Ziggy Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) Exciting times... we're picking up three ex-batts on Sunday!!! They'll be (eventually) joining our three current chooks, giving us a nice big flock (well by city standard anyway, 6 is the maximum we're allowed) for the first time in ages... With our rescue bunny hopefully coming home in a week or so, that's all very exciting here... Edited May 25, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 for taking the ex bats ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 well done for rescuing! good luck with the intros! looking forward to pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Well done for rescuing tham and good luck with your new girls. Make sure you post some pivs when you get them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 Thanks everyone... off to pick them up in 30 mins... will post pics when they're settled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 Well here they are... Suki (my daughter, who is now 11 and has been the official chicken owner in this house since she got her first chooks in december 2006), and myself are happy to present the newbies : Here is Jess : and Dawn : and last but not least, Kally : And here is their proud owner : The trip home with them went very smoothly, we got them into the garden, filled their feeders with their exbatt crumbs, took them out of the box one at a time to put their leg rings on, and off they went in their eglu and run, settling quite happily, looking a little dazed but otherwise quite chilled. After starting the day in a cage, they now have a home, a name, and a family... They look much more 'battered' than our first ex-batts were. Dawn is in the worst condition, as her tail shows in the pictures above. Her wings are the same, she looks like a little chicken skeleton, poor little thing. Kally is in a better state, but has a very bare neck. Jess, although she looks like an ex-batt, is the most normal looking. We look forward to seeing them blossom in their new life. Suki is very pleased with her new girls. I made the donation when picking the girls, but she also brought a (rather generous, I proudly admit) donation from her own pocket money. She has put aside the same amount to give to the rabbit rescue next weekend when we pick up Marmite. It was her choice to get ex-batts, she tends to take it in turn, we got Omlets first, then we got ex-batts to join them, then we got three chooks from a local breeder, then this time some ex-batts. It is a rather moving experience to pick up the girls, and see all those chooks there about to be rehomed. It is so lovely to think that they are all starting a new life, and escaping slaughter. All the people who were helping at the rescue were lovely, so thanks to all of them for their work! Have a great sunday evening all, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy ben grace Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Lucky girls to find such a lovely home with you all. Bless them, they make you cry to see the state of them. You must be very proud of your daughter for showing such compassion on these poor little poppets. Hope you have lots of fun getting to know them and nursing them back to health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Oh bless....newly-liberated ex batts always bring a lump to my throat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzannejoy Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jill the potter Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 big lump here too !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Great pics. I bet they are happy as Larry now. Having lost 2 of my chickens I suddenly thought, after seeing this post, "ex-bats!" I contacted the BHWT straight away and, fortuitously, there are some left over from last weekend's rescue! I will collect them on Wednesday. I just need to set up a partition within my run to separate them from the others. I've asked for 2 but I suspect I will come back with 3 I'm childishly excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 They are very lucky little chickens, how lovely for your daughter to be able to say she rescued them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Good on you Ziggy and you too Migsy By the way, how do you decide which girls to pick? Any I've ever seen on here always all look so in need of TLC Is it very hard to choose and what happens to any that don't get picked on re-homing day? Is that it for them? Sorry if these are very naive questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I don't think you get a choice - they are just handed over to you by all accounts. I don't know how many Adele has left over and whether I will get to choose. I'll ask her what she does with the ones left behind I'll let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 That's great Migsy, very exciting!! The first time we got ex-batts, we got there when it wasn't very busy and my daughter was asked whether she'd like less 'plucked' ones or the ones in a worse state... she was having three, so said she didn't mind, and most of the chooks there didn't look too bad actually. As the rescue people were catching her chooks, one chook ran to my daughter and the carrier, so we just had to have her! Sadly she died a few months later, but we still remember her very fondly. She used to walk right into our conservatory and stand on our feet! This time it was busy, so we just got whichever chook were caught for us! Not that we minded anyway, all those girls need a home... I'm not sure either what happens to the ones who are left over? Are they fostered somehow until