[John H]

Is it possible to get battery hens to rehome in Ireland ?

I was on a site from the uk that do it but I dont think they cover Ireland.

It would be nice to be able to give these old hen a shot at some real living

If I cant get old battery hens where is the best place to get ready to lay hens in the Kilkenny area?

Hope someone can help me out.

[michael brenock]

These hens i have been told are damaged psychologically and need to be treated carefully and they should never be taken alone, always in pairs. they are very suceptible to colds and chills having been reared in a rarified atmosphere and pumped full of antibiotics. it is a nice thought just like the donkey's home.
best of luck to you at least plants do not suffer from forcing or transplanting.
michael brenock

[John H]

Would these hens be safe with children or would they be inclined to be a bit aggressive. I have young children that I would be encouraging to help with the hens so I would hope to get quite ones.

[Belfast]

Crann Dair Chicken Rescue -
Rehoming Ex Battery Hens
Success Stories and Photos of Hens we have Rehomed and Photos of our very First Rescue Chickens!

http://www.fizzywitch.com/CrannDair/rehomed.html

Crann Dair Chicken Rescue -
http://www.fizzywitch.com/CrannDair/adoption.html

Crann Dair Chicken Rescue -
Home for Farm & Battery Hens in Ireland
http://www.fizzywitch.com/CrannDair/index.html

[John H]

Thanks Belfast.

That seems to be a good ending for those hens , but do you know if they are prone to diseases more so than any other hens.

I hope to look into it next week.

[Belfast]

michael brenock is correct they are more susceptible to disease and have been feed antibiotics as part of their feed and been kept in temperature controlled environment all their lives.

This is where they live.


I think michael brenock is right the idea is to provide a retirement home to hens that are past their best..
The idea is be nice to hens who have had a horrible life.

if you want hens to produce eggs these guys are a better choice.
these are produce for people who keep hens at home and are in better condition and more suitable for the home producer.
In short these are not old hens looking for a retirement home.
http://tippychicks.com/gpage2.html

Pure breed - Light Sussex


Pure breed - lavender araucanas


Pure breed - French marans 2 photos




Brown hybrid egg-layers



another irish supplier with even more breeds
http://www.midlandpoultry.com/breeds2009.htm

Rhode Island Reds


Welsomer


Marans


Black Minorcas


Buff Sussex


White Leghorn


http://www.midlandpoultry.com/housing.htm

lots more here
Breeders Directory
http://www.poultry.ie/breeders-list.php

[Liparis]

You will get eggs from the ex-battery-hens, but just take your time with them. They should be quite quiet as they are used to close proximity of humans and handling. Due to the amount of antibiotics etc they have been given, they would do better in a large run initially until their immune systems get back to what it should be like, then allowed to roam free range, if that's your wish.
They may go off-lay for a couple of months when you get them but should start laying again.
Afterwards, treat them as other hens by worming and mite prevention. You will probably find the eggs are larger than you will get in the shops as well once they have moved back into full-lay. They can be great for double yokers.
Give battery hens a chance in life, treat them with respect and you won't be sorry.
The main psychological problem is feather plucking, it can be stressful for the bird on the receiving end of this habit, identify the bird responsible and the vet can snip his beak in the appropriate place to stop this. It does no harm to the bird and doesn't prevent her eating etc, just makes it difficult to get a hold of the feather, they usually stop once they go free range though, although sometimes one can persist. Please don't get a "I-can-do-that-for-you" person to do it, if it goes wrong, you can end up with another stressed hen.
Bill.

[Belfast]

Ex-battery hen - sudden death (ish)
http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=29116.0

edit
A Warm Welcome to The Poultry Pages
http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/index.php

[Liparis]

Yep, as one poster says, it happens even to pure bred hens. I gave up keeping my rare black Sumatrans for that reason. I would just find one lying dead in the mornings.
Bill.

[SecretGarden]

What would happen to hatcheries if there was nobody to buy their USED hens?

Feeling sorry for these hens and giving them good homes is enabling the hatcheries to continue - profitably, imo. I believe there is a natural consequence to everything and my actions can either enable or disable in a very small way - but it is the Power of One.

If I were buying hens I'd want to buy from a local chicken keeper who breeds good quality healthy birds in a natural environment.

I recently found a hobby poultry breeder near Kilkenny - they breed free range purebred chickens and their birds are healthy and living out of doors.

[verge]

Moderator edit:

As above.
New posters whose initial posts contain direct links to other websites may have those links removed at the moderators discretion. Other members interested in the links may PM the poster to be enlightened as to the link.

[Liparis]

[SecretGarden]

I agree with you with regard to the buying of meat & eggs produced in a factory-like setting and with the conditions some small breeders provide for their livestock.

