Copied with kind permission from the ex-batts forum who gave permission to copy my posts "The dream is finally becoming a reality" - to give some ex-battery hens, doomed for slaughter, a life which they would otherwise not have had.
25th January 2009
I just can't believe it! I thought about ex-batts since last summer and now, thanks to the ex-batts forum http://s1.zetaboards.com/Ex_Battery_Hens/index/ all-of-a-sudden it's all happening.
I had my friend's neighbour round this morning and he was only too happy to help. It turned out that he used to keep chickens himself many years ago so he knew exactly what I was looking for. The only thing he said was: "...three hens? Bet you will have more once they arrived!!"
We have been able to make the chicken run and housing area a much bigger one than I had hoped for by moving a large rabbit hutch further down the garden thus creating a really lovely space for the hens, with enough sun and also some shade to keep away from the sun when they need to.
Once the hens have settled we will secure the garden fence better so that, when I am at home, the hens can have the run of the whole garden, all 80' of it.
I am sooooo excited, I can't tell you! Furthermore, this friend's neighbour is a builder by trade, running his own company. He told me that most of the materials needed he would already have thus saving me a lot of money. AND, he wants to start building next weekend, weather permitting.
This is getting better by the minute. I just spoke to Mel and luck has it that she will collect again next Saturday!!!!!!!
I will now let the builder friend know that he's got to get a move with the chicken coop and run
Mel very kindly offered to house my three hens until 'Pep' finished his work and then I will drive down to Mel's to pick up my hens, feed, drinker and feeder.
Thanks again, Mel, for all your help, especially for looking after my three hens. It was lovely talking to you.
Well, the latest news is that Pep agreed to get a move on!!! As a friend of mine has a gate key he immediately agreed to help even more by starting to build the hen house this week rather than next weekend.
I am feeling absolutely shattered now, what a totally unexpected exciting weekend this was! I had to dig up a shrub earlier on and move it to a new location so that the rabbit hutch could move, thus giving the hens a really lovely area to scratch in. My garden is full of worms and don't the robins know it - as soon as I started digging up the shrub they came to investigate.
I think that the next weekend will probably kill me with even more excitement to come!!!
27th January 2009
I have just come back from a friend of mine who told me that Pep, the builder next-door to her, had virtually built and semi-assembled the coop and run already!!!!!!!!!!! He was just waiting for my approval so that he can come to my place - wait for it - tomorrow
to do the final assembly.
I am so over the moon with his work. All the wood for it came from my friend's garage, so no expense there. He also had the felt, the wire and the platform to stand the coop on (a brand-new pallet). All he needed to buy in, he said, were the hinges for the run's door. The run itself is about 5'4" high and I can almost stand up straight in there. He has also built a lovely little ramp for the chicks to walk on. Tomorrow, he will build the nest boxes. The perch has also been sorted out.
So, we are well ahead of schedule now.
Mel will sort out the trio for this coming Saturday and away we go...... exciting or what?
Oh, and I have already sorted out three names for the hens, two of which are German names and the other one an English name: Hertha, Bertha and Nora-Batty.
Thank you everyone for all your much-valued help and support and, especially, your patience putting up with all my silly questions. With your help I will, hopefully, be a good 'chook-mum' like all of you seem to be.
28th January 2009
Speedy until today... Unfortunately it poured down with rain all day so that Pep could not assemble the coop/run in my garden yet. However, he has managed to put all the wire onto the run and he also built the nest boxes.
We are hoping for at least a dry spell tomorrow, as Pep really wants to get it finished now. Mind you, so do I!!!
29th January 2009
Well, Karen's dry weather dance has certainly worked - thank you Karen!!!
The run and coop are almost ready, apart from Pep having forgotten to put up a perch and also to fix a door for the coop
A friend of mine has got the perfect perch, which I will fix myself tomorrow, plus another one (a branch from my plum tree) outside. I then will put up a temporary tarpaulin for the run until I find some sturdy plastic to put on. The coop's door...
we shall put something in from the inside to keep the hens safe. I
shall also fix two bolts onto the run's door plus a lock onto which I
can fit a padlock.
