Little Hen Rescue on 7th Feb

[fitzilian]

Anyone else on here who rescued hens from LHR on 7/8th Feb?

Mine were all looking oven-ready when we bought them home and most have now started growing feathers on their backs and bums, but not one has laid an egg...

Am i alone in this?

My last lots of rescued ladies had one oven-ready and i gave her lots of special attention, extra protein-rich meals etc, and she grew the most beautiful feathers, but she never started laying again.

i wouldnt mind, but with our own 'chick' on the way we had planned to sell their eggs to pay for their food and upkeep...

[Suechooks]

My own BHWT ex-batts have laid non-stop since last January (2008) when i got them but in the autumn I bought 3 POL pullets and the guy I bought them from had had 60 ex-batts for months (direct from a battery place near him) and never had an egg after the first week (and only a few then as I recall) despite feathering up.
Hope they settle for you. Have you looked on Practical Poultry forum - there's lots of LHR people there?

[kirsty b]

I've recued ex-batts twice now, and got a few eggs for the first few days, then they went off lay for a good 6 weeks or so before I got any eggs. Did get my girls in autumn though which coincided wth shorter days and less likelihood of eggs. Everything I have read/been told so far suggests that it can take weeks for a hen to be fully feathered, and as it takes a lot of their internal resources, the don't put that energy into egg production. I have one or two hens that have never laid since rescue, but I don't mind

[terrier]

I think that when Battery hens are 'liberated', it must be quite a severe shock to their system. We think that we are doing them a great favour by bringing them out of their cages, but what in fact we are doing is taking them out of their controlled environment which is all they've ever known and putting them into a cold, unfamiliar, alien world. We've had our ex bats since early summer and although they are now well feathered, they still don't behave as our older free rangers do. BHWT suggest that they should be fed with the same diet as they had in their caged days, even when they become 'established' free rangers. They call it the 'comfort diet'. When we first took our ex bats, we kept them in a small concrete/breezeblock run and they carried on laying every day ( when I picked them up, one actually layed an egg in the car) but as we introduced them into the big outside world, the eggs got fewer. Now that the weather is warming up we are starting to get more eggs. I guess it's just the conditions they're kept in, some hens will react differently to others so just give them time to adjust. As far as I'm concerned, if a hen doesn't want to lay, that's fine, I'm just glad to give her a home. Just lov'em

[Glutton4...]

I had eight from LHR the week before Christmas, and they've been laying all the time I don't actually think they are all laying, but the small bald-headed one with tiny pale comb and wattles is definitely laying, and I didn't think she was at first. Good luck with them - little darlin's

[RedThorn]

Mrs RT here - we rescued 4 BHWT chickens about 5 weeks ago now and have had on average 1 egg a day (got 2 yesterday ) 2 of them are still a bit 'oven ready' but the other 2 have almost all of there feathers back now, but we are still only getting 1 egg. Let's see what happens as the weather warms up

[Irie Jan]

Mrs RT here - we rescued 4 BHWT chickens about 5 weeks ago now and have had on average 1 egg a day (got 2 yesterday ) 2 of them are still a bit 'oven ready' but the other 2 have almost all of there feathers back now, but we are still only getting 1 egg. Let's see what happens as the weather warms up

Hi Jo! It's about time we got you on here as well you know! When you goint log in as yourself? LOL How are you this week? I hope the kids are behaving for you! lol Have loved seeing all about your chooks on here! sounds like they are settling in now, its all good! Have a great afternoon!!
Hugs n love Jan

[reggiesmum]

Anyone else on here who rescued hens from LHR on 7/8th Feb?

Mine were all looking oven-ready when we bought them home and most have now started growing feathers on their backs and bums, but not one has laid an egg...

Am i alone in this?

My last lots of rescued ladies had one oven-ready and i gave her lots of special attention, extra protein-rich meals etc, and she grew the most beautiful feathers, but she never started laying again.

i wouldnt mind, but with our own 'chick' on the way we had planned to sell their eggs to pay for their food and upkeep...

Hi,

I'm new to the forum, and hope you don't mind me poking my oar in.....lol
I work with Little Hen Rescue and couldn't help but notice your post. Obviously we like all rehomers to be happy with their girls and it's nice to hear that they are getting on well. Have you had any eggs yet??
It's quite common for the ex-batts to go 'off lay' when first rescued. They have to take so much in and they tend to put all their energy into putting on weight, growing feathers and exploring!!
I personally would be pleased that they are having a little rest from laying, and I assure you that they will grow their feathers back quicker, if 'off-lay'.
To encourage your girls to lay, they will require a good quality layers mash, fed ad-lib. They need lots of protein and energy.
As the days become longer and it warms up, they should naturally come back into lay. Have they gone into a moult? Sometimes the shock of 'freedom' can bring on a moult, another reason for them to temporarily stop laying.
Usually, most girls will come back into lay. Obviously we can never, ever guarantee it, but they usually have plenty of laying days ahead of them.
I do hope they have settled well, and I have my fingers crossed that they will start producing you nice, tasty eggs soon.
In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying your girls, and enjoy watching them learn to become 'real hens'.

Em
littlehenrescue@googlemail.com