Mrs

[beach chick]

anyone else going? I'm getting 3 girls and will be there for the first pick-ups from 1.30 (surname at beginning of alphabet). I'll be accompanied by 2 red-headed teenagers, so if you are an omleteer come and say hello!!

 

just wondering whether I need to have anything else in for them? I've got:

- run and nesting box

- various drinkers and feeders to dot around to avoid competition

- will get ex-batt crumb on the day

 

should I give them a dusting with diatom when I bring them home? maybe leave worming til they've acclimatised?

never had ex-batts before!!

Edited June 19, 2011 by Guest

[dancing cloud]

Well done you for choosing to give them a home! They really do become lovely, lively, cheeky chooks in no time! Picked up three more ex-batts myself a couple of weekends ago and they're settling in a treat. Now they've discovered the garden, there's no stopping them

 

They shouldn't be bringing in any nasties, so won't need to be dusted, and may be very skittish around humans initially - perhaps a good sprinkle on their bedding instead? May be less traumatic all round than trying to grab them and dust them. I've usually waited till I'm sure they've got used to the food and are eating well before worming - the current lot are already eating me out of house and home, so it won't be too long for them! I usually add poutry spice to their food till they look better and rescue remedy to their water for a few days until they're settled and taking an interest in the outside world.

 

What you will need is hen-watching gear, as you won't be able to stay away, and no other appointments for the near future . Comfy perch for you, large glass/mug of whatever takes your fancy and lots of sun/rain protection. Oh, and don't forget the camera for those vital "before" photos so you can rejoice in the "after" shots in a few weeks time . Just being with them and talking to them works wonders for overcoming their initial fear and confusion. Only Angel of my new girls will let me stroke her, though I have managed to touch the other two, but they already associate me with nice treats and come out to see what I've got for them when they hear my voice.

 

Let us know how you get on (with pics of course). It's always good to see ex-batts going to great homes where they'll be loved and cared for, and thoroughly spoiled

[beach chick]

ok good tip about not needing to dust. and I have Poultry Spice.

 

I've seen the pix of yours, really wondering what mine will be like...

[dancing cloud]

Bear in mind that I took three of the very worst and there were plenty that had feathers, as you can see from the group photos.

 

Having said that, two weeks out tomorrow and Alice now draws her wing up, Amber's pecked back has fully healed and she and Angel already have lots of quills where new feathers are coming through and they're eating me out of house and home . They never fail to impress.

 

Just think, your little girls are spending their very last night in a cage tonight and their world will totally change tomorrow . Looking forward to hearing how you get on.

[beach chick]

I am a kind of mix of nerves and excitement! run is in place; feeders/waterers in place; have tarped and shaded one half of the run (lengthwise); have made a temporary nest box; just waiting to pick up tomorrow now. have filled in tax form and put directions into satnav.

 

the nestbox is a plastic box covered in binliners for darkness, with a ground level entry port - no roosting bars in there but not sure they will be able to manage them anyway?

 

just hoping weather is neither too wet nor too hot over the next few days while they are settling... and will try and post pix tomorrow night!

[scarlettohara]

Don't worry about roosting bars, they don't roost and they are not good for their little weak legs Can't wait to see the pics

[beach chick]

well, what a day! ended up with 4 rather than 3 (weird, that... ). those BHWT people are fantastic, it was the most awful weather and they were so nice and kind.

the first one we got is in fantastic shape - apart from pale comb, she is fully feathered. she was selected by a teenage boy; and I had to say to the lady there that I would happily take bald girls - she was so pleased and said "oh so many people complain when they are bald" well, durrr!

 

anyway, pix in no particular order:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

luckily for all concerned, battery died at this point! sorry there are so many, hope this works...

[beach chick]

oops, forgot to say:

I put shredded paper in the nest box but have removed and replaced with easibed as one girl in particular seemed convinced she had to eat it...

there is some nice 'proper' chicken behaviour going on - wing-stretching, scratching at the ground. mrs fully feathered at least has found the food.

also a bit of suddenly discovering "oh yes I have a tail and I can peck it!" "oh wow, you've got a tail and we can peck it too!" hmmm, shall watch that one.