Bearing in mind that absolutely everything of the coop and run had been in people's garages the result ain't that bad, I think. Once we have made the back fence completely 'escape-proof' the three hens will be able to enjoy an approx. 80' run.
I know the coop and run are nowhere near as posh as some of yours, however, at least my girls will be able to run free and enjoy the sunshine (when we get it!!!).
As you may be able to see from the photo the coop and run are right next to a rabbit shed (yes indeed, it shows an aircon pipe dangling from the window - all part of my rabbits' creature comforts!!!) from where they, the ex-batts, will also be able to listen to BBC2.
I was very pleased to be able to return one of my benches back to its original place where I can share a tipple or two with the hens and the rabbits.
Unfortunately, I only had about 1 1/2 hours of daylight left when I came home from school this afternoon to make the area loook a little better. I do hope that you think that this set-up will be suitable for my girls.
30th January 2009
I've had nothing but lousy nights' sleep since Mel told me that I would get my three hens this Saturday. What kept me awake was getting the run and coop built and finished on time. But, Pep was absolutely super, he really wanted my girls to come home on Saturday, bless him.
I managed to put up an indoor perch myself by jamming it against one wall of the coop and holding it in place with a cup hook on the other. It most certainly can hold the hens alright without it collapsing beneath them. I also fitted an outside perch from one of the plum tree's cut-off branches. I put up a couple of bits of flat wood and a small paving slab so that the hens won't have to sit on the soil if it's too cold for them. It also means that one can get in there without getting muddy.
I put the tarpaulin up, which took us a while as it was a 'bit' windy
at the time, typical, isn't it? I filled the nestboxes with my nearly
dust-free, soft shavings and topped them up with chopped barley straw -
they won't get a sore bum in my coop!!! There are three nestboxes in the coop.
And Pep will return tomorrow morning to fit the missing coop's door. So yes, we're all done!!
Before the hens' arrival I will drive down to my feed merchant to pick up various types of feed, drinker and two feeders. If I see anything else there no doubt I will pick that up too!!
The timing of this whole affair has been impeccable, absolutely amazing: Be it me stumbling over the link to this lovely forum, the 'booking' of Pep, getting the coop and run built bang on time, and having a collection at the end of it all - everything sorted within, literally, 7 days.
I got some more plans for the run's enclosure: In spring I shall plant 'sweet peas' at the side of it, which can then climb up during the summer months. I will plant another, permanent climber on the right hand side (shed side), which has been waiting for months to be planted out. This will make the run a more integral part of my garden.
Now then - how will I make it through my last, chicken-less night I wonder???
Thank you everyone for making this happen. See you tomorrow afternoon, Mel.
31st January 2009 - the big day has finally arrived.
Sorry to bang on about it but TODAY IS THE DAY!!!! 
Everything and everyone here is ready!
Boy, and what a lousy night's sleep I had!!!
But probably a better one than the hens....
The first hours will indeed be ever so very special, as will the coming days and weeks, of course. I have just put up a second perch for them outside, another plum tree branch to sit on. I keep returning to the run and coop thinking if I had forgotten anything. I just want the hens to feel at home, special and loved, that's all. Poor rabbits will take a back-seat for a while I guess...
I'd better go outside again to clean out the outdoor buns before the snow sets in tomorrow. I am so glad that we were able to do everything before the bad weather arrives.
Linda, from the rescue Free at Last where my ex-batts came from:
It has been lovely reading this thread!
When l started this on August 17th 2004 with our girls Olive Clarissa,Ginger Nellie Pledge and Dolly Pocket
l never imagined that four and a half years later l would still be doing it. 
Every single rescue is so important to me. Every single little hen touches me in a way that l still find hard to believe
As l said on tv, we do change their world because we give these abused girls a life they have had to earn with a sapping of their poor little bodies.
It can be extremely exhausting pulling this all together.......almost as exhausting as the week spent putting this lovely home together for the three lucky lucky girls who are going to begin their life in it.
It is always a sleepless night before a rescue and l don't relax until the hens have all gone to their new homes.
