We Have Six Chickens!

We actually thought they were being taken from a farmer as a cruelty case, but later found out that it appears to be a big old animal lib thing - I don't think it mattered to the chickens....

So we'd put our names down for six and they arrived unexpectedly today! They were due next week but they had to change what they were doing and pick them up this weekend, so we hurridly knocked together some living quarters and a run and the girls arrived about 8pm tonight.

They are a bit dirty and a bit bald in places (battery hens) but they are eating ok and drinking. We have left them to settle in just now, and tomorrow we'll have a closer look and check for any injuries or mites or anything, but they seem ok, just a bit sort of scraggy looking.

They are quite talkative! I came back from shopping and they were in boxes in the yard making very loud chicken-bucking noises. We let them out and someone had laid an egg in the box on the way here!

Good lord.

I am hoping we will be able to let them free-range in the garden when we are out there (in the pen when we are not), but we'll try one out tomorrow and see where she goes before we let the others go.

Very cool.

well done on taking some x battery
I have 6 and they are into their 4th year now and still lay 4or 5 eggs a week each although they stopped for about 3 months when we first got them.All feathers are now grown back aswell

Any chance of some piccies?

The girls out and about today

Ahhhhh is that chicken heaven or what?!

Well done for giving them a wonderful home. They are very lucky chickens indeed

They are looking in great condition for x battery,my lot had more bald patches than feathers

They are in a lot better of condition than the Ameraucanas I saved once. 'Gratz.

nice move keeping them, you wont need to weed between your slabs anymore!! my mum kept bantys for many years, and swears the last one to die, was the first one she got, 21 years before!

i always wanted chickens but my cats would eat them (come to think of it i would eat them )

awwww theyre so cool.

a few years ago we were all set to get chicken for our garden, and we'd done a load of research on them, but then we got the dog instead

I'm still trying to think how the dog and chickens could co-inhabit but i dont think its possible

The girls have a run to be in when Sasha is out, when Sasha is in, we let the girls out.

Who knew Sasha could sit stone still for three straight hours?? she watches them and doesn't move except for the occasional tremble...the chickens couldn't care less about her being there. They are such mellow chickens, Dylan can run past them and they don't even bother looking up. We were all paranoid about not making any noise or sudden movements, kept telling Bu to stand still and don't run, but the girls are solely interested in food. Nothing else bothers them.

That's great So do you have a fresh running supply of eggs now ?

Thats great you took the x battery chickens on, how long have you had them now?

They're in fantastic condition for ex bats, here are ours a week after they first arrived-


There are 4 altogether. They had far fewer feathers when we first got them, and the hen rescuers had had them all for a week. They're fully feathered now, and laying well, and are absolutely wonderful pets, really entertainig. My 3 yr old watches them for hours.
We found one of the cats curled up fast asleep in the eglu last night - so funny! She's an orange coloured tortoiseshell manx, so even looks a bit like a hen herself!!
Omlet are now selling a 10 hen "eglu", I'm working on my stepmum to sacrifice a bit more of her garden...no luck (we're not allowed pets in our flat,I think with 3 cats,2 tanks and a hamster, 10 chickens might just be pushing it a little bit too far!!)