Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Currant]

Hi all. I'm getting my first ex bats (well they are ex barn) in a few weeks to join my current 4 hybrids. Really looking forward to it! The ex bats will go into the cube and the others will be moved into the walk in run attached and use a spare eglu, is this the best way round? Thought then the oldies can still fly up to the perches and I can let them out to free range still. Just wondering if they will adjust ok to the cube ladder and the cold of outside as they have never been outside before. How long should I keep them separate?

Do I need to get the special ex bat food - someone said I could possibly dampen down the pellets as they are not used to them?

Thanks for any advice.

[gavclojak]

Firstly my ex commercial girls struggled with the ladder so we added a bit of an extension to the end of it, they will soon Get the hang if it though, having said that we still leave the extra bit in anyway. If your girls are coming from

BHWT they will recommend what food the girls have been on, I used small holders ex batt crumb then slowly moved them over to pellet.

I am sure they will be ok with the cold, I put lots of straw under the cube and covered the back so they didn't get a chill but I got mine in the summer so was worried about heat.

 

I think you have to keep them seperate for a good few weeks but within sight of each other and slowly let them spend a little time together free ranging and gradually increase the time together until they are accepting each other,

 

Good on you for getting ex cage fighters, they deserve a happy retirement....enjoy them x

Edited December 1, 2013 by Guest

[Mrs Webmuppet]

We put a ramp over the cube ladder to make it easier for them. There's a picture on here somewhere .......

[staceychristie]

we used a piece of garden border fence, it has slats, and they use it like a ladder.

Keep them separate for a few weeks till the new girls get some confidence. We et our older ladies free range, and they could se the new ladies in the run. There was some posing at the fences, and finally a bit of a squabble, bu they soon sette down. Safe guard the new girls, and make sure there are more than one feed and drink station, so no one misses out on food.

 

Stacey x

[jimnpaula]

Click on the picture to see my Chicken photobucket album where you can see my first ex batts and the ramp we made, along with other modifications. They had absolutely no idea about going to bed and had to be lifted up into the cube for several nights until they learned. My ex batts were not used to being able to move around and so their muscles were weak. (The next lot were ex free rangers and were fitter.) They also didn't know what a nestbox was and laid eggs all over the place to start with; again they learned that.

They were started off on layers mash at Tara's (My cube hadn't arrived in time so they stayed at hers for a few days) When we got them home we put them on Ex batt crumb, then onto ex batt layers pellets, then onto normal layers pellets. Buying the Smallholders ex batt one I think will give a donation to BHWT, see if you can find out beforehand if they've been on mash/crumb or pellets. Choose something you can get easily at a pet/horse/feed shop unless you like waiting for deliveries and/or planning weeks in advance: I've only just worked out how often I need to buy food.

Introductions: wait until they are fitter then come back and ask then!

 

Congratulations, well done on choosing rescue hens, and we'll need pics as soon as you can.

[Chickabee]

I've had my ex cage fighters for about 6 weeks now. They started with layers mash and moved on slowly to pellets. We've had a few frosty mornings and they don't seem to have been affected by the cold in any way. Also put apple cider vinegar in their water and a bit of spice or tonic in their food. Had to show mine how to go to bed at first, but they soon got the hang of it. They didn't take long to learn where to lay either. I'm very proud of them and I get a good feeling when I think about all these rescued hens. People are very complimentary when you tell them . Good luck

[paulad]

Hi there, we got our ex bats in the summer, like the others have all said really, we kept them seperate for probably a week and a half but they cud see the hybrids as they were all in the same wir just seperated. Freeranged together for ten mins or so most days, then all in together, few squabbles but nothing too bad.

 

Started on the crumb, which we bought onsite at the BHWT picj up, when that ran out they went straight onto pellets that we feed the other 2.

 

Like the others, we had to put them to bed at night but they soon learnt....Ours feathered up quite quickly really, i was surprised and its lovely to see...

 

Good luck and enjoy them, they have soo much more character than our hybrids, we will always have exbats now.

[Grandmashazzie]

As others have said they soon move on to pellets.They eat quite a lot for first few weeks until they get used to usual chicken behaviour.My OH and I spent ages first night trying to catch them to put to bed until I read about putting a torch in coop.We couldn't believe our eyes up the steps they went with no fuss,we did that for a few nights then they did it automatically.Good luck,enjoy.

[libby22]

It can vary from bird to bird too. I had one very fit and strong girl who was fully feathered, extremely heavy and went straight in at the top of the pecking order and one little one who was underweight, and screamed if anything went near her. She was terrified of everything, including lettuce, maggots and the other chickens She is now the most boisterous little thing, very bossy, full of beans and a joy to have. Getting ex batts was the best thing I ever did.

 

Good luck and enjoy - it is really satisfying and I can't recommend them highly enough.

[Currant]

Thank you everyone, that's so helpful. Just need to find a supplier of ex bat crumbs now in berkshire, sort out the ladder and put some more protection around the cube base for shelter. I'll let you know how it goes in 2 weeks time

[Lydia]

Millwheel Tack Shop in RG42 do them - they are based in Moss End Garden Village. They are my supplier and are really friendly and very very easy to deal with.

