A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (16 page)

There are several organizations that rescue battery hens. This doesn’t mean they break into battery houses in the dead of night and liberate the inmates: they try to find new homes for hens who are of no more use commercially.

Some agencies make a small charge for the hens they re-home, while others ask for a donation.

Ex-battery hens are often in poor condition and have no knowledge of the outside world. They need extra care but the rescue organizations are supportive and helpful. These hens have been used to a carefully controlled diet and should initially be fed similar food. They may also need encouragement to drink from a container. Their day has been artificially controlled so they probably won’t understand when it is bedtime or what to do when the pop-hole is opened in the morning. They will struggle to manage a steep ramp.

Most hens quickly adapt and enjoy their new way of life. Their feathers grow back and fitness improves. Adopters of battery hens usually find it very satisfying, especially as they are such tame and friendly birds.

Their trusting nature can make them vulnerable to danger and they may be at risk when free-ranging, especially when first released.

Amber

Bluebelle

Felicity – before and after rehousing

The hens may not continue laying in industrial quantities but once they have settled down will often lay a respectable amount. There will also be some who stop laying altogether, and it’s unlikely that battery hens will continue to lay into old
age. These hens haven’t been bred to become pensioners, and although a few might reach a good age, most won’t live for more than another three years at best.

Although the rescue organizations don’t re-home obviously unhealthy hens, sometimes hens die soon after adoption, although they appear to be well. This may be distressing for the new owners, who can at least console themselves that they have given these hens the chance of a new life.

Pure-Breed Chickens

It can be difficult enough choosing which hybrid to keep, but that’s nothing to the agonies of decision when you come to choosing pure-breed chickens.

The pure-breeds offer a vast choice from the practical to the downright flamboyant. You can have tiny bantams or gentle giants. Some are cute and cuddly, while others are cold and aloof. You will find chickens with amazing hair-dos, beards, whiskers or feathered legs and feet. Most breeds come in a variety of colours too.

Cockerels are easily available, allowing you to breed and improve your stock. Some pure-breeds are rare or endangered, so you may like the idea of supporting and preserving these chickens. They also make an interesting talking point, especially if kept in the garden – a change from discussing the roses, perhaps?

Here are some considerations when choosing pure-breeds:

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While they can’t usually match the hybrids for laying prowess, many of the pure-breeds can certainly perform well. If eggs are important, you should choose your breed carefully and try to find a productive utility strain – one that hasn’t lost some of its laying abilities due to selective breeding for showing.

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Only a few pure-breeds lay in winter, while some will go broody in spring, which stops egg production.

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Pure-breeds tend to continue laying for more years than hybrids and may live longer too. My Leghorn hen is at least seven years old and still produces an egg every other day in season – but she takes a long rest over winter too.

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Pure-breeds can offer other services apart from eggs. Broodiness can be an advantage if you want to hatch some chicks and many of them are good table birds.

There are many attractive pure-breeds that require no more maintenance than any other chicken, but special features will require extra attention:

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Birds with heavily feathered feet should be kept in dry conditions to avoid a build-up of mud between their toes. These chickens are reputed to be less likely to dig up the garden – although I had a Pekin Bantam who could make a mean dust-bath and my big Cochin cockerel loved to make himself comfortable in the flowerbed.

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If ‘low-slung’ chickens with fluffy feathers close to the ground are to free-range, they will need a clean, well-ventilated henhouse to dry off overnight.

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Crests and beards should be regularly inspected for mites. A narrow-lipped drinker will be necessary to keep feathers from becoming wet and soiled.

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Large combs and wattles can be at risk of frostbite – rubbing in Vaseline helps to protect them.

Picking Pure-Breeds

Some pure-breeds are not really suitable for beginners or can be rare and difficult to find. Entire books have been compiled on chicken breeds alone, but this is a selection of those breeds that are commonly available and likely to be of interest when starting out.

The pure-breeds are divided into different classes; understanding these will help when deciding which birds are best suited to your needs.

Chickens may be either hard- or soft-feathered.

Hard feather
refers to the closely fitting plumage of the ‘game breeds’, which were originally bred for fighting.

Now that cock-fighting is illegal, game breeds are kept for showing and still have a devoted following. A particular quality of these birds is ‘attitude’, and they will tend to reflect their fighting origins: the hens can be aggressive with each other and the males may fight to the death. Mixing them with other breeds isn’t advisable and they are best kept in small groups. The game breeds are not the greatest layers but make very protective mothers. Although pugnacious amongst themselves, game birds are usually easy to tame and can become extremely attached to their owners – but they aren’t particularly suited to the beginner.

Game breeds include: Old English Game, Modern Game (especially bred for showing), the Asil and the Shamo (both Asian breeds).

Soft feather
refers to all the other chicken breeds. Their plumage is looser and sometimes very fluffy.

Soft-feathered chickens are separated into light, heavy and bantam breeds.