2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[Gertie]

Recently lots of people on the forum seem to have rehomed ex battery hens. I wondered how they are all getting on & settling in?

 

I rehomed 3 from the Guildford rescue on 14th November. So far they are doing really well despite the challenges of the elements. They are eating well, growing new feathers & laying almost every day. I can't believe how friendly & tame they have become. I've bought some more cube run extensions & am wondering whether to integrate them with my other hens over the Christmas holidays.

 

Then I'd have & empty eglu!!!!

 

I hope everyone elses hens are doing well.

 

Best wishes

[scarlettohara]

Mine have been here since 22nd October,they came as featherless little girls but are not almost fully feathered, funny, brave, loving girls. Wouldn't be without them

[Snoxy]

I am hopefully collecting 5 ex batts tomorrow if all goes according to plan with the rescue

 

I have been wondering how other peoples ex batts are doing so am glad you posted

 

Can't wait to get my girls...never been this excited about getting more hens

[Lydia]

3 of our latest 4 are doing great. Multifinish, Kura and Tiddles are in the big run with the main lot but still with the fence up between them. They are taking their sweet time to get integrated though (the weather is not helping) and we are nowhere near the full happy family flock status yet. Today Multifinish discovered that dustbathing in soil was far nicer and much easier than trying to do it on concrete!

 

And then here is Silicon. When she arrived on the Sunday she was fine but by the Wednesday she was hobbling and on the Thursday she couldn't walk. She could stand but then her right leg gave way and she fell over. She was very alert and still eating and drinking but couldn't actually get to the food stations. I dislike separating them ever but felt I had no choice, especially as the weather turned very cold, so Silicon moved into the kitchen in a dog crate where she had access to the food and water.

 

Silicon thus takes the record for the one to end up at the vet the soonest for a course of Septrin and Metacam. (thank God we are lucky enough to have a super vet who will always do his best for them). She remained in the kitchen for a couple of weeks, coming outside with us whenever we were out and either sitting with us on the tree seat or pecking around underneath it, before coming back in for food and often a long sleep. We put the crate on the window sill so she could see the garden birds and the other hens and 'accessorised' it with a perch, a dustbath (the kitchen got covered and our hoover was busy but, hey she enjoyed it!), pecking material etc. She also had access to the rest of the house when we were around and the bloke who was doing our bathroom became very fond of her as she'd wander in to see what he was up to.

 

The drugs have worked to an extent although I think will be on repeat prescription for a while yet. Silicon will never break the land speed record but can now get about although her right leg is, and probably always will be, gammy. She's moved back outside last week with the newest ex-batts and is just about holding her own with a little help from us and some Ukadex. She has good days and bad days and I suspect will always been weak and will have months rather than years with us. The dog crate remains set up in the kitchen, just in case.

 

It's hard work sometimes, especially worrying about Silicon, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They are all enjoying their freedom, have discovered the joy of sweetcorn and mealworms and I believe are happy.

[Gertie]

Hi Everyone. It's so good to hear they are mostly doing well.

 

I must ask about those names Lydia... Multifinish, Silicon? They are quite unusual!

 

Mine are now into eating the porridge I make them daily instead of just standing in it. They've also discovered they can eat the green things (cabbages) I keep putting in the run!!

 

It is hard work worrying about them. Luckily on the 3 worst snow days last week I was totally snowed in (my work closed) so I was up & down the garden every hour with hear pads, warm water, porridge etc etc!!

[Trougher]

I got my three in September, and they have been wonderful. They were almost fully feathered and quite strong, so I have been very lucky. They are friendly, although not that keen on being handled (although they don't seem to mind my son picking them up, wrapping them in a blanket and sitting on his lap watching telly!), and have been laying nearly an egg a day each. Recently, I have been getting four eggs some days, don't know who is laying more than one in 24 hours, but considering the temperatures and the fact that they haven't been able to free range as much as usual, I think they are amazing.

 

I would love to have helped out with more ex-batts, but I simply haven't got room.

[Lydia]

I must ask about those names Lydia... Multifinish, Silicon? They are quite unusual!

 

 

We tend to name loosely on themes and happened to be having the bathroom and cloakroom done when the last lot arrived and the words Silicon and Multifinish were coming up with alarming regularity. The bloke doing it was Polish so Kura is Polish for Hen. Tiddles is just, well, random silliness really

 

Previous themes have included Indian food (Aloo, Gobby (Gobi), Brinjal), Australian Rules Football (Bartel, Hatpin, Ablett) and table tennis (Ping, Pong).

[Cranfield Kate]

mine are doing great thanks for asking! you'd never think they had ever been anything other than urban chickens.

[Kermit]

Ours six are doing well - got them in the summer as ex-barn hens, but they have taken to free-rangng the garden. They have been outraged with the snow, as the 12" plus that we had was far too deep for them to be allowed out. It took quite a while for them to build up their feathers, but they don't seem to be getting too cold in this weather. They are still laying really well - most days we get 4 or 5 out of the six. Having problems getting through the quantity at times - it feels really dangerous eating old eggs (4+ days) .

[Gertie]

Yay! glad they are all doing well. I took some photos of mine yesterday when I was cleaning them out. I put lots of new Easibed down on the floor to keep them warm. It was so cute as they started dustbathing together in it and looked truly relaxed and happy...the sun even came out!!!

 

Lydia - I wondered if the names were related to your DIY. I love the name Pingpong too!!