Rescue hens

[Dorothy rouse]

Alice is making herself at home in the kitchen! Avoid looking at my scruffy kitchen floor please!

Oh Alice,just look at you! Comfortable ?


Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum

[Feral007]

LOL Alice looks very comfortable!

I agree, dogs only get zapped occasionally. Ditto horses. I've been zapped a few times when hanging clothes on the line (daughters dog used to love the flapping clothes) and son apparently got zapped recently. He was holding the clothes line and walked backwards into the electric tape.

I don't have electric netting for the chooks but wonder if it would be worthwhile. I worry about a neighbours dog coming over and having chicken dinner. It's not all fun and games on free range.

Our rooster seems to be having a bit of a macho surge atm and he's been looking at me suspiciously for a week or two, but the other day he flew at my leg! He's always been a bit of a gentleman with the ladies, but I guess it is spring here. I carry a stick with me now.

Glad your batties are growing feathers Verinda, they look lovely and very happy. We have two 'regular' chooks Isa Browns. Frankly they are pussy cats compared to the batties. If you want feisty, then look out for the batt's! I think if you wait till your spring tho, and get some point of lay chooks they will be fine, as long as there are two of them or more. That way they can stick together when the batt's have a go!
One of our regular chooks has teamed up with a battie now. So funny watching them. It's like high school girls!

[Verinda]

I found out today that while our batties are very friendly to us, goodness me there was nearly war when I threw down a cooked carrot! Molly (the dog) shot over to get the carrot, but the hens turned on her, feathers horizontal and murder in their eyes, trying to peck her and lunging at her! Molly still got the carrot though lol

I do want to get a couple, or more of laying hens next year some time, but I didn't know they would need each other for protection against the batts! I wonder are they just a tough breed or have they had to get tough just to survive the awful lives they lead in the batteries. We give them a few hours of freedom every day but I'm constantly worrying. There aren't any dodgy dogs around here (hopefully) but stoats and foxes aplenty. Oh yes, it's such a pleasure to see their feathers growing back.

My mum used to have 20 hens and a cockerel, who we named Randy! He was extremely fierce especially with the dog, Finn. If the dog even looked at his harem Randy would go mad, chasing Finn, leaping on to his back and pecking him on the head! And he was a red setter so not a small dog.

The hens are just great entertainment, I could watch them all day. Its so good to hear your battie and a regular hen have teamed up.

As a point of interest, I have recently realised that their seems to be small hens, possibly bantams living down our lane, just in the wild, they must have escaped from somewhere and set up home in the woods. I think they've been there for at least a year. I suppose there's no reason why hens wouldn't survive in the wild? I'm wondering if I should rescue them but they look pretty healthy and happy to me! And they'd probably upset my hens anyway. And probably don't want to be rescued!

[Feral007]

Can't remember who it was on here who had an escaped hen who took to roosting in a tree. I think she finally caught it after a few months, but some animals are hardy and lucky at the same time I guess.

We have wild ducks on the farm, they are obviously very good at keeping out of the foxes clutches since they last all year (well most I guess) but any chook out for a night is on the menu. But the ducks have wild instincts, and they have patterns of where to be at what time, and keep a very close watch on any movement. They live as a large group and they can fly as they are wild so body weight doesn't keep them on the ground where they are...sitting ducks?

[Verinda]

Oh yes, I bet those little hens roost in the trees. I remember my granny telling me that her hens used to roost in trees and lay eggs in the trees too! She said she used to put hay under the trees to try and stop the eggs from breaking! I must admit, I'm struggling with the image of eggs falling out of the tree tops but I guess it must have happened

[elizajay]

Can't remember who it was on here who had an escaped hen who took to roosting in a tree. I think she finally caught it after a few months, but some animals are hardy and lucky at the same time I guess.

We have wild ducks on the farm, they are obviously very good at keeping out of the foxes clutches since they last all year (well most I guess) but any chook out for a night is on the menu. But the ducks have wild instincts, and they have patterns of where to be at what time, and keep a very close watch on any movement. They live as a large group and they can fly as they are wild so body weight doesn't keep them on the ground where they are...sitting ducks?

That was me in January/February. I fed her daily for 5 weeks until we caught her. She has been in the garden since, but roosts in one of our trees on the same branch every night and I have no idea where or if she is laying her eggs. We did get a few in the nest box and a few under a bush, but no sign since. She amused us in the summer when we were eating at the outside table which is her usual launch pad and flying up into the tree from the wrong angle got her onto a different tree and she had a major problem flying through branches to get to the right roosting spot. A spot of rain doesn't seem to bother her.

[elizajay]

Oh yes, I bet those little hens roost in the trees. I remember my granny telling me that her hens used to roost in trees and lay eggs in the trees too! She said she used to put hay under the trees to try and stop the eggs from breaking! I must admit, I'm struggling with the image of eggs falling out of the tree tops but I guess it must have happened

Our little hen once had a nest on top of a wall in ivy. The branch where she roosts is too narrow to lay on.

[shirlthegirl43]

For those of you with 'wandering' chooks, when you find a nest, don't totally empty it - leave one or two eggs behind (mark these so you know which they are next time). This way your chook won't abandon the disturbed nest and you will be able to continue collecting eggs from the same spot.

[Verinda]

Our little hen once had a nest on top of a wall in ivy. The branch where she roosts is too narrow to lay on.

Did the eggs drop down to the ground? Or did you have to put hay or something to stop them breaking?

[Verinda]

For those of you with 'wandering' chooks, when you find a nest, don't totally empty it - leave one or two eggs behind (mark these so you know which they are next time). This way your chook won't abandon the disturbed nest and you will be able to continue collecting eggs from the same spot.

My mum used to put white egg shaped beach stones in nests in the banks so she didn't have to leave eggs there. She also used to put white stones in the hens nest boxes to encourage them to lay there, instead of in the grassy banks!

[RichmondHens]

Yup - we use golf balls. Some of my free range bantams refuse to lay in the henhouse and choose all sorts of places so when I find a new one I pop a couple of golf balls down to keep them going back. However it can backfire - I had a very determined broody this summer desperately trying to hatch out 6 golf balls! She had a nest in the barn and I would scoop her up each night to take her back to the henhouse for safety but each morning she would gallop madly back to the nest again. She was there for weeks and only has just recently given up.

[Verinda]

Oh, poor little bantam, that's quite sad! I'm glad she's given up now.

I saw the hens in our lane again today, a little white hen...maybe a bantam, I must look up bantams and see what they look like. She was with a cockerel so maybe there's a few of them living in the woods. If it's a really cold winter I wonder if they'll survive. I might have to rescue them!

[RichmondHens]

If they are truly feral (and not just freerangers belonging to someone else- better check) then they would be happiest left as they are. Feral bantams would not want to be cooped in any way, shape or form and you would have a headache trying to keep them in. Just keep an eye on them if snow appears and make sure they have something to eat - you could scatter some grain for them if they will let you approach them. Obviously they are at risk of predation but if they have lived wild up till now then they will most likely be pretty streetwise and only the weak or ill will get taken, which is of course how Nature intended it.

[Verinda]

Thank you, that's interesting. I will try and get a photo of them. I nearly got one today but they vanished too quickly. I don't think they could belong to anyone, well not now anyway, as there isn't really any houses nearby. I'll certainly feed them if it gets very cold.

[elizajay]

Did the eggs drop down to the ground? Or did you have to put hay or something to stop them breaking?

No she found a hollow in the ivy branches and laid a big clutch of about 10 eggs in it.