I'm sure we all agree it is well worth it just to make one more little hen "FREE AT LAST!" LINDA
P S Looks like they might see some snow too!!!
P P S We are collecting at least 80 hens today
OH WHAT A DAY..... it most certainly warrants the bottle of white wine I have just started, in celebration of it. Hopefully, I can finish this post before I get totally you-know-what!!!
Before I forget in all the EGGcitement, my sincere thanks go out to Linda's lovely and very thoughtful post.
Then there are a few thank-yous due to all you guys for your special wishes, and last but not least, to Mel and Darren for their hospitality - thank you!!
Well, as so many of you predicted, including Pep, I came home with FOUR birds and not, as originally planned, three. On the way back from my feed merchant I asked myself what I would do if there were any 'spare' birds to give a loving home to? I decided then if Mel thought that my large rabbit carrier was big enough for four birds that I would take home an extra one.
When Mel arrived with the flock I was fighting with emotions... to see all those rescued birds was just so overwhelming to say the least. I looked at them all and I fell in love with a lovely one that looked quite 'intact'. The following three I chose by their 'condition', i.e. 2nd not as good as the 1st chosen bird, 3rd one looking worse than the 2nd one and the 4th one being a 'baldy' which I called Annie.
All four birds sat comfortably in the box so off home I went.
In the meantime Pep had put the missing coop's door up which is working like a guillotine, i.e. sliding downwards. He also re-fitted the run's secure lock, as I had some problems getting two screws in.
I took the carrier box to the run, opened its door and and the run's door and, after some very gentle encouragement the hens walked into their new home. They seemed fine so I went to the car to gradually unload all the feed stuff. As I reached the car I could hear a lot of chicken noise and, God-knows-why I thought that, but I thought that someone else had some chickens as well, as it was so noisy!!! Little did I know......
Went back to check my hens who tested their lungs for England: Much to my amazement the fittest two sat on top of the coop!!! I still find it hard to believe just how they managed to go up there, as it was quite high I thought. Here is the photo of the stronger two having a shouting match with the ones below:
The shed next to them should give you some kind of indication just how high they had been sitting!!!
As I wasn't sure if they would make it down again I put them back with the other two and, from then onwards, they just clucked away quietly, with everyone drinking eating the meal, and with Annie, the baldy, also tucking into the layers' pellets.
Here are some more photos. I know they're not as good as yours, however, they will hopefully give you some idea of how they all settled in. Needless to say that I will bore you to death with future photos so make the most of me only posting five tonight.
Annie, the baldy, is the lightest-coloured one.
By the time dusk arrived the more 'intact' hens had already gone into the coop, bless them. It didn't take me too long to persuade the remaining two to join the others.
All in all a most memorable day, one that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
However, on the way home I could not help but think about all the many, many others that were not as fortunate as mine and, consequently, who never had a real life.... it brought tears to my eyes....
I must admit that I can't wait until tomorrow (another sleepless night??) when I can let them all out again. I have no regrets whatsoever having got my ex-batts. It made me feel good about myself, being able to help in some kind of way.
I wonder if I have already become an EGGcentric, what do you think?
Extract taken from the ex-batts forum http://s1.zetaboards.com/Ex_Battery_Hens/index/
25th January 2009
I just can't believe it! I thought about ex-batts since last summer and now, thanks to the ex-batts forum http://s1.zetaboards.com/Ex_Battery_Hens/index/ all-of-a-sudden it's all happening.
I had my friend's neighbour round this morning and he was only too happy to help. It turned out that he used to keep chickens himself many years ago so he knew exactly what I was looking for. The only thing he said was: "...three hens? Bet you will have more once they arrived!!"
We have been able to make the chicken run and housing area a much bigger one than I had hoped for by moving a large rabbit hutch further down the garden thus creating a really lovely space for the hens, with enough sun and also some shade to keep away from the sun when they need to.
Once the hens have settled we will secure the garden fence better so that, when I am at home, the hens can have the run of the whole garden, all 80' of it.
I am sooooo excited, I can't tell you! Furthermore, this friend's neighbour is a builder by trade, running his own company. He told me that most of the materials needed he would already have thus saving me a lot of money. AND, he wants to start building next weekend, weather permitting.
