Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[HiEverybirdy]

Hi all! I have a flock that consists of chickens, ducks, and geese. For the longest time I have wanted to get ex battery hens. I have searched and searched online and no luck. I live in middle TN and am willing to drive a bit. We get way too many eggs as is and just give them to friends family and neighbors. I don’t want to get them for eggs, just to rescue some animals and give them a good life. If someone could direct me or connect me to someone I would appreciate it!
Thanks - Claire

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue outside Charlotte, NC, rescued 1,300, 18-month-old hens last month. I'm sure they still have many for adoption. That's not too far from middle TN (depending on how "middle" you are).

They're a respected group that does not only rescue but a ton of community outreach on behalf of animals big and little.

https://www.cwrescue.org/
https://www.facebook.com/cwrescue

 

[lightm]

Hope your back doesn't hurt too much this morning ! Maybe @TropicalChickies can give us some advice on good yoga postures. I like child pose to recover, but when my back really hurts from digging in a bad position even that is not possible.

Yes, both my partner's parents remarried.
I can't believe I didn't mention pépé Chichou before, he and his mustache are a local legend. I find him much more fun than my partner's father, especially as I only understand him when he's sober which almost never happens. When he's really too drunk (rarely happens as he's a true alcoholic) he does tend to get handsy .

Spoiler: Pépé Chichou cutting up pork

View attachment 3509394

Tax : we have been finally getting lots and lots of rain for ten days and it's very welcome. In between we get very clear morning skies. My sick roo Gaston.

View attachment 3509395

Thank you for sharing pepe Chichou's photo. Sounds like quite a guy.

 

[Iluveggers]

Hi all! I have a flock that consists of chickens, ducks, and geese. For the longest time I have wanted to get ex battery hens. I have searched and searched online and no luck. I live in middle TN and am willing to drive a bit. We get way too many eggs as is and just give them to friends family and neighbors. I don’t want to get them for eggs, just to rescue some animals and give them a good life. If someone could direct me or connect me to someone I would appreciate it!
Thanks - Claire

My aunt, in the northeast US was able to rescue some ex-batts. There was an egg producer within an hour of her (think local eggs mass-produced for small stores, you can check the labels to see where the eggs are from), and they “recycle” their hens after 18 months. She talked to the guy and he sold her 10 for $10 each. The worst part was they were debeaked. But now they get to free range on her wooded property and hopefully have a much happier life. Maybe you could have some luck that way?

 

[BDutch]

I did read somewhere they banned battery cages in the UK about 10 years ago or so? Over here we are clearly savages still. It’s just so inhumane, I hope things change in the US eventually!

You could be the one to start with ex-batts in your region. Contact a few chicken (egg) farmers and ask if you can collect a few of the hens before they go to the slaughterhouse to give them a descent life for a few more years.

 

[BDutch]

They did. Exactly how much difference it has made to the quality of life for battery hens is debatable. There is legislation in place that if one reads it one would be tempted to think chickens are having a wonderfull life. Most of the legislation isn't enforced. Of course, any improvement is better than none but the egg and chicken meat industry have got so far to go that a small improvement doesn't mean much.

In the Netherlands the supermarkets don’t sell eggs from caged hens for over a decade now. It is forbidden to keep laying hens in cages since 2021. These eggs were for export and the human feed industry.

The cheapest eggs in the supermarket are from hens that live with max 9 chickens on a square meter. Which is not much better indeed. These eggs have no or 1️

The eggs from hens with ️️ have acces to outdoor fresh air, but no more space inside the stable.

The eggs from hens with ️️ ️ are oganic and the hens have a little more space (6,7 on a square meter) , have acces to outdoor fresh air, but can not free range in an open field (HpAI restrictions)

 

[Shadrach]

I didn't know of the hellish life that commercial caged layer hens live until after I got chickens. After I discovered how much I love chicken personalities and behaviors, I wanted to do the same as you. Specifically, I wanted to adopt about 40 red sexlink "spent" battery hens, and give them a safe, content and carefree life for the rest of their days. I didnt expect them for free; would have been happy to pay for them. I searched the internet and even inquired on several BYC threads. While the practice is common in the U.K., Canada and other countries, it seems almost impossible to adopt ex-battery hens in the U.S. I found that extremely sad and frustrating. (The above issue is also why I was immediately drawn to this thread when I first saw the thread title.) The following video touched me greatly, and I feel sure it will you too. I'm not telling you to give up; in fact I greatly hope you succeed in acquiring ex-battery hens. I got a strong feeling after my research, that in the U.S. it's helpful to know someone that works in the industry. Or at least know someone who knows someone that works in the industry.

50% of the Red Sex Link population missing.

 

[BDutch]

Very true. They are such fascinating and endearing animals, but not easy. We "keep" two horses, for example, and they range free over fifteen acres. Sometimes we don't see them for days. They eat grass and leaves and bananas. They've been around for five years and I think we treated them for ticks a few times and once for a scratch on the leg. The chickens, on the other hand -- it's always something. Clean the poop up, clean the dust. Feed them every day. Make sure the water is clean, etc, etc, etc.

But I have to say (fingers crossed), the very young pullets I brought in and the chicks that hatched here -- after that tough experience with the first group -- have been a bit easier. Much healthier. They spend about eleven hours per day in their coop from 6:30 pm to 6am, sleeping or resting. They don't have a run. They come right out and go wherever they want -- which is in my face asking for food as soon as I stumble out of bed. But that's ok. They have forest and garden and grassy areas at their disposal all day. They make their own dust baths wherever they find dry soil. Of course there's the risk one might wander off (never happened yet) or drown in one of our ponds or stream (has happened once, very strange). Or swallow a huge frog whole or a bunch of fallen fruit and then I have a crop problem to solve (happens occasionally). But they live more naturally than most. And these new generations I'm looking after are certainly better off than the first group. But I still have Cleo from the first group, and she is a survivor, and a gem.