 

not to mention seeing the sky, feeling the wind and the drizzle, and hearing one of the quail boys crow for the first time!

 

the current girls, of course, are circling the run wondering if the newbies have got anything better to eat than the rubbishy old layers pellets they get day in day out

[Seagazer]

Oh bless their little hearts, its always sad seeing them like that but at least they usually feather up quickly.

[snowberry]

They're gorgeous! & going to look even more stunning after a bit of R&R. I look forward to seeing the 'after' pictures!

[beach chick]

there's nothing wrong with their appetites, am going to have to rethink a few things!

 

I have 3 coop cups round the edge - 2 out of 3 emptied between 3.30 and 7pm but a lot of it is on the ground. going to have to hang the drinker up as they have kicked it full of dirt already.

 

they've just had their first mealworms, which went down well despite beaks from outside their run trying to wiggle in... also a couple of handfuls of grit on the ground, which is veeeerrrry interesting.

 

in a few days I will extend their 2m x 1m temporary run with some weldmesh so they have more space but still protection from the old girls.

 

what do I do at bedtime?? put them in the nesting box if they havent discovered it themselves?

 

I love that they have discovered life so quickly - just 3 short hours at home, but some things make me really sad - like when they go for a good shake and almost fall over because they are weak; their claws are really long because they haven't had the chance to scratch; and when they do scratch they are so tentative, as if they cant believe they can do it.

[Egluntyne]

Smashing. Congratulations.

[Pearls007]

They are fabulous - I will definately have ex-batts at some time in the future.........we are very close to Biggin Hill.....

[suzannejoy]

fab photos . Well done for homing them . Got my four exbats in april and they are so sweet .

[beach chick]

They are fabulous - I will definately have ex-batts at some time in the future.........we are very close to Biggin Hill.....

 

we're about an hour and a bit away - and I'd never have found it without satnav. A place called Foal Farm, in Cudham. would never have got home without satnav either - although it did take us on to the M26 via an "authorised personnel only" route which was quite exciting!!

 

one girl has found the nesting box now so am hoping the others will too...

[Pearls007]

They are fabulous - I will definately have ex-batts at some time in the future.........we are very close to Biggin Hill.....

 

we're about an hour and a bit away - and I'd never have found it without satnav. A place called Foal Farm, in Cudham. would never have got home without satnav either - although it did take us on to the M26 via an "authorised personnel only" route which was quite exciting!!

 

one girl has found the nesting box now so am hoping the others will too...

OMG! When I was at primary school (in the late 60's!) we used to fund raise for Foal Farm and we went there on a couple of visits............goodness me - I expect it has changed a bit in the intervening years!

[beach chick]

OMG! When I was at primary school (in the late 60's!) we used to fund raise for Foal Farm and we went there on a couple of visits............goodness me - I expect it has changed a bit in the intervening years!

 

it was a whole area of Kent I never knew existed. very very pretty, very rural despite proximity to Bromley, London etc - and I would say very affluent, judging by the large amount of BMWs driving the lanes, and the amount of horses in the fields and posh houses! (err, rather less affluent part of Kent where I am!)

 

Foal Farm itself - shabby, but I would say their heart is in the right place. dogs, cats, small animals waiting for new homes, but also lots of animals living there too.

[Seagazer]

I wondered if it was Foal Farm. As a child my parents got a dog from there. We go back every few years just to spend a bit of money (they really need it), they used to have a summer fete. My aunt and uncle lived around the corner from there. It is really tucked out of the way and if you didn't know it was there you wouldn't find it.

[dancing cloud]

What lovely lucky girls! So glad it was a good experience and you're enjoying your new little ones .

 

Did they all find bed on their own or did you have to give them a helping hand? Watching them learn how to be "proper" chickens is always great and they do learn very quickly, especially if they have some big girls to teach them mischief

 

My ex-batts have always thrown the food on the floor initially and then spent hours eating it from there - they do get better table manners eventually. Alice, Amber and Angel are now eating like horses and are a good deal plumper than two weeks ago. Amber particularly has lots of new quills coming all down her bare back, whereas Angel looks like she's going to be a naked lady for a while longer yet.