This is getting better by the minute. I just spoke to Mel and luck has it that she will collect again next Saturday!!!!!!!
I will now let the builder friend know that he's got to get a move with the chicken coop and run
Mel very kindly offered to house my three hens until 'Pep' finished his work and then I will drive down to Mel's to pick up my hens, feed, drinker and feeder.
Thanks again, Mel, for all your help, especially for looking after my three hens. It was lovely talking to you.
Well, the latest news is that Pep agreed to get a move on!!! As a friend of mine has a gate key he immediately agreed to help even more by starting to build the hen house this week rather than next weekend.
I am feeling absolutely shattered now, what a totally unexpected exciting weekend this was! I had to dig up a shrub earlier on and move it to a new location so that the rabbit hutch could move, thus giving the hens a really lovely area to scratch in. My garden is full of worms and don't the robins know it - as soon as I started digging up the shrub they came to investigate.
I think that the next weekend will probably kill me with even more excitement to come!!!
27th January 2009
I have just come back from a friend of mine who told me that Pep, the builder next-door to her, had virtually built and semi-assembled the coop and run already!!!!!!!!!!! He was just waiting for my approval so that he can come to my place - wait for it - tomorrow
to do the final assembly.I am so over the moon with his work. All the wood for it came from my friend's garage, so no expense there. He also had the felt, the wire and the platform to stand the coop on (a brand-new pallet). All he needed to buy in, he said, were the hinges for the run's door. The run itself is about 5'4" high and I can almost stand up straight in there. He has also built a lovely little ramp for the chicks to walk on. Tomorrow, he will build the nest boxes. The perch has also been sorted out.
So, we are well ahead of schedule now.
Mel will sort out the trio for this coming Saturday and away we go...... exciting or what?
Oh, and I have already sorted out three names for the hens, two of which are German names and the other one an English name: Hertha, Bertha and Nora-Batty.
Thank you everyone for all your much-valued help and support and, especially, your patience putting up with all my silly questions. With your help I will, hopefully, be a good 'chook-mum' like all of you seem to be.
28th January 2009
Speedy until today... Unfortunately it poured down with rain all day so that Pep could not assemble the coop/run in my garden yet. However, he has managed to put all the wire onto the run and he also built the nest boxes.
We are hoping for at least a dry spell tomorrow, as Pep really wants to get it finished now. Mind you, so do I!!!
29th January 2009
Well, Karen's dry weather dance has certainly worked - thank you Karen!!!
The run and coop are almost ready, apart from Pep having forgotten to put up a perch and also to fix a door for the coop
A friend of mine has got the perfect perch, which I will fix myself tomorrow, plus another one (a branch from my plum tree) outside. I then will put up a temporary tarpaulin for the run until I find some sturdy plastic to put on. The coop's door...
we shall put something in from the inside to keep the hens safe. I
shall also fix two bolts onto the run's door plus a lock onto which I
can fit a padlock. Bearing in mind that absolutely everything of the coop and run had been in people's garages the result ain't that bad, I think. Once we have made the back fence completely 'escape-proof' the three hens will be able to enjoy an approx. 80' run.
I know the coop and run are nowhere near as posh as some of yours, however, at least my girls will be able to run free and enjoy the sunshine (when we get it!!!).
As you may be able to see from the photo the coop and run are right next to a rabbit shed (yes indeed, it shows an aircon pipe dangling from the window - all part of my rabbits' creature comforts!!!) from where they, the ex-batts, will also be able to listen to BBC2.
I was very pleased to be able to return one of my benches back to its original place where I can share a tipple or two with the hens and the rabbits.
Unfortunately, I only had about 1 1/2 hours of daylight left when I came home from school this afternoon to make the area loook a little better. I do hope that you think that this set-up will be suitable for my girls.
30th January 2009
I've had nothing but lousy nights' sleep since Mel told me that I would get my three hens this Saturday. What kept me awake was getting the run and coop built and finished on time. But, Pep was absolutely super, he really wanted my girls to come home on Saturday, bless him.
