Ex-Battery Hen

THEY WOULD BE A GOOD BIRD TO HAVE WHEN YOU ARE FIRST STARTING OFF WITH HENS.

Last may we decided to get some ex-bats from the bhft. we have loved having them from the begining and seeing thier feathers grow back and each one develop its own personality. we were warned they could live a while or not very long so to just be happy we could give them a nice retirement. sadly Betty died in her coup yesterday after eight months. she had always been the sickly one who we had to take to the vet every couple of months but she always pulled through until this last time. I miss her already and so do the other girls in the coup. I hope she found some happyness with us and is resting peacefully in chicken heaven. we will always remember you our little betty. xxxx

We have had several rescue ladies over the past two years. They arrive in a frightful state, confused by sudden open spaces. The first thing I had to do was trim their horribly neglected, overgrown talons. Their feathers grow back from almost naked to big, soft and fluffy in the space of 9 months. And such characters! Each girl has a different personality and we've loved choosing names for them (often on a theme): Perry Combover; Esme; Bernard (think Blackadder!); Nancy Spungen; Varicella (Latin for Chickenpox); Salmonella; Listeria and Tinea. They love standing at the patio doors and giving me their best unnerving 'Zombie Stare'! How did I ever live without them?!

We have had ex-batts for about 4 years now, only 4 to begin with in a converted shed in a run in the garden. It was wonderful to see them bloom! They came in their undies and have now grown into the most wonderful ladies. They are inquisitive, friendly and we love them to bits. They lay eggs quite regularly but they do like to dig themselves scrapes in which to sun/dust bathe so my flower beds have taken a bit of a beating. They share biscuits and cake with us when we have a cuppa in the garden and if any digging is being done they are there to grab the worms. Perfect starter birds, excellent for children!

They look manky when they arrive but you get such pleasure out of watching them when they exhibit their natural behaviour. Its almost like their body takes over telling them to scratch, and take dust baths etc. Over time they start to look beautiful again. We get 3-4 eggs per day from our 4 hens, and they are so friendly. Highly recommended.