Bet they don't know how to perch either! I had one and it had to learn!

Spatz - they are probably used to gettin their water through dfeeding tubes. We had this problem with ours when he had the farm. We rigged up drippers with plastic straws poked through the sides of coke bottles enough to drip into a dish and slowly trained them to change from 'heads up to drink' to 'heads down and lift your own head to swallow' mode. It only took a few days by gradually lowering the height of the dripper. They don;t need a lot of water, if you give them plenty veg, they get most of their moisture needs from that. Have they been debeaked. That makes it harder for them.

Cheers
Cosmic

We rescued some from those places too, no problems eating or drinking
But they sure has problems getting up on the perch of a night
So hubby who is a real softie for birds especially caged chooks.
Built them a mini ramp so they could walk up to the perch,
And it looked wonderful seeing them trotting up there of a night.
Best of luck and I hope they settle in Ok ....Cheers..MM.

We rigged up drippers for ours too only we put a hole in a plastic soft drink bottle and gradually lowered it down to the water also needed a ramp when it was really hot gave them a light spray with the hose
Bev

if you can borrow a bird that knows how to feed, roost, drink, dust bath etc - that's all you need. the battery hens soon pick up what's needed to survive.

it took me about three weeks to change two battery hens (poor little de-beaked sad little things) into lively members of the flock

I'm still trying to work out where the batteries go.
I'm sorry. Like someone said, they will pick it up from "normal"chickens.

What a wonderful thing to do for those poor defenceless little creatures.
Cheers,
Dee...who only buys free range.

Thanks for all the suggestions. They seem to have settled in well. They have discovered how to walk about (yes, they even have to learn how to walk!), dust bathe, scratch around, enjoy the straw... One even sat in the laying barrel and laid an egg in there! They are curious about everything and are fast learners.

They are still more comfortable inside the chook shed, in the corners, than out in the open enclosure.

We haven't made a ramp up to the perches yet, that'll come soon. One day at a time.

They have laid 3 eggs yesterday afternoon, and 7 today, so far! I wish they'd take it easy and just relax.

They are scrawny things, partly denuded, beaks cut back, and yesterday I felt like crying when I looked at them. And then I felt like driving right back to the guy who we bought the chickens off and put HIM in that tiny cage and cut off a few things.

Today they look a lot happier. We are less stressed, too. :)

Our 'old' chooks are curious about this new lot, too. They stand outside the enclosure (the chook shed and enclosure are divided in two) and have a good look at them. Charles, the rooster, is getting really excited, I think. ;)

Please to hear that you poor chooks are going good..Well Done !!!!!
I bet they love their new home.........Cheers..MM.

Good to hear chooks are settling in well. To teach them how to perch we go to the pen at night and lift them up onto the perch for a couple of nights. the last lot we got returned to the group quicker than we could get them on the perch, after about two weeks they got the idea. Usually only one or two nights and the chooks realise they feel 'safer' on the perch.

Hi Spatz,
We rescued 12 from the battery tbhis year in two lots. They are all doing well now and growing some feathers back etc. (The bald ones were perhaps cooler in hot weather :) ) I built a ladder/ramp for them and also placed them up on the top perch a few times. Now they go up and down to the nesting boxes and lay eggs very well. The hard thing for me was watching the 'pecking order' get sorted out. two months down the track and they are great pets that greet me as I walk up the yard. I let them loose on 2 1.2 acres and they love it! Good on you for rescuing them. I wish we could stamp out the battery thing altogether!!!!! Daniel

Good on you, Spatz. I can only imagine what they look like. But at Camp Chook Heaven I bet they bounce back in no time. I spent $188 at the vet on the Rhode Island Ed half eaten by a dog. She is back to perfect health now.

What is $188 Grub? 600 eggs :-)? I bet your chooks will repay you in no time.

Nah, I spent another $60 gettiing her euthanased. Infection came back after 6 weeks on a quadruple-strength does of antibiotics. Her eye closed up and that was that. Spent about $270 on the chook :(

Ah well I think she is in chooky heaven now.

Picked up a new one of Friday and she's a real lady. Ver cultured. Even though she has a hairlip kinda beak. The only one of the flock that didn't bolt when I entered the seller's run. Laying already. I feel sorry for them all.

Cheers, grub.

Admirable Spatz. I won't go near animals in cages. I get this overwhelming urge to set them loose, or buy their freedom. I have to walk hurriedly past the dogs on sale at the local shows. Crikies, I can't even use the beautiful compost I made, two huge heaps, because they're full of worms and I can't bear the thought of killing them.

Hopeless from Armidale!

I'm very happy to report that the new chooks are settling in incredibly well. They are all now laying in the nesting boxes. Their feathers are growing back pretty well, too.

They are extremely friendly. They run towards us as soon as they see us. Then they stay around your feet and start pecking, scratching, and clucking. They are quite happy to have pats, too.

They are now outside the shed and enclosure the whole day and have the run of the whole place (except the vegie patch, of course).

They seem to be a very happy lot. :)

Only new thing at the moment which they haven't worked out yet is the rooster. When he makes his advances they either step aside elegantly or fluff up their feathers and tell him in no uncertain terms to bugger off. He keeps his distance now most of the times.

That's flirting!

When our first chooks, Pauline, Myf, Mona, Brenda, Morag and Fat Annie spotted Big Tony the Rhode Island Red with a pink gumboot fetish, they would compete with each other to fluff up but all the time pretending they weren't interested. Then on his approach they would get snotty but secretly whisper out the corner of their mouths, " meet me behind the chook shed at 1/4 to 4 ". Somehow we managed to get plenty second generation chickies but we never saw the dirty deed - not so with the guinea fowl but that's another story.........

You all have such wonderful stories about saving those poor hens. It's really nice to see so many take an interest and help these girls out.
Does anyone know of any places around Brisbane (within and hour away roughly) that sells off battery hens? I'm interested in getting a few but have no idea where to look.
Thanks ^_^