a permanent home is found? I guess it might depend on how many are left over? Our girls are settling nicely... Dawn (the scrawniest one - don't trust her victim look, she's a bossy little thing) has been working hard at establishing herself as top hen. OH is finding this whole 'pecking order' sorting rather distressing. I've kept an eye on them and they seem to be doing ok, no blood drawn, just some squabbling from Dawn when Jess and Kally try to eat, but as we have more than one feeder, she can't be everywhere at once. It seems to be calming down a bit too, as they're all happily eating together right now and Dawn isn't having a fit about it!! To be continued ... Good luck with yours, Migsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Well, I have collected my rescue hens from the BHWT today in Haslingden. The were rescued from an enriched cage so they look much better than battery hens and have lots of feathers. They don't look as healthy as they should though - pale combs, long toenails and a bit bedraggled, but all in all, much better than what I was expecting to collect. They have been tucking into some pellets and have been scratching around for corn already! They are settling down in a sectioned off area and seem to be pretty chilled. They have been in a shed for a few days, so I think the pecking order has been established. My existing 4 hens have been making a lot of commotion! I hope they calm down. There were loads left over from the rescue but I did not find out what would become of them I'm afraid. Hiding in the Shelter by Migsy123, on Flickr Venturing Out by Migsy123, on Flickr Think we know who is boss by Migsy123, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 You are right, they don't look so totally dreadful but still look rather in need of TLC poor wee souls. By tomorrow I bet they'll already be a whole lot happier. Well done, you, Migsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Well, these "jail birds" are a fiesty lot! They escaped from the electric fence area so I will go and clip their wings once I can catch them. They are now with my others and feeding from the same bowls. So much for separating them. Nothing like sudden introductions. I'm keeping an eye on them and they seem to be getting on OK apart from the odd scuffle but they appear to be able to look after themselves. I'm amazed by them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 They look lovely, well done Migsy! Sounds like they are having none of the separation and want to tuck right into their new life... Mine are in a separate eglu and run, right next to the other chooks who have a cube in a WIR. The other girls have been making quite a bit of noise since we got the ex-batts too... a lot of clucking and protest when we pay attention to the newbies!! It was really lovely to see the three newbies eat side by side yesterday without picking on each other... Dawn seems satisfied that she's got the top rank, and can now relax... Funly enough, our dog Charlie, who we were trying to keep away from them as much as possible while they settled, has been a good help in limiting the pecking order bullying... every time Dawn started to have a go at Jess or Kally, he ran to them and towered over them, interrupting the fight and getting their attention on him... they seem quite relaxed with him, rather curious even, so he makes a great bully-distractor... bless him, he seems quite concerned when they have a go at each other... Suki is very pleased to see them settled, and was commenting, quite rightly, that they look quite different already... when we collected them they looked dazed, ruffled, smelled a bit... now they hold themselves tall and proud, move around gracefully and appear quite chilled... it is lovely indeed to see how quickly they benefit from their new life... And they're going to bed on their own, and laying in the right place.... Good girls!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Great news Ziggy gosh how Suki has grown! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 gosh how Suki has grown! Tell me about it!!! In just over a year she's gone from being a tiny little thing, to one of the tallest in her class... she's now officially taller than her big sister Jen was at the same age (and Jen is now, at 13, the same height as me!)... In a year I've had to replace her whole wardrobe as even new stuff was way too short... For comparison, here is Suki with her first ex-batts, exactly three years ago, aged 8 (that's the day you saw her, Clare, when you helped at the rescue) and here again the picture I posted earlier, of same Suki, with her new ex-batts, aged 11 Still an animal lover now... at the moment she has a cat, 6 chooks, two guinea pigs and a pygmy hedgehog, will be getting a resuce bunny hopefully on Saturday, and is talking about getting Dragon Bearded lizards for her birthday this summer... she did a kids' zookeeper day at Chessington recently and I had never seen such happiness... she said it was the best day in her life... her father has given up limiting pet numbers at our house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 an animal lover like my Rosie then. Mine is now 13 and taller/bigger than me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 I couldn't remember if Rosie was same age as Jen or one year older... both 13... I haven't been on the forum in a long time... but thought the ex batts were a good excuse to come back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 It's lovely to see you back Ziggy. we have another dog now... a red lurcher rescue from Ireland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
