Ex-Battery Hen
Breed Rating (88 Reviews)
| Appearance | |
| Friendliness | |
| Hardiness | |
| Egg | |
| Garden |
History
The ex-bat was hatched around the time of World War 2 when nutritious food needed to be cheap and plentiful to feed at nation at war. The use of battery cages increased slowly until by the 1990's about 75% of all the chickens in the world were kept in cages. Millions of hens are still housed in cramped cages and from that day to this the battery hen has been largely out of sight and out of mind.
Behaviour
If you don’t need fancy feathers and prefer something a little rough and ready, the ex-bat’s your girl! What she lacks in the looks department, she will more than make up for with both an endearing nature and, usually, good egg production. All ex-bats come with great charm and a big personality.
Varieties
All are commercial hybrids and basically range from Brown Tatty Threadbare through to Brown Beauty with the occasional Snow White Amberlink! All will blossom much as the Ugly Duckling did with a bit of TLC.
Status
Common
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Ex-Battery Hen For Sale
Please note: All chickens listed here are for collection only. They cannot be delivered by the seller or by Omlet. The seller will send you their contact details to arrange payment and collection.
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Great girls - Anne,
When you get them they in poor shape but with TLC they become Beautiful Ladies-- Eggs really tasty and thick-- However , they will weed and root in your garden VERY well so make sure you have a run if you want to preserve your lawn and flower beds . Mine great with cats and dogs . Cheeky , brave survivors who roost under my kitchen table if they get in . Health good when recover from horrible battery conditions -- Would not be without my 6 Ladies .
REALLY GOOD BIRD TO HAVE - Daniel,
THEY WOULD BE A GOOD BIRD TO HAVE WHEN YOU ARE FIRST STARTING OFF WITH HENS.
A sad day - Sheelagh,
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
Sweet ladies :) - Samantha,
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 Love'em!! - Frances,
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!