Should I get rescue chickens from a battery farm or free range farm???

[JohnPeel]

We haven't got our chickens yet, as I am still working on my coop https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/spare-wood-and-spare-space-i-think-i-will-build-a-coop

We called in to a free-range chicken farm that produces eggs from the chickens that are let out during the day on a 20 acre farm. There are thousands and thousands of chickens at this farm, and they seem really active, running around the farm. Although most have no feathers around their bums. The other option is battery chickens that mostly have no feathers anywhere.

Battery Chicken

OK OK, this above picture is a little extreme, but this one below isnt, and the poor thing is still alive!



Free Range Chicken


What would you do?

 

[gardendufus]

Personally, with my limited experience, I would stay away from both those sources.

 

[ramirezframing]

never had any of these choices. But they are letting go of their end of first laying season hens I guess. If healthy I see no problem in any of them, just wouldn't pay top dollar.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I wouldn't prefer either of those sources, but if they were the only choices I would go with the free range hens. My reasoning is that you can get maybe 2 more years of eggs out of the non-hybrid birds (which you are probably not going to find in a battery house) .
If you go for the hybrid battery layers, you are only going to get about another years worth of eggs out of them and then they'll be done laying. I wouldn't like having to get a new flock of hens every year. Also, there's not a lot of meat on the super layers either when it comes time to butcher them.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Just because I am a softy, I would get the battery birds, give them a year or so of good living, then butcher when they stop laying and go back for more. Cycle of life with a bit of mercy. Best I can come up with. :/

 

[cluckcluckluke]

never had any of these choices. But they are letting go of their end of first laying season hens I guess. If healthy I see no problem in any of them, just wouldn't pay top dollar.

TOP DOLLAR!! i wouldnt even pay a cent for those, but id rather go for the free rangers, although the battery hens do look hilarious and you can get ones in better condition.

 

[ramirezframing]

most hens if not all keep laying past a year or 2. I had a hen live to 11 years old she quite laying at 10. Now I didn't get but maybe 5 eggs that 10 th year but was happy to have the bird. Same with a silkie hen that went at 14. As the bird ages you get less eggs, but they still lay.

 

[MamaMarcy]

I would rescue the battery hens and give them a good life. But butchering and only using them for egg value is not my thing...I just like the birds themselves.

 

[KnobbyOaks]

most hens if not all keep laying past a year or 2. I had a hen live to 11 years old she quite laying at 10. Now I didn't get but maybe 5 eggs that 10 th year but was happy to have the bird. Same with a silkie hen that went at 14. As the bird ages you get less eggs, but they still lay.

Thank you for this comment. I have been wondering about this since all the talk of layers playing out at 2!!! Gosh, we can't all be marathoners in our older years but we still have something to contribute. A few eggs here and there would meet that criteria as far as I'm concerned.

 

[ramirezframing]

I am pretty sure there is an ex-battery hen thread on here, they might be able to give you more insight in this matter