Introducing new "retired" laying hens from a mass-production egg farm

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC. Bless you for taking them in, and giving them the opportunity to be chickens.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

You have a heart of gold to rescue these dear birds giving them a second chance at life. You have been given some great advice above, enjoy this new adventure!

 

[swampfox440]

Welcome to BYC! pleased to meet you and thanks for joining us.

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. You are so wonderful for saving them. These factory farms are my new battle. You could use Save-A-Chick. I would be happy to send you some. I think they will just need some time. Perhaps after you have restored their health they could be somewhere where they can see your flock but not be with them yet. BTW, how were you able to get them?

 

[Blue Raptor]

I just brought home four "retired" hens from a high-yield egg production farm. They are Golden Comets, roughly 14-20 months in age, have tipped beaks and horrendously broken and missing feathers, and were pulled from a barn containing 10,000 other birds. These poor girls don't know how to roost and have clearly had a traumatic past. I want to make sure their introduction to my flock of 8 goes as smoothly as possible while still maintaining the safety of everyone involved. They have been quarantined in my garage for the last three days and have been given layer feed supplemented with fresh veggies/fruit/scrambled eggs/oatmeal. I am looking for any and all suggestions on proper introductions, nutrition, and rehab for these poor girls. I just want to give them the best lives possible and to erase the horrible beginning that they've had to endure.

Welcome to BYC!!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck in rehabilitating your rescues.

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. The Best of Luck with your Flock! And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska.

 

[Shadrach]

Hello Layniep3.
Welcome to BYC. I see you've been here a while but didn't make an introductory thread.
Which country do you live in and where did you get your Ex Battery hens from?
If Ex Battery hens have any advantages one would be they have probably been vaccinated against most of the common diseases. You should be able to find out exactly what they been vaccinated for from whoever you got them from.

Please feel free to drop into this thread with any questions you may have and of course pictures.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/shadrachs-ex-battery-and-rescued-chickens-thread.1502267/

 

[Layniep3]

Welcome. You are so wonderful for saving them. These factory farms are my new battle. You could use Save-A-Chick. I would be happy to send you some. I think they will just need some time. Perhaps after you have restored their health they could be somewhere where they can see your flock but not be with them yet. BTW, how were you able to get them?

They were advertised on a bird rescue’s facebook page. They gave me the contact information and I reached out to the guy who pulled them from the egg farm. He has roughly 500 left to rehome.
What is Save-A-Chick?