[Tilda]

:twisted: I have resently taken on 4 ex-battery hens , they have a fab house with extended run, one fell off her perch and needed to see a vet, still limping but getting on ok, but really bullied by 2 others , there's another slightly weak one and she too is being got at, I've now had to keep them seperate, but always insight of the others durring the day.They all have the run of the garden, when it's safe,( too many brave cats and visiting foxes!!) but the 2 weaker ones are ambushed by the bullies, mainly one but sometimes both...we're only getting eggs from the bullies,not surprizingly and at night ( they are all together then,) the 2 weak ones now sleep 1 nest box , it's like a soap opra. what can I do to sort this mess out ?

[Bagpuss]

I have very little chicken experience but like you I had four ex-batteries about six weeks ago.  One was much smaller and featherless than the rest and she was picked on, so whenever I fed tham I gave her some separately when the others weren't looking, or they'd would rush up and push her out the way. It has gradually settled down now and the more her feathers grow back and the fatter she looks the better it seems to get, although she's still a bit of a loner.  It feels like trying to sort out the bullies in the school yard.

Hopefully yours will be OK soon.

[Tilda]

Thanks I hope it'll all calm down soon, but I think I'll have to keep them seperate untill the weaker ones have got a bit stronger. If you get any more ideas let me know . :?

[Gardening Mark]

Sorry about the delay.... I once had 7 hens and a cockerel, all were doing fine and laying well, then my brother (who was sharing the allotment at the time) saved some ex battery hens, 10 of them. When I got to my garden I thought people had been throwing their bad chickens over my fence lol. They were all different sizes and some had more feathers missing than others.I had no experience with chickens at the time, and they were all fighting too, it lasted for weeks, maybe 6 or more. The smallest were always the ones taking the brunt from everything else...  They too were loners, I just let them all get on with it but kept a close eye on the two smallest! They eventually got their feathers back and fattened up ok then it sort of stopped.. I say sort of as I have no ex battery hens now, but mine still bicker among themselves, but are doing fine!!!  I know it all seems awfull but they will all get there in the end..... Good Luck

[deneview]

i would think that battery chickens would have a difficult time readjusting to social living, i got 6 POL commercial hybrids and they took a while to establish a pecking order, then i reintroduced some young hens 1yr later and they took about a month to settle, there were some problems with feather pecking and i would not try to reintroduce new to old again, probably best to separate the weak from the strong for a while and feed them up, keep them separate but next to each other then reintroduce and let the flock decide the order,

[Tilda]

thanks for all the comments and encouragement, yes I'm continuing to seperate them durring the day, though there is always the squabbling as they start and end the day, but things seem tobe slowly sorting themselves out, the little ones perhaps are getting quicker at avoiding trouble, but the bullies are just as thug like as before, not nice, we would like to build on our flock but are hesitant to increase the hostility.how long do ex battery hens last? I've had various information (mine are 11 months old now ) would like to think they'll last a while.