View attachment 3510311
Cleo, 4 yrs. First generation.

View attachment 3510314
Butchie, 3 yrs. 2nd generation. I think she has ovarian problems, but she's hanging in there.

View attachment 3510318
Cherie (recently deceased), 1st generation and her two cockerels, Lucio and Paco, 3rd generation. Paco is the one who drowned, unfortunately, but not before he managed to "sire" the four recently hatched chicks.

View attachment 3510319
Tina, 1.5 yrs, with the 3 of Paco's offspring, Stripe, Cafecita, and Primo.

View attachment 3510320
Patucha, 1.5 yrs (meaning "short-legged") with her hatchling Solo.

I brought in Tina and Patucha last year as five month old pullets. They haven't been sick a day, no bumblefoot, and now they have their chicks to care for. This makes my heart happy.

View attachment 3510331
Lucio, 7 mos, the surviving cockerel, now becoming a fine young rooster and bonded to Rusty, 8mos, one of the pullets I added last month to keep him company.

View attachment 3510336
Dusty, 8 mos. Arrived with Rusty. She also mates with Lucio, but she's far too busy to follow him around all day. Doing what, I don't know.

View attachment 3510340
Stripe, 20 days, who just might be a rooster. And if he is, I will call him Paco Segundo, for his dad who lived fast and died young and beautiful.

And... That's my tribe. and this is where I'm lucky enough to let them call home View attachment 3510346

Beautiful!

 

[TropicalChickies]

Beautiful!

Thank you. Some days, most days actually, I feel like I work for them. And there is one more -- a beautiful young naked neck named Frida who arrived last week. She has been a little skittish because Lucio is very interested in Frida and his "wife" Rusty is being a total possessive shrew and chasing Frida off. But now Cleo accepted Frida into the coop and Cleo's word is law. It may also help that Frida is a naked neck like Cleo with similar coloring. I'm in the city today but will post some pictures of Frida when I return to the farm tomorrow.

Perhaps it's just luck, or patience, or the right senior hen, or other circumstances like having ample space, but I haven't really had big problems letting new chicks and new pullets mix in the existing group. And some hens have died as well, creating fluxes in the order and space for newcomers to work their way in and up.

I've managed letting newbies mix in four times over the past year and they all share the same coop, the same shade and bath areas, and eat together. The newbies are outskirters for a bit of time, but not for long, a few weeks at the most. I imagine if there is a rooster (or roosters) among the new hatches, eventually there will be a split into another tribe (and I'll have another coop and roosts ready for the possibility), but so far everyone has integrated with a minimum of drama. A few spats, some pecks, but no real injuries.

There's several threads I've read on BYC where people voice strong feelings against what I've let happen. That newcomers "must" be separated or there will be blood! I'm glad I didn't read those before I let the newcomers and chicks mix in or maybe I wouldn't have let the chips fall where they may. I don't flatter myself that I'm responsible for the harmony. I think Cleo, the senior, and their ability to free roam are the big contributions. But something about watching chickens calms me and makes me feel grounded where I stand. And perhaps, just perhaps, some of that feeling goes back to them. My partner Juan is a stoic and quiet fellow and I think his energy helps as well.

Sorry for the low quality pic, it's a screenshot of the video Juan just sent me of Frida (walking on the wall) integrating into the coop situation on her own in the evening. Cleo is in a nest down on the left (not shown in the pic), but Juan told me that her colossal indifference to Frida walking around basically told everyone else to leave her be.

Of course, IF there ever is a fight that gets really ugly, I'll intervene to save life and limb if necessary. It will be very interesting to see what unfolds if and when there are more roosters. Before Paco's demise, I read Shadrach's "Understanding your Rooster" article and was looking forward to helping along a dual-tribe set up. But odds are I'll still have that chance. I'll say this: I have no plans to cull, but I will continue to limit sitting and hatching to a few eggs at a time and be fair minded about giving hens opportunities to hatch chicks when they become broody if they show good sense about it.

For example, Dusty the frizzle (only 8 mos old) wanted to brood over her very first clutch! She came into lay two weeks ago, laid her first ten eggs, and wanted to sit on them! But she was still laying three days into her sit (I took the eggs) and that tells me she isn't ready to be a good mother and left to her own would have had a badly staggered hatch. I put her on an elevated wooden floor covered with a big basket and she broke brooding in less than two days.

Anywhoo... I clearly am not accustomed to having unlimited internet access and am just tapping away over here. And I have a mission here to accomplish in the city. Have a beautiful day everyone and thank you to @Shadrach for providing this wonderful thread for all you good humans to share about life with chickens.

Rambling tax. Lucio, posing for Rooster GQ.

 

[no fly zone]

@Clairemarie1982 try looking up adoptabirdnetwork on instagram

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

This post above is a group of ex batt hens somewhere in TN.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

50% of the Red Sex Link population missing.

I've ordered ISA Browns direct from a hatchery 3 times, and each time I bought 15 pullets and 4 cockerels. The person taking my order was obviously surprised I wanted males too. The roosters keep on living long after the hens have succumbed to reproductive problems. The ISA Brown roosters I've had have very nice, non-aggressive temperaments.