 

Their favourite thing at the moment (apart from food!) is sleeping all wedged in the doorway with the door left open. I think they love the freedom - or maybe they stargaze? - but also want the warmth and security of other girls. Whatever the logic, it looks very sweet!

 

Have you decided on names yet? It always seem a real rite of passage when they get their names and individual identities, though I have to say that I don't think my little Angel is actually going to be one

[scarlettohara]

They are lovely, they will stuff their faces for the first few days but don't worry they will slow down I rubbed arnica gel on their legs at first as really helps with bruising. I found my girls loved trashing the run

[Lavenders_Blue]

Awww, what lucky girls to have a new, happy, free range home. I'm sure they are settling down and learning to be 'real' chickens very quickly.

You asked about whether or not to dust your girls when you got them home. It might be worth giving your girls a quick once over for creepy crawlies - my girls were infested with lice when I rescued them

A quick spray with Johnsons Anti Mite spray soon sorted the problem out.

[jennym]

Oh, they are just too cute. I always think ex-batts with no neck feathers look a bit startled - not sure if it's because they actually are (it's a big change, I suppose!) or if their heads & eyes just look bigger because their necks look so tiny

 

Good luck with them!

[beach chick]

well they've got me wrapped round their little chickeny claws already!

 

they've got the pacing down to a fine art, so I have spent a happy half an hour constructing an extension to their run with chicken wire. clearly that's not enough, because they are now pacing the edges of in a Steve McQueen Great Escape-ish kind of way. not quite sure how long it will keep them in as the wire was smaller than I imagined - plenty long enough, but only about 2ft high. one girl is practising her jumping skills already, but am working on the principal that if they can get out they can get back in again and it gives me a good excuse to keep popping out while I am 'working'

 

they spent the night in their nesting box, but this morning have kicked all the easibed everywhere as they are bathing in it. need to sort a dustbath, but all my sand is soaking wet... might try some wood shavings with some diatom in the meantime.

 

they are the messiest eaters I have ever seen, ex-batt crumb everywhere, so they will just have to eat it up from where they've chucked it.

 

they seem to have no fear of me, and are VERY curious about everything! no names yet, although youngest has come up with some ideas. one might be Cheryl (as in Cole) because her bare neck but lots of head feathers makes her look like Cheryl in that big hair pic from the USA

[beach chick]

they have all laid today - cant bring myself to eat their ex-batt eggs tho, so the dog had 2, and we did an experiment with the other 2, cracking them against one of ours.

 

the ex-batt eggs have very watery whites, paler yolks (not that pale though), but the yolks are much flatter than a 'proper' egg.

 

the 'proper' egg had a lovely white, with a more solid middle, and the yolk was deeper yellow and much plumper - all round, a more attractive egg

 

meanwhile they have had a happy day exploring their new environment, and now it is raining and they have had the sense to retreat under cover

[dancing cloud]

well they've got me wrapped round their little chickeny claws already! :lol:quote]

 

Yep! It takes them no time at all - emotional blackmail skills come as standard! Mine already recognise the corn container and whinge when the big girls hog it all, so that they get some more .

 

Re the pacing, Amber did a very good impression of a Jurassic Park velociraptor on her first full day - constantly pecking at different areas of the run mesh to see if she could find a way out . Now they get the garden to play in all day, it's not an issue, though they're probably still testing the fences to see if they can get into someone else's garden to play all day.

 

Battery eggs are very different aren't they - total yuk . Mine still get used and I draw smiley faces of freedom on the newbies eggs so that everyone knows why they're not up to standard. Two weeks and two days on and the eggs are almost indistinguishable now - amazing what just a few days of good food and fresh air can do. The newbies egg shells are very pale this time, which makes them easy to spot. When the big girls bother themselves with such things, their egg shells are mid-brown and speckeldy whereas the new girls' are almost white, though that too may change in time.

 

Very that your girlies aren't scared of you. Angel will let me touch her, but doesn't welcome it, Amber and Alice squeal and run away if I so much as put hand towards them. The only time I get to touch even a little is when they're very sleepy, and even then they complain about it. I will persist!

 

Glad to hear your girls are settling so well and you're having such a good time with them