ex battery hens in Ireland

[The Waxbill]

Do any of our members based in Ireland where you can get ex battery hens in Ireland?

Ger.

[Camile]

Hello,

Yes you can indeed ..

we got some last summer.

You will find the contact details on that website:
http://countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.o ... t1105.html

Ours are still doing ok .. and are well used to free range life nowadays ...

Camile

[shell]

I`m looking to get some once dh agree`s,i have made a note of your website ,thought you might like to look at the one i found,it was :on www boards .ie
the only thing stopping us is the jack russell we adopted ,he tends to chase our old cat and nearly killed her,so i wonder how chickens would fare.we have a compound erected but he can dig his way in,mmm perhaps a muzzle would do the trick

[Camile]

Hi Shell,

would you have the exact link to the thread please ?

But I think they might be the same person .. as I have never heard anyone else doing it so far.

But them hens are not the best to get for first timer, as they need some proper looking after .. because you are bound to have some going downhill and it's tricky enough for some of them to get them back on track.

I've been keeping chickens for a while now and rehabilitating those was still a challenge ..

Camile

[shell]

found the link,finally! it takes me to fizzywitch.com as well as clareanimal rescue,and to you camile ,so can you tell me what to get?if rescue arent suitable,i don`t want little chicks really,i dont want them for the table , just lay eggs and become pets when they stop laying,i also want a couple of ducks too,i have 2 plastic pits to use for them,by this easter we should ready if we can sort out the dog problem,

[The Waxbill]

Thanks for your help.

Ger.

[Odsox]

I`m looking to get some once dh agree`s,i have made a note of your website ,thought you might like to look at the one i found,it was :on www boards .ie
the only thing stopping us is the jack russell we adopted ,he tends to chase our old cat and nearly killed her,so i wonder how chickens would fare.we have a compound erected but he can dig his way in,mmm perhaps a muzzle would do the trick

I have always had Jack Russells and chicken and they have always been OK together Shell.
In fact they go together very well as in country areas keeping chicken quite often attracts rats but a Jack Russell will soon put a stop to that.
If/when you do get some, just keep them apart for a few days until the hens get acclimatised and used to their surroundings and then introduce your dog (on a lead) and I'm sure they will live happily every after

[Camile]

Hello,

I would agree with Odsox, terriers can be troublesome with chickens .. but not all of them ..

a few friends have them along their free range chickens and they don't bother them ..

apparently you can train a terrier not to kill things .. might be easier said than done .. but it's well worth a try ..

as for what chickens to get, to start with I would simply get any chickens you fancy the look of, the best bet being getting some point of lay pullets .. they will serve you well for years to come .. you could get the standard laying hens (ISA brown) commonly found anywhere in Ireland ..

they are simply "pre-battery" hens for most of them .. so you are still doing your bit for them .. except that you got them before the nightmare started .. not after !

because chicks can be troublesome to start with and takes a while before being productive ..

You might be far from us otherwise you could have come down our way and we could have get you started with a few.

Good luck,
Camile