Help!!!!

[MandieandDarren]

Hiya, We are picking up 3 ex bat hens on saturday and are pretty well prepared but still have a few questions and was hoping that you guys can help.

The hens will be in a reasonably large and grassy free range area of the garden and we need to know how to use grit and oystershell and if its necessary on new land for them. We will be starting them off on Battery Crumb as their feed and just need to know what else to give them and how?? In with their feed?? or in a separate feeder or on the ground??? Can anyone help with some advice????

Would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Mandie and Darren x

 

[elmo]

I offer grit and oystershell free choice in separate dishes. That way I can see how much is being consumed and add more as needed.

I'm not familiar with "battery crumb" as a feed. Sometimes ex-battery hens are not in the best of shape, so you might want to be sure you're giving them a good, high quality feed. They will probably also enjoy dark leafy greens like kale and swiss chard in addition to grazing on grass, but it might take them a while to recognize foods that they're not used to.

For protein supplementation (good if feathers are not in the best condition), you can offer hardboiled eggs, cooled, peeled, then mashed.

 

[Want Less]

We have done things two different ways with equal success...

We leave containers of grit & oyster shell out free choice in the pen for our flock and they take it as they need it. We have large 3-gallon hanging bucket style feeders and when we fill them, we also mix in a cup or two of grit right into the feed. Again, they'll eat it if they think they need it. Hope this helps.

 

[Bi0s]

 

[MandieandDarren]

Thank you, that is really useful. Great tip about the hard boiled eggs, haven't seen that anywhere else and will try them with that as a supplement, they won't be in great shape bless them and will need all the protein they can get initially.

Welcome any advice from those "in the know". And thank you for the welcome!! Think this will be really useful site to us novices!!

Mandie and Darren.

 

[dragonlair]

I took in 6 hens last year who were "retired" commercial hens. The were small and sad looking. I gave them flock grower,(a 22% protein crumble), hard boiled eggs mixed with kelp meal and BOSS. At that point I didn't care if they produced eggs or not, I just wanted them to be healthy. I lost 2, but still have 4 now, a year later. They are nice big, fat and shiny girls who seem to appreciate their new life. They have started laying and present me with an egg every morning.