Battery Hens

[Tom Kirk]

Hi All,

Early this year we saved 14 battery chickens from a farm were they were quitting the battery farming lifestyle (I think because of the prices of wheat). They were selling them for £1 per chicken.
Do people only get battery chickens when a farm were they are quitting the battery lifestyle or do they sell them on after the chickens are past there 'peak' of egg production. If so if people keep on buying battery hens they are helping the process of battery hens? If they can sell the hens to people like us and make £1 from every bird they are making alot more money from the chickens than if they were sold to the cat and dog food industry?
I hate the idea of keeping battery chickens and and also the 'free range' at least them being free range is better than the traditional battery hens but still this is still wrong. They are still massivly over poppulated in there run!
Does anyone think this is correct?

Thanks
Tom

[MINESAPINT]

I can see where you are coming from but would not like to condemn anyone who has bought any ex batts. I was unaware that the battery farms made a charge for their girls though. Maybe some do, maybe some don't?

I also understand that one persons interpretation of "FREE RANGE" may be different from anothers.

Here are my free rangers. All 4 of them with an acre or so to share with 2 goats.

[Thomzo]

I've taken two lots of ex-bats now. I work on the principle that the farmer will still keep battery hens regardless of how he gets rid of them. If he can sell them for more as pets then maybe, just maybe, he will treat them a bit better so that they look nicer and are more attractive to rehomers.

By the way, free range poultry farms also get rid of their hens. They tend to keep them for 3 years and then sell them on.

Cheers
Zoe

[Tom Kirk]

Our Hens are free range aswell - They can go anywere around the place!

Sorry, when I said that 'I hate the idea of keeping battery hens' I ment it before they have been saved!


Thanks
Tom

[Morgs]

I have seven ex battery hens - 2 from last year and 5 that I picked up this year. I don't think the amount of ex batts that the rescuers buy from the farmer, would be enough to sustain him/her in battery farming - the fact is that the public want cheap eggs.

My last 5 were in a dreadful state - bald, weak, dehydrated etc but they look great now. They are not completely free range - I tried that last year and they ate my garden (the whole thing!). They have their own pen, and are allowed out on the lawn in a special pen. I live in the middle of a city with neighbours all around me and so far (touch wood) no-one has complained.

It's my understanding (but I may be wrong) that the slaughterman buys the hens from the farmer for, say 30p each (don't quote me). The battery hen rescuers pay about 50p each, so the farmer makes more of a profit. They generally get rid of them at 52 weeks, when they are not laying enough eggs to make them economically viable - they go for dog food I believe.