A new Cockerel!

Hi Ann its michelle, just wonfering when u will be getting the Turkeys this year? Please let me know. Hope u both r keeping well look forward to seeing u oth in the near future
All my love Michelle (stickney)

Dear Ann,we have been successfully been keeping 6 ex batts for a couple of years running about a 20ftx20ft patch.

They look like some kind of Rhode island x and have been providing about 3/4 eggs a day. Recently (as expected) production has dropped to about 2 eggs a day. As we are a bit veggie these hens will hopefully all die of old age. This may take some time.

My question is this; when we are down to say three could we introduce another 6 ex batts or will they fight too much?

Also would these hens be traumatised by a cockerel?

Hi there. Ex batts are usually a Rhode Island Cross of some sort. Goldlines, Warrens, Hi-Sex and ISA's, all similar looking birds.

Sometimes although ex batts are often gentle creatures, once they have been used to being real chickens again, they don't always take kindly to additions, even thought eh additions outnumber them, or you may find the newbies are the ones to cause trouble are they are so traumatised by the battery cage experience they've had.

Your run size is good, but is your chicken house big enough for say 8 birds? It wuld be better if you could even them up a bit and say when you re down to 4, get another 4. they will still bicker, they will stil peck at each other as they pass and will probably stay in 2 little groups for some time. But eventually you will see them all together as one flock, once they get the pecing order sorted!

I was recently given, older Amberlinks and 2 older Warrens. One night I put them all in with my laying hens. There wasn't too much arguing, but for about 2 weeks I had 3 little groups. the 17 layers in one group. the 2 amberlinks in another and the 2 warens in the third group.

Now they are one flock and are happy apart from the odd peck in passing!

good on you for rescuing these poor little girls. they've had a hard life and deserve a good retirement!

Not too sure about how they wuld take to a cockerel. We had one couple who owned a pub near by. they bought 10 Babcocks from us. A couple of weeks later they said oh we'd like a cokcerel running around. the customers would like to see that. So we gave them Rocky, who was living on his own with us, but did have 16 girls when he lived on an allotment.

2 days later the couple rang up and asked us to take him back as he wasbeing killed! The 10 Babcocks kept attacking him, and they were only 20 weeks old at the time. His lovely collar, whch looks like a light sssex collar was red with blood. Poor Rocky, so we brought him back home where he still lives on his own, but when I've got a bigger house for him, I want to give im just a couple of girls to keep him company!

Dear Ann, thanks for your prompt reply. Our chicken shed is a standard 6×4 tool shed (well insulated) so I guess its okay.

We'll maybe look at getting 4 more when we are down to 4 to keep it even.

Not sure about the cockerel its just that we have been offered one a few times.

Best regards