Caring for hens
General Health and Temperament
We never knowingly re-home a poorly hen.
It is a common misconception that ex-bats are unhealthy; this is incorrect. They will all have received the full gambit of vaccinations at chick stage and the vast majority are healthy and laying well. They are, however, ALL unfit as a result of standing still in their cages for a prolonged period.
This lack of exercise can result in weak leg muscles and it is not uncommon for some to suffer bruising for a few days after collection. In our experience, with a little rest, bruised hens make a full recovery. Should you experience this when you get your girls back home, feel free to call our Careline so we can advise how to help your hen whilst she gets stronger.
The hens sometimes have few feathers, but most people are surprised that the majority of birds don't look too bad. If you take a few feather bare hens, you'll be amazed at how quickly they blossom. They usually start to re-feather within a few weeks and look amazing within a couple of months!
The combs on top of the hens’ heads are usually large, pale and flaccid because they act as heat dissipaters in the warm cage environment. The combs will slowly shrink and become vibrant red once they are free ranging.
Please note: we cannot guarantee the lifespan of any hen and occasionally one may die soon after adoption although initially appearing well. The vast majority will live between one and three years, with many going onto a ripe old age!
These hybrid hens are bred for docility and you will find they are gentle, endearing, inquisitive and VERY friendly, eating out of your hand and following you around the garden (and into the house if you let them!), pecking at your shoe laces in only a few days.
Housing
You can either buy/convert a regular shed or outbuilding or buy a purpose built house/coop. Designs, prices and sizes vary hugely so do some research. You need to decide on your preferred system: either keeping the hens in a smaller house with attached run and frequently moving it onto fresh ground, or building a larger permanent aviary type enclosure. The most crucial thing is that your housing is predator proof. Foxes, badgers and rats are attracted by hens, will visit night or day and will kill your birds if they are not secure.
It is difficult for us to advise you on how many hens you should reserve for the space you have - most coops will have manufacturer’s recommendations on stocking, although we advise you always buy a house to accommodate more birds than you would like, ie buy a house to accommodate 6 if you would like 4 hens.
Feeding
We strongly advise feeding the Smallholder Range Ex-Bat Crumbs; we have trialled this feed and found it provides the best possible nutrition for hens that have worked so hard in a commercial environment. You can keep them on the Ex-Bat Crumb permanently or start slowly introducing Ex-Bat Pellets, whichever your hens prefer. Both Smallholder Range Ex-Bat Crumbs and Ex-Bat Pellets can be fed to all poultry, but have been specifically designed for birds from a commercial laying system, to encourage feather growth, support egg production and replenish and maintain all the nutrients your hens need. Caged hens will have been fed a dry mash all their lives, so the Ex-Bat Crumb is the perfect feed as they start their free range future. Moreover, we receive a donation for each bag that's sold which enables us to help more hens.
It is fine to feed a small amount of mixed corn in the afternoon, although this is not essential as the Ex-Bat range provides a fully balanced diet.
For the first few weeks in order to help the hens settle, it is useful to place down several feed and water points in order to ensure all birds get access and low ranking hens are not kept away by more dominant birds.
If you have any questions on feeding or the health and welfare of your hens please contact our Careline on 01362 822904.
We have the Smallholder range of feed available for sale onour charity website, which is run entirely in-house and every purchase directly benefits the charity. Please click here for more details.
Other Hens and Cockerels
The hens will usually need to be kept separate from existing birds for at least a few weeks. Initially they are unfit and may have poor self confidence which can lead to them being easily bullied. Most will regain their confidence within a few days and fitness usually returns within two weeks. If the hens can be kept so they can see your other hens at first, it will make final integration easier, but there will always be some squabbling as a new pecking order is established. We will be happy to discuss the merging process, but you can take a look at our hints on merging and establishing flocks.
It is very important to keep the hens apart from cockerels for at least a month. The hens can easily be damaged by the cockerel’s advances as they are not strong enough to take his weight and their backs may be poorly feathered.
The hens you take home will not know each other as they will have lived in different cages and some re-homers find the initial settling in period distressing to watch as a new hierarchy is established. If you have bullying problems when you get your hens home, here a few tips to try:
- Smear Vaseline on the combs of the hens being bullied (this prevents beaks getting a grip)
- Hang up distractions for the birds, whole cabbages or corn on the cobs, just above head height (this will take focus away from the 'low ranking hen' in the flock
- Put several sources of food and water in the coop to ensure all the girls can eat and drink
It shouldn't take them long to realise there are more fun things to do than squabble.
If you have a bully who does not allow the group to settle, refer to our information on merging and establishing a flock. The pecking order should generally settle over a two week period.
Other Pets
Your hens know no fear and will get along happily with most other family pets. However, you will need to be particlarly careful when introducing dogs; do not leave the hens unsupervised until you are satisfied your dog is hen friendly.
First day of freedom
When you get your girls back home we advise you place them in the hen house and, if you have a small enclosed run, leave the door/pop hole open so they can venture outside. If you do not have an enclosure you will need to ensure the hens are secure and cannot simply wander off; keeping them restricted will help your hens to ‘become homed’. Please ask advice if you have any doubts as to best procedure.
When they are first let out you may need to encourage them in as darkness falls (or if it rains) and tempt them out again in the morning. As they have been in artificial light for 18 hours a day, it takes them a couple of days to get the hang of things! Very often the hens will sleep on the floor of the house initially - do not be tempted to put your birds up on perches as this can lead to bruising or at worst broken legs if they jump down whilst unfit. Instead allow them to gain strength slowly and you will find they soon learn to perch for themselves. If they are fit enough to jump up to the perch, they are fit enough to jump down.
General Husbandry
As well as keeping your hens secure, well fed and clean there are three routine tasks you should undertake to aid good husbandry:
- Worming - We advise you worm your hens 3-4 times a year and recommend using a veterinary approved product such as Flubenvet.
- Parasites - Red mite is the most common parasite to all poultry and this tiny mite feeds on the hens' blood at night and during the day lives in the shed, usually under perches or in the nesting area or simply in cracks and joins in the house. Mites can be controlled with the many products on the market and like fleas will flare up in the warmer weather and die down during the winter months. It does not usually prove fatal, though in extreme cases if left untreated can cause death. Treating your flock for lice should be another routine task; Spring and later in the Summer being good times to treat them.
- Health Awareness - The more you know your hens, the better placed you are to spot when they are off colour. Please contact our Careline if you would like advice on any aspect of caring for your hens and see our examination guidelines for further information.