I managed to put up an indoor perch myself by jamming it against one wall of the coop and holding it in place with a cup hook on the other. It most certainly can hold the hens alright without it collapsing beneath them. I also fitted an outside perch from one of the plum tree's cut-off branches. I put up a couple of bits of flat wood and a small paving slab so that the hens won't have to sit on the soil if it's too cold for them. It also means that one can get in there without getting muddy.
I put the tarpaulin up, which took us a while as it was a 'bit' windy
at the time, typical, isn't it? I filled the nestboxes with my nearly
dust-free, soft shavings and topped them up with chopped barley straw -
they won't get a sore bum in my coop!!! There are three nestboxes in the coop.And Pep will return tomorrow morning to fit the missing coop's door.
So yes, we're all done!!Before the hens' arrival I will drive down to my feed merchant to pick up various types of feed, drinker and two feeders. If I see anything else there no doubt I will pick that up too!!
The timing of this whole affair has been impeccable, absolutely amazing: Be it me stumbling over the link to this lovely forum, the 'booking' of Pep, getting the coop and run built bang on time, and having a collection at the end of it all - everything sorted within, literally, 7 days.
I got some more plans for the run's enclosure: In spring I shall plant 'sweet peas' at the side of it, which can then climb up during the summer months. I will plant another, permanent climber on the right hand side (shed side), which has been waiting for months to be planted out. This will make the run a more integral part of my garden.
Now then - how will I make it through my last, chicken-less night I wonder???
Thank you everyone for making this happen.
See you tomorrow afternoon, Mel. 31st January 2009 - the big day has finally arrived.
Sorry to bang on about it but TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!
Everything and everyone here is ready!
Boy, and what a lousy night's sleep I had!!!
But probably a better one than the hens....The first hours will indeed be ever so very special, as will the coming days and weeks, of course. I have just put up a second perch for them outside, another plum tree branch to sit on. I keep returning to the run and coop thinking if I had forgotten anything. I just want the hens to feel at home, special and loved, that's all. Poor rabbits will take a back-seat for a while I guess...
I'd better go outside again to clean out the outdoor buns before the snow sets in tomorrow. I am so glad that we were able to do everything before the bad weather arrives.
Linda, from the rescue Free at Last where my ex-batts came from:
It has been lovely reading this thread!
When l started this on August 17th 2004 with our girls Olive Clarissa,Ginger Nellie Pledge and Dolly Pocket
l never imagined that four and a half years later l would still be doing it. Every single rescue is so important to me. Every single little hen touches me in a way that l still find hard to believe
As l said on tv, we do change their world because we give these abused girls a life they have had to earn with a sapping of their poor little bodies.
It can be extremely exhausting pulling this all together.......almost as exhausting as the week spent putting this lovely home together for the three lucky lucky girls who are going to begin their life in it.
It is always a sleepless night before a rescue and l don't relax until the hens have all gone to their new homes.
I'm sure we all agree it is well worth it just to make one more little hen "FREE AT LAST!" LINDA
P S Looks like they might see some snow too!!!
P P S We are collecting at least 80 hens today
OH WHAT A DAY..... it most certainly warrants the bottle of white wine I have just started, in celebration of it. Hopefully, I can finish this post before I get totally you-know-what!!!
Before I forget in all the EGGcitement, my sincere thanks go out to Linda's lovely and very thoughtful post.
Then there are a few thank-yous due to all you guys for your special wishes, and last but not least, to Mel and Darren for their hospitality - thank you!!
Well, as so many of you predicted, including Pep, I came home with FOUR birds and not, as originally planned, three. On the way back from my feed merchant I asked myself what I would do if there were any 'spare' birds to give a loving home to? I decided then if Mel thought that my large rabbit carrier was big enough for four birds that I would take home an extra one.
When Mel arrived with the flock I was fighting with emotions... to see all those rescued birds was just so overwhelming to say the least. I looked at them all and I fell in love with a lovely one that looked quite 'intact'. The following three I chose by their 'condition', i.e. 2nd not as good as the 1st chosen bird, 3rd one looking worse than the 2nd one and the 4th one being a 'baldy' which I called Annie.
