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Barnyard Buddies:  Have any of you taken in ex-battery hens?  |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 05:16:24 AM
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I heard that you can get battery hens from huge producers if you say you are going to eat them, make them into dog food, whatever. I also heard if you start crying and get emotional, they will turn you away.
What is your experience? What do you know?
All I know is that battery hens need friends.
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
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Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 09:22:05 AM
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I used to live near a huge egg farm in Arizona and they would sell their spent Leghorn hens once a year as they started new ones. There were no restrictions on what you were doing with them. They were naked, had horribly long and curling claws and needed a couple of months of good food and TLC to resume laying. I would cut the nails with rose clippers, keep them separate from the other hens for a couple of weeks, and keep food in front of them 24-7. They seemed amazed by their freedom and began laying after they feathered back out. Never were heavy layers and they were flighty, but they supplied all the eggs we could use. Good luck, and be patient.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 10:32:38 AM
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I have never heard of a battery hen. It doesn't sound good for them tho. Trish how old are these hens that they sell? Why do they call them battery hens???
Melina why were all their feathers gone? Is because of the horrible condition they are in or were they molting.
Trish we don't have any big producers of laying hens near me so I have no info on that. But if we did I would probably bring many of them home. I don't like chicken factories.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 2:19:48 PM
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| Rescued battery hens are a good choice for people who really want to have chickens but frankly don't need that many eggs. I know that there are rescue societies in England but I don't know of any in the US. We should alert each other to rescue opportunities. Here in rural Virginia (actually, more in the Shenandoah Valley), there are a lot of chicken farms. Unfortunately, a lot (or most) of them use battery cages. I'll try to find out if they have adoption programs. Meanwhile, the Humane Society has a good public awareness program about what makes eggs truly "cruelty-free." Pretty much, the best bet is raise your own. Do I? Well, no. I get mine from other folks who do, though. The taste difference is extraordinary. |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 2:34:56 PM
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http://www.upc-online.org/battery_hens/quote:
Originally posted by wooliespinner
I have never heard of a battery hen. It doesn't sound good for them tho. Trish how old are these hens that they sell? Why do they call them battery hens???
Melina why were all their feathers gone? Is because of the horrible condition they are in or were they molting.
Trish we don't have any big producers of laying hens near me so I have no info on that. But if we did I would probably bring many of them home. I don't like chicken factories.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 4:26:05 PM
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Thanks Trish I will look up the website. I see battery is refering to the cages they go into. Now I understand.Not a very good life. Are you going to get some chickens from them?
Thank goodness my chickens get to run free all over the place. I have 28 chickens total and a few of them just turned 12 years old and the youngest are 1 year old.I have many different ages. I know the old ones don't lay but I don't care. The younger ones are laying so I try to get a few new ones every other year to keep my family in eggs. The oldsters put their time in and now they are out to pasture so to speak.Some of the breeds live a long time and others are kinda in the middle on age.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Farmtopia
True Blue Farmgirl
1465 Posts
Zan
New York
New York
USA
1465 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 10:49:32 PM
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We used to work with those who rescued them when I was a vet tech. We've interviewed people on this, too. It's not good. The animals usually come to you traumatized. Lots will sit in the same position for DAYS, they are not used to moving around, they don't know they CAN. So usually, for the first couple of days, you might have to go in and feed them by hand, show them the food. Of course, since the tips of their beaks have been removed (fear of pecking each other), they might have eating issues because of this. Alot of them start pecking at the air, it's a form of neurosis.
I'm surprised. Most of the big Ag will NOT even let you anywhere near the doors to take them unless you are there for some sort of official business. I'd be curious as to what source will let you take the birds?
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2012 : 05:43:08 AM
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Buying the birds is the official business. Apparently some people make their own dogfood,a and meal chickens for it.
I read all of this on a non-official site, so it might just be one person's experience.
I do know from experience, that here are a lot of backdoor deals in AG, if you know people. When I was a kid, we got most of our produce from folks with DelMonte contracts. They love selling to regular folks, for a decent price.
Thanks for the info Zan, and everyone.
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2012 : 06:29:50 AM
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A good place to go about this is to the Europe chicken sites...they have been rescuing battery chickens & have lots of info on what they did...now that Europe has outlawed battery cages like the old ones it would be nice to see us in the USA do this as well...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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Lessie Louise
True Blue Farmgirl
1406 Posts
Carol
PECULIAR
MO
USA
1406 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2012 : 6:16:11 PM
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One of my fav chicken newsletters is from the UK, Keeping Chickens Newsletter. It comes once a month and in past issues they talk about their battery hens. Good resource.
....it's what's inside a women, when she's up against the land.
Farmgirl #680!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lessielouise22 |
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Barnyard Buddies: Have any of you taken in ex-battery hens? |
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Have any of you taken in ex-battery hens?