 

ETA - Their website seems to have disappeared but their number is 01344 486059. They have a Facebook page too if you're on Facebook.

[daisyisarobot]

My ex bats struggled with the ladder initially so I stuck a box under the ladder & they have no problem!

[daisyisarobot]

Thank you everyone, that's so helpful. Just need to find a supplier of ex bat crumbs now in berkshire, sort out the ladder and put some more protection around the cube base for shelter. I'll let you know how it goes in 2 weeks time

 

I'm in Berkshire too, just outside Reading I was going to Scatts in Newbury but it worked our cheaper to order online through Milbury. Always super fast delivery!

[KimmyCustard]

I've just collected three ex-batts from the BHWT today! They are a bit bald but have moved straight in, much to the disgust of my one remaining hybrid Bubbles. They have been separated off in the run, each with a hen house of their own, Doreen made a bid for freedom into Bubbles section, I didnt think she would be clever enough to work that out - how wrong can you be??! OH will be making fence adjustments in the morning .

 

I had to shine a torch into the batts house to get them to go to bed, they're found the water but look at the food as though its some foreign muck they've never seen before, its ex-batt crumb. We will see how hungry they are in the morning!

[Currant]

We must have been at the same place - I got my four in Crowthorne yesterday! My old four haven't taken much notice at the moment but they are separated. The old ones are not going into the spare eglu I have put in for them though, they are perching on branches at night. The new ones don't look as bad as i thought they would be, just pale and a bit bare in places. The kids have called them Cookie, Crumble, Red and Berry and instruct me on how to tell them apart! They are managing the ladder ok actually with a flower pot at the bottom. We have had three eggs from them already although one was on the floor! Looking forward to keeping an eye on them today as have the day off but the weather is very windy and rainy, yuk. I put a plastic sheet around the base of the cube (from ebay) so they have some shelter. I got some ex bat crumbs which they seem to like but will introduce the usual pellets slowly. They are not drinking much, I think the glug is a bit strange to them?

[KimmyCustard]

I got mine from Crowthorne as well! They have decided ex-batt crumb mixed with layers mash is the best thing ever and they really are eating a lot! Doreen (poss head hen) is pecking little Gert's tail feathers and the occasional peck on the head, I have purple sprayed her red skin and put Vaseline on her feathers so hopefully Doreen's beak will slide right off. They are all laying, although Doreen just pops one out wherever she happens to be standing.

 

I now need to raise my hen house (Bubbles is still in the Cube and separate) up so they have a dry place to dust bathe. They havent dust bathed at all yet, how do I show them that??!!

[Lavenders_Blue]

You won't need to show them how to dust bath (although if you do decide to do this, please provide us with photographic evidence ). Give them a few days and they will be rolling around in the dust all by themselves, I can assure you. They will also magically work out what a nest box is for. One day you will suddenly realise that you're finding eggs in the nest box instead of all over the run. They really are clever little things

[Purplemaniacs]

My ex batts got the hang of things quite quickly too. It did take them a while to decide that treats were good and not something scary

 

Well done for rescuing some ex batts, I only have one of my three now but she is a great little chook, my best layer too although she is having a little Christmas rest at the moment

 

Chrissie

 

[gavclojak]

My girls were having the best fun dust bathing in the scorched earth (it was June when we got them)

It took them all of two days to learn that and they all found their way in to the cube at roosting time within a few days.

I love my ex cage fighters for everything they have been through, although they have had it easier that those before them and the eggs are a bonus but to be honest I wouldn't care if they never laid again, having said that, it's wet and dark and they laid an egg each yesterday, bless them.

I am not one who can sit and relax but I find myself just sitting and watching the girls as they are constantly busy and so funny. I am very proud of them and my dogs who after having me to themselves for seven years are happy to share my affections and they too are very protective of their new cohorts!

[gongladosh]

Love my ex-bats - still going strong 18 months in (so really, as of next month they will have spent more time with a nice life as they will have had in a cage!)

[KimmyCustard]

You were right ladies, they worked out the dust bathing within about 3 days - phew!! I've put up a white tarp all over the sides of the run or it would be a mud pit in there, its still damp but not too bad.

 

They have finally worked out what mealworms are but they wont eat anything that is whole and hanging in a bird feeder, like corn on the cob or greens. How do I address that one??!!

[Chickabee]

It's probably the feeder they're scared of mine just get s"Ooops, word censored!"s on the floor. They soon worked out what to do

[jimnpaula]

I don't think my batts really got the hang of anything like cabbage until the new girls arrived and showed them what to do with it.

Perhaps try shredding it to resemble grass and then gradually increase the size of the offering?

Or maybe try picking bits off and hand feeding it to them until they learn that they can do it themselves?

Maybe red apples will get them pecking?

[Lavenders_Blue]

Just like everything else - they will work it out eventually! My first ex batts were very suspicious of greens for quite some time until they worked out they were edible. Subsequent rescues have worked it out much quicker, as they copy the others!

[KimmyCustard]

They worked out that they like cherry tomatoes if they can peck the squishy insides, they like corn if its shredded off the cob and apple if its stuffed in the wire separating them from my lone hen! It must have been the hanger, there was a lot of screaming and running away.

 

I have started FR them, they dont ever want to go back in the run now!