All four birds sat comfortably in the box so off home I went.
In the meantime Pep had put the missing coop's door up which is working like a guillotine, i.e. sliding downwards. He also re-fitted the run's secure lock, as I had some problems getting two screws in.
I took the carrier box to the run, opened its door and and the run's door and, after some very gentle encouragement the hens walked into their new home. They seemed fine so I went to the car to gradually unload all the feed stuff. As I reached the car I could hear a lot of chicken noise and, God-knows-why I thought that, but I thought that someone else had some chickens as well, as it was so noisy!!!
Little did I know......Went back to check my hens who tested their lungs for England: Much to my amazement the fittest two sat on top of the coop!!! I still find it hard to believe just how they managed to go up there, as it was quite high I thought. Here is the photo of the stronger two having a shouting match with the ones below:
The shed next to them should give you some kind of indication just how high they had been sitting!!!
As I wasn't sure if they would make it down again I put them back with the other two and, from then onwards, they just clucked away quietly, with everyone drinking eating the meal, and with Annie, the baldy, also tucking into the layers' pellets.
Here are some more photos. I know they're not as good as yours, however, they will hopefully give you some idea of how they all settled in. Needless to say that I will bore you to death with future photos so make the most of me only posting five tonight.
Annie, the baldy, is the lightest-coloured one.
By the time dusk arrived the more 'intact' hens had already gone into the coop, bless them. It didn't take me too long to persuade the remaining two to join the others.
All in all a most memorable day, one that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
However, on the way home I could not help but think about all the many, many others that were not as fortunate as mine and, consequently, who never had a real life.... it brought tears to my eyes....
I must admit that I can't wait until tomorrow (another sleepless night??) when I can let them all out again. I have no regrets whatsoever having got my ex-batts. It made me feel good about myself, being able to help in some kind of way.
I wonder if I have already become an EGGcentric, what do you think?
Extract taken from the ex-batts forum http://s1.zetaboards.com/Ex_Battery_Hens/index/
16th February 2009
It's been 2 1/2 weeks since my four hens - Nora-Batty, Hertha, Bertha and Annie, arrived. At first 'only' two hens had been laying eggs, virtually every day, but now a third hen has also started to lay which is great news.
All hens have settled in extremely well and are now enjoying some of the garden, spending much of their time scratching, sand-bathing and clucking away - doing all the things that they had been denied until their rescue from imminent slaughter.
It's an absolute delight to watch them being Free at Last.
My sincere thank-you goes to Linda from Free at Last, Mel, Karen and all the members from the ex-batts forum.
For further information, how you could help by lending a helping hand or, better still, by giving some ex-batts the loving home they truly deserve, please contact any of the rescues below who all need your help. Thank you.
Free at Last - based in Bedfordshire, we are happy to rehome countrywide providing transport can be arranged. All that we ask is that the hens are going to permanent, loving pet homes, where they will not be culled once they stop laying! We are also happy to re-home to first time hen owners, providing you have suitable accomodation & have done some research.
www.free-at-last.org.uk/
Little Hen Rescue - based in Norfolk and ran by Jo. Little Hen Rescue
http://littlehenrescue.co.uk/default.aspx
Battery Hen Welfare Trust - "We are a charity dedicated to improving the life of the battery hen in TWO ways - we work with farmers to rescue 'spent' battery hens and find them happy homes to live out their retirement. We also give you, the consumer the facts about food, to allow you to make free-range choices - the most important way you can help to free a hen from her cage for good!
The Battery Hen Welfare Trust is unique in that it does NOT condemn the battery farmer, but works in a constructive and positive way with the industry. We do not concur with extremist views or tactics.
WE NEED TO SUPPORT THE BRITISH FARMER TO PRODUCE THE EGGS THAT WE WANT TO EAT."
Hen Rehomers UK is a small, independent group of volunteers who come together for the purpose of rehoming hens who would, otherwise, be slaughtered. Non-profit making organisation whose intention is to operate lawfully, ethically and in the interests of hens at all times.
