[oddpaws]

Hello all, I know a lot of you have rehomed ex batts and I have been thinking about it for some time now, just wanted to get some feed back from all you guys out there.
We currently have 9 hens, one cockerel,and 4 chicks, loads and loads of room, lucky devils have more room than most people's gardens! Plenty of housing etc etc.

Our cockerel is a fiesty devil but only really with humans, he looks after his girlies very well.

We have taken in 4 hens that needed a home recently who all settled in brilliantly. ( not ex batts, just birds who were not wanted)

Any advice from all you experts out there as to this and the best place to get them or any rescue birds that are not ex batt?

[Rubellite]

I took on 4 ex-batts in May. The oven readies we called them as they were in such a pitiful state. One has feathered up so well (she wasn't as bad as the rest) she is now up the field with the other girlies. The remaining three are living the life of Riley in the back garden. They are gradually getting their feathers and potter around like real hens. They actually produce more eggs than my hybrid girlies but apart from the lack of feathers are as fit, healthy and happy. Many people have health problems with their ex-batts but it is so nice to be able to give them a chance at a normal life for as long as they have.
I was absolutely amazed at the state they were in when I got them and for that to be considered normal and acceptable, I found truly disgusting.
As I was told, "Go for it,you won't regret it", and you won't!!

[kitkat]

I just think you would have to keep them away from your cockerel for a while.

[iwantanallotment]

Many people have health problems with their ex-batts but it is so nice to be able to give them a chance at a normal life for as long as they have.

What kind of health probs Rubellite, apart from the obvious baldness etc?

I would also like to take in some ex-batts in the near future, but know very little about them and would like to be prepared and know how to deal with any eventualities.

Can you recommend a good website?

I can think of nothing nicer than restoring a pathetic creature to its proper glory and showing it happiness, and watching it daily along this path 

[dizzylizzie]

hi, ive had exbats for nearly 2 weeks now and O.M.G its been fab!...ok they came de-beaked, with really long nails. they were a bit short in the feather department, but not as bad as some. they were very thin...like really really thin. they havent been handled, so are very scared, their combs and wattles are very pale, so are their faces..mine have settled in a treat tho. we have lived in the run tho, so they have got used to us very quickly, their instincts return within a day and they soon love to dust bathe, scrat for wrigglies, they love the grass, the sun, and now the rain. they like to sit on your knee, and be fussed, they are already getting excited when we call them...its just fab to see them coming on. we noticed tonight how much redder the combs and wattles are , they just look so much better, it sooo worth getting them- honastly, go for it. We have one at the mo with a bad leg and broken wing....would have thought she would have given up as she has had a rough few weeks, but no, she full of it, and tonight trying her best to hop/limp around the garden...go for it, give some girlies a second chance

[iwantanallotment]

In under 2 weeks you've seen all that progress???  :blink:
Wow that's incredible dizzie, well done to you and what lucky girls, they sound lovely.

Funny, I've read tales of ex-batts and their amazing characters, and you wouldn't think they'd have any would you, all that confinement? But I s'pose when they finally are free and able to be hens, not machines, it all comes bursting out.

Fab. Lovely story, dizzie   

[Jeanette]

  I have had ex bats for nearly 2 years and they are fantastic. With a bit of love and care they soon develop into beautiful birds. At the moment i have 6 girls and get 3 eggs a day which to me is a bonus as i didnt get them for eggs just to give them a better life. When they first come out of the coup and feel grass beneth there feet for the first time nothing can replace that feeling.

[oddpaws]

can any of you recomend a good place to get them and are they likely to suffer lots of health problems. I obviuosly dont want to pass on any illness etc to my other birds, and will they need any really specific care, apart from nedding some loving and TLC?

[hillfooter]

Ex Batt health problems - First let me say that rehabilitating ex batts is a laudable thing to do so don't let stories of problems necessarily put you off.  However you should be aware that you may get more health problems with them than chx raised for free range.  Their health may not be as robust as free rangers not only in the initial rehab period but throughout their lives.  Batts live an intensive existance, under stress to lay abundantly.  Without the super sanitised conditions they live in their bodies couldn't cope.  The air they breathe is filtered, exposure to disease is eliminated as far as possible, they are vaccinated against all common diseases, their food is medicated.  Their immune systems will not be tuned to providing them with the immunity a free ranger will have.  Their suppressed immune system is going to have to get readjusted very suddenly and in extreme cases the immune system maybe permanently damaged.  Free rangers from chicks, build up their immunity thus at any one time their systems may only have to cope with producing antibodies for a relative few diseases.  Ex batts going free range as adults are chucked in at the deep end.  They may cope perfectly well over the initial rehab period but they may remain more susceptible to disease and can be the ones to go down first. 
I don't have batts but my neighbour did for a while and then last year an unidentified enteritis disease took out all the ex batts (who weren’t the oldest) and previously in apparent good health, but left her free rangers untouched.   Personally I wouldn’t mix free range and batts but I’m sure many do.  Ex batts will need time to become physically conditioned as well as the usual feather issues their muscles and bones need to be strengthened to a more active outside life.
Getting ex batts is satisfying to see them adjust and many people I’m sure have few problems but be aware of the potential problems and don’t expect a completely smooth ride, don’t get them as cheap stock as the extra care, supplements and potential vet fees can quickly wipe out the initial cost benefits.
Good luck with your batts.
Regards.

[Rubellite]

Hillfooter has jsut about said it all re the health issues.
I kept mine separate from my hybrids but will integrate them soon. The pen in the back garden has become worn now, so I'd like to get them out in the field, they don't seem to have any health issues (only obsessive toe pecking disorder - mine  )
It is a good idea to isolate any new arrivals 
I got mine from Little Hen Rescue, near Norwich
www.littlehenrescue.co.uk
Think they may even have a drop off point in Lincs.

[oddpaws]

Well we have decided after some friends of ours picked up a couple of rescue birds this weekend. They actually put them straight in with their existing birds and are all doing well, although ours will be seperated for a bit as we have 9 existing girls and a cockerel.

We have ordered 12 lucky ladies and are just waiting for the call to collect them. We have so much space that it seems wicked to not rehome these birds. Will let you all know when they arrive and will even have a go at posting some pics!
Wont be long now and I will be picking your brains with lots more questions

[AmandaH]

Hey oddpaws, I got my ex-batts from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust and they've got some useful info on their site:

http://www.bhwt.org.uk/caring-for-battery-hens.php

I've had no real health problems with them yet but they all arrived hopping around on one leg (we volunteered to take the "limpers" that nobody else wanted) - apparently the battery farm staff tend to carry them by their feet so they get bruised legs.  All but one now seems fully recovered and is legging it around the garden.