out all the time, another couple will potter out and then go back in if they see a cat, human or chicken. Most of them just hide in their hideout at the far end of the conservatory. No sign of fresh feathers yet, but billions of eggs. We don't need eggs, I'd rather see feathers!

[Shirl]

We haven't had any eggs at all from them but given their condition I'm not surprised.They don't have an Eglu they have a rabbit hutch in the walk in run (which is covered). They don't go in the hutch except for when I put them in at night. There is some sun on the run but not a great deal as it's in a very sheltered position. I think I'll have to put them out again then. One of them is being very vocal, I did think she might have laid an egg but no it was just a complaint.

 

I don't want to use jumpers because of the risk of them getting tangled. I could try to make a fabric jumper which wouldn't be as much of a hazard but I would still worry.

 

ETA: I will have to leave it until tonight. I just remembered DDs have ballet after school. I won't be back until nearly 6 by which time it will be even colder and as they don't take themselves to bed they might get too cold. If they haven't settled by the time I get back then at least I know that they aren't going to settle in there and I won't try it again. On the plus side their legs aren't that weak given the amount of jumping they are managing.

[Aunty e]

My lot certainly don't have weak legs - they've been perching on top of the five foot high bookcase I left in the lean-to!