Battery Hens

animalcrazy

Hi does anyone know of a place around Clare/Limerick/Galway that will be clearing out battery hens? Thinking about adopting two or three. Already have ten but would like to adopt some in need.

kerrysgold

Try looking in the phone book for egg farms in your area and ring them up and ask when they are clearing out next and could you buy a few hens? Good Luck! (bear in mind there are thousands, last farm I called had 40,000 hens being "cleared out"! so if you could try and find homes for a few extra..... you could always take a few extra and then find homes for them afterwards, advertise them in the paper etc.)

rliston

can you post up here or send me a pm if you find somewhere, looking for a few as the fox just cleared out my henhouse

animalcrazy

Yup..ok I'm turning this into a mission, I'll do what the first poster said..I'll ring them all up and ask when they are clearing out next and I'll post and try and get people to take some
Thanks

kerrysgold

also try posting on petsireland if you have some looking for homes, there were people interested before on there. good luck with you're mission to save some "ladies"! I'm still trying to get a straight answer about if I can keep some in my garden, the joys of having evil neighbours, have to make sure everything is 110% legal or else they'd have a solicitors letter written before a cockerel could crow lol.

Sigma Force

Check out the homes needed section on petsireland there is a number for a lady called Jennifer she's really nice and she rescues battery hens, last time I looked it was something like a euro per hen as she has to pay the farm to get the hens. With a little tlc they make great pets and great layers.

If anyone does get any would love to see piccies of them in their new found freedom.

If anyone doesn't already buy free range eggs only Aldi do them and they are cheap I mean think of all the things you can make with half a dozen free range eggs.

kerrysgold

I nearly got caught in Aldi though so be careful, the organic eggs say nothing about being free range! you presume organic = free range but after a closer look at the package there was no mention of free range so I suppose just battery hens fed on organic food? I imagine a lot of people have bought them thinking they were free range by mistake.

Sigma Force

It's can be hard to get a box of eggs that is both organic and free range almost sure the ones in the Aldi here are free range not organic but must double check.

I think usually free range are corn fed? However being free range they will also eat insects and other bits n bobs so their diet is varied.

Best way to be sure to be sure is to have your own hens been planning on having some here but we have too many pets atm and will be a while before we can have a set up for hens.

Hubby bought non free range the other day and I could of clobbered him, although it's hard to get anything nowdays that doesn't contain factory farmed chickens. Although Hellmans now use free range eggs I think it's catching on.

animalcrazy

yup organic just means organic food, not free range, my girls must have a luxurious live compared to those poor birds. I'd also encourage people to keep cockerals if they have the space as 1 million male day old chicks are killed by gas or put into machines to mince them!
I'm going to have a look on the golden pages and see if I can get numbers. What I'll do is I'll ring them and get dates for clear outs then I'll get numbers off people who want them.

animalcrazy

Oh and be warned guys, when you get them they won't be in the best of health, they might be missing some feathers because the hens pick eachother, you have to keep them in and slowly introduce them outside because most will have never seen the outside and not used to cold. Some can die a few days after you get them. Basically, don't be put off when you see them, a little tlc will being them along!

Sigma Force

If people are worried then they can always contact Jennifer she has been doing it so long now she will pick out the most fit ones to travel. The poor things do look rough some worse than others but part of the joy of getting ex battery farmed hens is seeing them get nice and fat and feathery again. Some may always have bald patches but they will look lots better.

animalcrazy

found two places already in Gort, I'll try giving them a call and see what happens!

animalcrazy

Give her a call as she would be better then me lol, I think I'll get a few myself though, it will be my good deed for the day! Jennifer is in Cork though so she would probably be concentrating on areas near her?

luckat

You could also ask Dublin Zoo's Pet Corner for advice on care and nurture for the girls - the Zoo used to (and I assume still does) take some former battery hens.

A young lad who had worked there told me this as I bought some sunflower seeds in a garden centre ("You have them hens spoilt," he said, then revealing that when he worked in the Pet Corner he used to keep a plastic bag of mealie worms in his pocket for a treat for the hens there!)

Amimad

Any luck finding Hens in Galway, I'm no supposed to bring anymore animals home, but I dont think 4 dogs & 4 ducks is enough!
My OH is going to kill me:eek:

rororoyourboat

Wow, I had no idea you could resue battery hens! I'm sadly not in the position to do it myself anytime soon, but fair play to those of you who can, it must be so rewarding!

animalcrazy

I was in Lahinch the last two days so haven't got to ring them..I might give Jennifer a ring instead.. I'll look into it a bit more first.

SuzyStar

I will take 2 if you find them, only starting out so baby steps ... can you let me know? thanks

animalcrazy

Hi I am going to ring Jennifer instead because I wouldn't know which ones are healthy enough etc.

rliston

@animalcrazy- have you found any places yet?

damienjoreilly

Thanks for that Mr Aldi.