FREE battery hens, pick-up only

[CorralitosSunflower]

Way to far away, wish I could take some!

 

[swdunn0926]

I have to tell you this! When I was 16 my class took a tour of a commercial egg farm and we saw how those birds were kept and it made a huge dent in my heart and I refused to eat eggs after that trip! My mother and father were so upset of my telling them the situation those birds I saw were in they said they would not eat another egg from the grocery store unless the carton said that they were free range natural eggs or they would just buy eggs from the lady down the road we lived on! After about a month after my school trip my father came to me while I was brushing my horses tail out and said, "you know I was thinking maybe we should build a coop and see if we can save some of those birds from the local commercial egg plant"!!! I was so excited because it weighed on my mind so long and was a dinner time conversation since the trip! Dad and I built a LARGE 12 ft by 18 ft coop and made nesting boxes and a 24 ft by 18 ft run! We then bought the food and waters! Then he and I went the next weekend to the chicken farm and spoke to the owner and he said that the following Tuesday was ship out day (he informed us that is what they called the day they sent the overly layed hens out to be slaughtered mind you he told us they were only about 7 months old at this time) he also informed us that they were no good for anything but for food! Dad and I talked it out and decided that if he was willing we would either buy or if he allowed us to catch the escaped ones we would love to have them! He agreed and said we could have free all the ones that got loose! Well Tuesday morning came and dad and I were there at 4 a.m. and meet him (owner) and his son and we watched as they started loading the hens, this was heartbreaking to me how they just grabbed 6 or 7 hens at a time by the feet (or foot) and threw them into these huge stacking metal crates and loaded them into the back of the flatbed semi! Well low and behold as the hens that were lucky enough got loose they were confused and it was still dark out except for the lights in the hen house. Well we left with 13 featherless, debeaked, wing cropped sad looking Rhode Island Reds! We took them home and watered them and feed them and got them all settled in their new coop! I put a huge bale of hay in the coop and lined the nest boxes with hay (it took them a long while to realize this is where they laid there eggs) and gave them all types of treats! My vet came the following Saturday for my 3 month check up on my horses and I had him look at the hens and he gave them all a shot of antibiotics and told me what to get them to cause feather growth and to help them gain weight! Well let me say after telling you all that, that those hens lived for about 8 years after our rescuing them and laid lots of eggs and were the friendlest ladies ever! I am now 40 yrs old and my family still talk about them and how much after they realized we were no threat to them how much they loved us- when it rained I would go and sit on a bucket in the coop with them and feed them treats and talk to them I used to call them my red brat pack!!!! They followed us everywhere when we let them out! So battery hens are good for me!

 

[catwalk]

I gave a couple of them the show bird bath treatment last night. They were confused at first, but I think they liked it! I put them in an outdoor pen so I could remember who had a bath and who hadn't yet, and except for the lack of sunshine, I hope it does them some good. No eggs yet, but I wouldn't expect any yet from birds I purchased and had shipped. They aren't freaking out as much when I come by, which is good news for the week-old Seramas in the brooder underneath!

 

[angelique_redhead]

Good on you! I hope you find wonderful homes for them.

: Angelique

 

[Preservation Acres]

I rescued a white leghorn a few months ago that was in the same shape. She was in terrible shape, and very unhealthy.

Now, she's free ranging with my other girls, and totally integrated. She's not very skittish anymore, and comes right up to me and eats out of my hand.

She also gives me a huge white egg every day. She's become one of my favorite hens.

Wish I was closer. I'd gladly take one or two.

 

[ma2babygurl13]

not sure exactly where you are located, but I am going to talk to DH and see if he will let me put em in my pen all that is in there is one old buff orp hen and a pair of silkies....

 

[catwalk]

Fairborn is just an hour south of me! I was offered a home to these girls, but there should be more. I only looked for birds in one of the coops. I don't have room to store a whole lot of them, and I didn't have the courage to look for chickens that I couldn't take. I'll go out after work today and seek out the refugees in the other coop. They were power washing in the buildings the other day, so there should be puddles for them to drink out of.

Here's my welcomming committee! My Seramas have access to this pen through a window, and Bananas came over to lay her egg and hang out!

 

[High Roost Ranch]

Good for you Liz! I did the same thing when I was trucking many years ago when I went into a poultry slaughter plant, and that was what actually got me back into poultry after being out of it for a few years. The little hen I caught was being chased down by rogue dogs. I guess they fall from the trucks during unloading, and are left to their own. Her poor legs were so twisted and she'd not known how to move really so she'd only run a few steps and then fall. I think that saved her because the dog that came out of no where to snatch her as I was running towards her shot past her and I got to her first. The others weren't so lucky. I went into the plant to tell them what was going on and they looked at me like I was nuts! Save a chicken? So I put her in a box that was discarded at the plant, stopped at the local feed store on the way out of town and she rode in the semi with me for almost a week before I made it home. She learned to be one of God's loved creatures after that, and could walk normally after a couple of weeks. I had to go back on the road so my dad took her for me. But that started my love affair with chickens again. So thank you for saving them!

 

[CoopCrazy]

I wish i could help but you are almost three hours from me and I wont have that kind of time off to drive over.. Bless you for saving them though...

 

[Msbear]

What awesome stories, Highroostranch and Swdunn