Finally getting our ex-bats today!

[Hashette]

Wow. 48 hours ago, they were still in their cage at the battery farm. This morning we opened the pop hole and three of them came straight out, Ginger walked down the ramp, the others flew brick-like off the end, but landed in the big pile of straw I'd put there. Peering in, and Attila the Hen is quite happy - roosting on a perch.

It's amazing how quickly their instincts seem to be coming back. Adopting these girls really is a wonderful experience, I'm sure me and hubby are getting as much out of it as they are!

[dozey1]

Hi all, got my ex-basts on Saturday and in love with them. Already doing hen things and are out and about. 2 are quite tame alreay and the shyiest one was out of the door first this morning. Gonig home lunch time to check on them. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we do and we have already volunteered to have a few more if they need a home. I was so excited on Saturday we had a long wait to but got ours from Hen rehomers who saved 2,500 at the weekend....

[Hashette]

Hi Dozey, I know how you feel! Going home at lunchtime wasn't an option for me, so I've asked our IT geeks how webcams work and am seriously thinking of rigging one up in the run.

Mixed news. Ginger's doing great, and put herself to bed as well! Clarissa and Attilla are getting themselves up, happy all day, but need to put put to bed at night at the moment, I suspect because they don't have the leg muscles for the ramp.

I'm really worried about Hopsy, re-christened Tottie as we decided naming her after a short, bald bloke wasn't quite right. We got home and she was just sitting in the run looking miserable, her comb is extra floppy, and I got pecked when I went near her. I really hope she makes it - I don't suppose we can do anything more for her than we already are, but every instinct tells me she's really not well

[Noodle]

Try putting her beak insome water, they don't always know how to drink from a bucket or normal drinker cos the ones in the battery farms are really odd!! We had to do it for some on sunday cos they just didn't seem to know what it was there for. Hope she's feeling better soon.

[Hashette]

Wow - these girls are incredible, their natural instincts are really coming back. You know how ex-bats are supposed to have no concept of a nest box and just drop eggs wherever they happen to be? Well I bought a couple of rubber training eggs and put them in the nest boxes. According to the food supplier, it teaches them the general idea.

It didn't even occur to me to even bother looking in there to see if there were any eggs, as they're dropping them in the run, and besides they're stopping laying now their feathers are growing back.

I went to clean the coop out this morning and guess what I found next to one of the rubber eggs! Someone must have gone back in the coop yesterday and laid it. Amazing considering they were only rescued on Saturday

[dozey1]

Just Great

Hi Hashette,
The rubber eggs really work don't they, my first 3 eggs were laid on the floor but Matilda the brave went straight into the coop while we were their and laid her egg. I really love these birds and think people should really have a go at keeping them. They are so relaxing, we go in their coop every night for 1/2 an hour just to give them treats. They love grapes and mealworms well what can i say. You have done a really good thing and so pleased you are having as much fun as we are. I will post some pics soon.

[Hashette]

Please do.

Grapes? Right, I'm off to Morrisons. I've been giving mine mixed corn that they're supposed to love, along with cabbage and apples. They're not really touching it, I suspect it's because they don't recognise it as food. They're laying into the growers' mash like there's no tomorrow, so I'm not worried, but isn't it sad?

Mealworms - eeew! You do mean dried ones, don't you?

[Noodle]

I bribe mine with dried mealworms to ge them back into the run if they've been out in the garden, I just have to shake the tub now and they come running from whatever corner of the garden they've been in! They are quite fatty though, so they shouldn't have too many, although as you have ex-batts they could probably do with a bit of extra weigh on them!

[fitzilian]

i gave mine still-warm porridge with some mixed corn and raisens in last night - it was so cold i was worried about Molly, my ex-batt with no feathers...

they loved it! got it all over themselves so i had to clean them up!

mine have also worked out how to lay eggs in the next box... although only 1 is laying at the mo... maybe because their feathers are growing back now... hadnt thought of that!

[dozey1]

Dried mealworms

Morning Hashette and all,
Yes dried mealworms from Wilkos, they love them.. I must be really lucky my girls have laid all week and they have given us 17 eggs!!! They love the mixed corn as well, they really have come along way, they all lay in the coops i had 4 in one yesterday. They let us stroke them now and have got names for all 3 ,obviously, one is Ginger because she is , one Redand one is Matilda the boss, and last possibly going to be called Priscilla, not sure yet....
Have a good day!!

[Hashette]

Afternoon all

The mealworms went down a storm, thanks Dozey. The grapes were eyed with a bit of suspicion, but to be honest there weren't many left by the time I got home. They were gorgeous and sweet, and they were on the passenger seat whilst I was driving, and somehow at least half of them evaporated on the journey.

My girls are starting to look better already. As well as being fluffier, they've got tiny little embryonic feathers forming down their necks, which is good to see when you think how cold it got last night. I've got one of those projector clocks that displays the time and temperature on the ceiling, and lying there at 4am reading 3.9 degrees and worrying about the baldies isn't doing much for my already iffy sleep pattern!

[dozey1]

Luvly Jubbly

All have a great weekend, i think the weekend is going to be nice so i expect we will all be with our girls giving them treat etc. Hasheete i cleaned mine out last nice because it was going to be cold and gave them extra bedding but like you i was worried but no need they couldn't wait to get out this morning. I heard that they llike fish food so i bought some small pellets today to try. I will let you know how it goes. The grapes i cut in half and like you i can't stop eating them.. but ther girls come first. I spoke tomy rescue chappie today and i might be rescuing a couple of bantams as well. I have the bug... just want to win the lottery so i can rehome more..

[Hashette]

Oh I know how you feel. Technically we've got space for six and it's soooo tempting

A milestone has been reached over here. I wandered out earlier on and had a major panic as there were only three chooks in the run - no sign of Attila the Hen, or Tilly as she's been re-christened since the bad attitude calmed down. I had a quick peer in the chook house - nothing. The logical part of my brain knew I hadn't left the door of the run open, but I was still flapping. Having checked everywhere I stuck my head as far through the pop hole as it would go, and much to my relief saw a beak poking out of the nest box. I was chuffed enough to think that she'd gone to bed mid-day as it's cold and windy, but when she got up half an hour later I couldn't help but look and.....

.....she hadn't gone to bed, she'd gone up the ramp and into the nest box to lay an egg How amazing is that for one week out of the battery farm? She's one of my baldies as well, so I'd have expected her to be miles behind the ones with feathers.

[shirlthegirl43]

Super news Hashette.

Ours have been allowed sort of half-way free-range today - we took a roll of weldmesh and made a bigger run with no top to see what happens, they have been sheltering in the house a bit so that was good to see. Might be spring before they truly free range though due to daylight and weather. So windy here now they might blow away!!

[Hashette]

Did it go okay Shirl? My lot keep looking out at the wild birds and are obviously curious. I daren't let them out for months yet, but a half way house on a mild day sounds like a nice option. Besides, they can weed the veg patch for me!