[pipes]

Are there any members living in the Limousin?If so,would you know where I could obtain rescued Battery Hens to live alongside my Marrans?

[hillfooter]

Why would you want to risk the health of your existing flock?  Rescuing ex batts is not to be under taken lightly and mixing exbatts with pure breeds is to risk cross infection.  I personally wouldn't do it.

HF

[Silkysmooth]

I swear ex-bats we're the cause of all of my disease problems! stay well away

[joyfull]

there is nothing wrong with exbatts it's just that they have been vaccinated against as many illnesses as they can be and this can lead to them being carriers and infecting non vaccinated birds. I have 4 rescue girls and 50+ non vaccinated birds and so far have had no cross infections that could have come from them.

[Caralou]

Same here Joy - my two ex-barns are an absolute joy to have in the garden and they have not cross-infected any of my non vaccinated pure breeds. Sadly, I don't know of any organisations in France that could help you 

[hillfooter]

Same here Joy - my two ex-barns are an absolute joy to have in the garden and they have not cross-infected any of my non vaccinated pure breeds. Sadly, I don't know of any organisations in France that could help you  

Well I don't want to put people off rescuing ex batts which I think is an admirable act of charity but I do want them to do it with their eyes open.  Ex batts aren't a cheap or happy option if health problem ensue so only get them if your over-riding wish is giving them some life rather than an early death.

Why do I say "cross infect"?   Note not "infect" because the two groups of chickens come from different worlds and have different immune profiles.  Batts live in a highly closeted environment of a laying shed where their immune systems have been exclusively taylored by man for the close confines they live in.  They are reared on an all in, all out system and enter a sterile environment so they don't get exposed to pathegens from past flocks.  Their health is maintaned by being vaccinated against all rapidly spread diseases they are likely to encounter and they are regularly medicated against infections and their environment kept as sterile as possible.  Consequently their immune systems are suppressed and taylored by the medication they receive. Vaccines maybe de-activated or mild forms of live disease so that they may become carriers though immune themselves.  Live vaccines are sometimes prefered because they are cheaper and give more rapid immunity.  Since they won't infect their flock mates and succeeding generations under the all in/out system that's fine while ever they remain a closed community.  But introduce them to the "free" world though rescue systems and this situation is uncontrolled.  

Free range hobbyist pure breed chx are rarely vaccinated however they develop their immunity from the environment they are exposed to plus their contact with past generations.  When you bring these two worlds together with their different immune profiles there's always the risk that they will cross infect each other with infections neither has previously encounted and hence has immunity for.  Any individual which is weak or sickly is a health risk to the entire flock and will be a source of incubating infection which can spread.  This coupled with the fact ex batts immune systems may be damaged is why it is risky.  The more ex batts the greater the risk.  A couple of exbatts might not be much risk for example.

If you still want to take this risk it is best if you source commercial rescue chx which are from a free range system as they are more likely to have had some exposure to the same pathegens as your free range birds.  To a lesser degree any introductions, not just exbatts, carry a risk which is why most experts advise minimising introductions and keeping generations separated which is what I try to do.  What risk you take is up to you and what I've described is not sure to result.  Quarantining introductions for at least three weeks is a help as it should catch some latent illnesses, any stress related and some that the new environment might induce but it's not 100%.  Keeping them in their own closed community is relatively safe.

Hope that explains my comments more fully.

HF  

[Jeanette]

I have got 4 ex bats and 6 others all mixed together. I have had my ex bats for just under 2 years and we have had no health problems at all (touch wood ) when we got them they were naked and very thin. All we did was give them some good food and lots of patience. Someone came to see me the other day and did'nt believe they were the same girls they saw when we first got them. They are also very friendly. It can be done.

[hillfooter]

If you get your birds from commercial breeders chances are they've been vaccinated against the major diseases (though probably not the cocktail batts get) and I'd expect this of hybrids.  Hopefully if they are being sold into the hobbyist market they've used deactivated vaccines  Breeders do this primarily to protect their stock.  Not many pure breeds are vaccinated though from hobbyists with only a few excess birds to sell.

This isn't a topic which gets talked about a lot and rescue charities I've spoken too seem fairly ignorant about it.  They seemed to have no knowledge of past treatments the birds they distribute have had though my experience with such charities is fairly minimal being limited to just a couple.  It's worth asking about if you are going this route.

HF