ISA Brown battery hens need rescue near Vacaville

[pawprint2104]

I did a little research on these ISA Brown hens. They're very interesting. And, at their age, they should be great egg laying hens for about two more years. After that, they seem to live very short lives, typically not more that 5 years. They love people, yet are intolerant of new birds introduced to the flock. If I had a bunch of property, heck yeah, I'd take 20 of them, but I don't...only my small backyard. They lay really big brown eggs.

http://animalplace.org/help-a-hen-rescue

I hope I posted this in the right place. I checked the other spots, but they didn't seem appropriate. I looked into the Sell/buy/trade, but these aren't my birds to barter. I looked into the Other poultry/Re-homing, but it stated to "rescue ads" didn't belong there.

 

[Odelia]

Not to ask a dumb question but what does ISA stand for? Also is there and adoption fee?

 

[pawprint2104]

Here is some info from the link below. I googled it and did some internet research. I don't think there is an adoption fee, but I didn't read through the whole article from Animal Place. I think their goal is probably to get them placed into a home where they won't become Sunday dinner.
http://www.suburbanchooks.com.au/information-sheets/isa-brown-information
ISA Browns are an incredibly popular chicken choice, and that is mainly because they are the producers of the big brown eggs that you buy on supermarket shelves. Although they have an excellent reputation for egg laying, 95% will meet this reputation, 4% will be mediocre layers and 1% complete dud layers. We are referring to an animal with has natural variances, not a machine (which honestly, I think some people forget sometimes… LOL)
Please be aware that the name ISA Brown is actually a brand, much the same as Toyota or Samsung. It stands for “Institute de Selection Animale” – a French company that developed the breed in 1978 as a battery hen for optimum egg production. The official website is here. Biada Poultry have the Australian rights to market the name ‘ISA Browns’.
The ISA Brown is not recognised as a breed as it a hybrid, meaning that the girls (hens) hatch out a different colour to the boys (roosters) – ideal for the commercial egg industry. Also, if you mate the rooster to a hen you will not produce an ISA Brown chicken which is another component of producing a hybrid chicken. The Isa Brown is not a recognised in poultry shows and cannot be judged as there is apparently no breed standard for them. Word on the street has it that the genetic make up of an ISA Brown is a closely guarded secret, much like the secret recipes of some well known restaurants so this is a topic of much speculation in the chicken world.
Like everything that dominates the market, there are a other commercial hybrid chickens (such as Gingerham, Hi-sex or Lohman) which are often indistinguishable in looks and egg production. Some sellers use the term ISA Brown quite loosely but upon further questioning will say that they ‘breed their own’ – please be aware that although they may be breeding a similar looking chicken that is robust, healthy and a great producer of eggs, they are not true ISA Browns. Either way you should be able to discuss the origins of your ISA Brown chickens from the person you are buying it from.
Temperament

ISA Browns are a great starting point for people who are new to chickens as they get along with humans extremely well and will give you a fantastic number of eggs. A great choice for those with children, whether they are at home or in an educational setting. They can be quite affectionate, definitely not adverse to a pat or a cuddle, especially when they learn that you are the provider of food and treats!
They are however, quite ‘chookist’ in so far that once they are part of an established flock they can be quite brutal to newcomers. This can be overcome by ensuring that any new additions to a flock which has ISA Browns are of a similar size (if not bigger) and have plenty of room to run away until the new pecking order is established. We also recommend having more than one food and water station to decrease the chances of the newcomers being denied access to food and water by the more dominant ISA Brown.
It is possible to have bantam chickens kept with ISA Browns and something that we do ourselves. Introducing the different sized chickens is actually best done when bringing your new flock home (or very close to if you have to get them from different buyers/locations). The logic here is that the girls will be having to adjust to a new environment anyway and even if you got them from the same buyer/location they won’t have lived together as a smaller flock and will still need to settle into their pecking order anyway… so the ‘normal’ amount of bullying and squabbling will take place despite any differences in size.
Egg numbers

ISA Browns (or it’s brand name competitors) are the producers of the big, brown eggs that you will find in most egg cartons. Egg for egg, ISA Browns are a great value chicken producing over 300+ eggs for an initial investment of $25 per bird. This can only really be compared to other pure breed chickens or commercial layer strains of chickens which were used originally for egg production (i.e.. The Australorp or Leghorn). They are also bred to begin laying at around 20-22 weeks of age, much younger than the 24 weeks plus of a pure breed chicken.
One downside to the fact that they will lay abundantly for the two years of their life is the fact that the ISA Brown can look quite “moth eaten” and will often have a loss of feathers around its neck and/or bottom. This is because they will direct the protein they gain from food into egg production instead of feather production, but a boost of protein will help for feather regrowth and continue their laying.