It's been 2 1/2 weeks since my four hens - Nora-Batty, Hertha, Bertha and Annie, arrived. At first 'only' two hens had been laying eggs, virtually every day, but now a third hen has also started to lay which is great news.
All hens have settled in extremely well and are now enjoying some of the garden, spending much of their time scratching, sand-bathing and clucking away - doing all the things that they had been denied until their rescue from imminent slaughter.
It's an absolute delight to watch them being Free at Last.
My sincere thank-you goes to Linda from Free at Last, Mel, Karen and all the members from the ex-batts forum.
For further information, how you could help by lending a helping hand or, better still, by giving some ex-batts the loving home they truly deserve, please contact any of the rescues below who all need your help. Thank you.
Free at Last - based in Bedfordshire, we are happy to rehome countrywide providing transport can be arranged. All that we ask is that the hens are going to permanent, loving pet homes, where they will not be culled once they stop laying! We are also happy to re-home to first time hen owners, providing you have suitable accomodation & have done some research.
www.free-at-last.org.uk/
Little Hen Rescue - based in Norfolk and ran by Jo. Little Hen Rescue
http://littlehenrescue.co.uk/default.aspxBattery Hen Welfare Trust - "We are a charity dedicated to improving the life of the battery hen in TWO ways - we work with farmers to rescue 'spent' battery hens and find them happy homes to live out their retirement. We also give you, the consumer the facts about food, to allow you to make free-range choices - the most important way you can help to free a hen from her cage for good!
The Battery Hen Welfare Trust is unique in that it does NOT condemn the battery farmer, but works in a constructive and positive way with the industry. We do not concur with extremist views or tactics.
WE NEED TO SUPPORT THE BRITISH FARMER TO PRODUCE THE EGGS THAT WE WANT TO EAT."
Hen Rehomers UK is a small, independent group of volunteers who come together for the purpose of rehoming hens who would, otherwise, be slaughtered. Non-profit making organisation whose intention is to operate lawfully, ethically and in the interests of hens at all times.
Update on the 'girls'
Well, the flock of ex-batts has grown steadily since January, as the ex-batts make such loving and loveable pets.
Very sadly, I lost Bertha and Annie during the year.
Along came Gloria, Trude, Annabel, Freedom and Hope, all thanks to Jo at Little Hen Rescue, Norfolk.
The above girls show Freedom & Hope, who came home to me this month.
I affectionately call them my 'wonky girls', as they both had a leg injury when they were rescued from the battery farm.
They tend to follow me around whenever I am in their part of the garden.
And this is Trude, another lovely hen who shows off her 'floppy hat'.
She still has to feather up a bit, but she has grown a lot of feathers since her arrival.
If you would like to give an ex-battery hen a loving home then please get in touch with one of the hen rescue charities mentioned above. You will never regret that decision!
3rd September 2009
Well, the flock of ex-batts has grown steadily since January, as the ex-batts make such loving and loveable pets.
Very sadly, I lost Bertha and Annie during the year.
Along came Gloria, Trude, Annabel, Freedom and Hope, all thanks to Jo at Little Hen Rescue, Norfolk.
The above girls show Freedom & Hope, who came home to me this month.
I affectionately call them my 'wonky girls', as they both had a leg injury when they were rescued from the battery farm.
They tend to follow me around whenever I am in their part of the garden.
And this is Trude, another lovely hen who shows off her 'floppy hat'.
She still has to feather up a bit, but she has grown a lot of feathers since her arrival.
If you would like to give an ex-battery hen a loving home then please get in touch with one of the hen rescue charities mentioned above. You will never regret that decision!
3rd September 2009
November 2009
I have just come across a dear little hen called 'Freebie', who was recently
rescued by the rescue organisation Free at Last.
I think that 'Freebie' says it all, what battery hens have to endure in their cages.
Here she is, with a completely swollen head. At the moment it is impossible to tell whether or not she has lost the sight in her eyes.
Buying eggs from battery farms actually promotes the keeping of battery hens.
So please, do your bit and do not buy any eggs from battery hens!
Only then will we be able to stop all this cruelty. THINK BEFORE YOU BUY!
More information can be found on Free at Last's website:
www.free-at-last.org.uk/
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