Each of us who buys products which are produced inhumanely has a responsibility in enabling this practice to continue.

The reason battery hens are re-sold is because it's the most profitable option. Battery hens come from large egg producers, these birds are bred to produce the highest number of eggs possible and eat the least amount of food, and this does not allow for any significant amount of muscle production, they are egg laying machines. The cost of recovering meat from these birds would be prohibitive. There are legal restrictions on the disposal of offal - another cost for the processor of battery hens. Food processors want to maintain their profit margins too.

Battery hens are sold by the hatcheries for €1:00 each in the beginning of each year to people who will resell for €5:00 - €6:00, to others who think they are doing these hens a favour.

Yes, they are going to give these birds a good life, but they are also giving the middle man money to put in his back pocket and his action in turn will help maintain the margins of the hatcheries at an acceptable level. They are helping to perpetuate this practice of egg production.

It's an easy option to give responsibility for change to others but it is more effective to initiate change through own action. No individual act will cause radical reform but change is possible through collective action, it's the responsibility of each of us to critically assess our beliefs and act appropriately. The synergy of every little change can make a difference.

I'm not a campaigner for anyone or anything; I'm expressing my opinions and acting on them myself. It's up to each individual to choose their own action having made their own informed choices.

[Liparis]

We may be talking at cross purposes then. You seem to be discussing buying straight from the hatchery, I think myself and possibly others, as per the title of the thread are discussing rescuing ex-battery hens, a totally different thing.
These hens do in fact provide a very cost effective meat for burgers, soups, pies, etc. They are purchased, the feathers stripped off barbarically, the birds are then put in a centrifuge and the meat stripped from the bone. Very little man power and very cost effective. There is very little offal from chickens, the kidney, liver, lungs and heart all go towards production of dog meal etc, livers go for paté, All that's left is stomach, intestines and gizzard, head and legs. These all grind down along with the bones into various other products, often meal for pigs etc. Again, extremely little manpower is involved, manpower is the most costly part of any production.
I myself am not a campaigner, but neither do I like seeing any animal put through what it has to go through to provide for man.
The real way to stop any bad practice is not to ignore it but get to the cause, just like with humans, there is no point treating symptoms, you have to treat the illness. That would be, in the case of hens, not buying battery or barn eggs, not buying barn chickens for meat. If you do that, you attack the cause and the symptons go. I really don't think anyone rescues battery hens to have any affect on the industry, because it won't, it's done with compassion in mind.
As I said, I'm not a campaigner. I'm expressing my opinion as well. I also think that anyone who turns their back on what goes on in this industry and says, well, I'm not responsible, I don't buy such processed meats or buy barn or battery eggs, is guilty of allowing that practice to continue.
I never used to like Hugh Fernley-Whitinstall or what ever his name is, he that did the River Cottage series etc. Over the last couple of years he has earned my respect to the highest degree. Why? Because he didn't just say he wouldn't use those types of products anymore, he got off his butt and did something about what he believed in. Some may call him a campaigner, he may be, but unfortunately the term campaigner is too often used these days in the wrong context, I would call him a man that does'nt talk the talk, but he damn well walks the walk. He, through his own thoughts, beliefs and ideas stopped all the multi-nationals in the UK selling these products, except for Tesco and great Shame on them. In my opinion, anyone who shops in supermakets who don't at least give the consumer a choice, is guilty of propagating those bad practices and thinking that it's OK because they don't buy their bad practice poultry range is actually burying their heads in the sand.
The cause of this problem is not the chicken producers, nor is it the middleman earning an income, nor is it battery egg and barn egg producers, they are all symptoms, the illness is the multi-national supermarkets selling people what they want them to buy. Those same people who keep track of ever single item you purchase through so called "Loyalty Cards". I, by the way, would make those intrussions into our private lives, illegal and jail supermaket managers for using them. But, that's going off-thread
Anyway, these are my opinions.
Bill.

[sal]

so how do you get ex battery hens here? i have googled and comy up with just one place,www.fizzywitch .com. this is too far from me as it is in galway,i have chickens just bought and would have liked to add 2 ex battery to my flock,is there any where in munster?i also have tried to google egg producers in munster to see if i can contact them direct,can you help? i have read the wrongs and rights of getting x b hens and still want to get them, my chicks will produce enough eggs for our family and they will be pets too,we can already pick them up and cuddle them and 2 are already laying,the kids and grandkids adore them,my friend in uk had 5 x b hens and 1 cockeral who had 1 eye,they started off bald and wobbly one their feet,by the time the summer was over they layed eggs and were running round her allotment happily,no probs.