Rehome ex-battery hens (and possibly a rooster!)
British Hen Welfare Trust is a wonderful organisation, that rescues chickens due for slaughter at the end of their egg-laying life. To give new homes for chickens and roosters, to people who would otherwise buy chickens from farms, for free-range eggs or simply because they like looking after them.
The charity is keen not to be political, so it maintains good relationships with farmers, in order to help the chickens given to them.
In nature, one rooster has a few ‘wives’ so usually there are also roosters to re-home too. Be prepared to be woken up early! Obviously you have to pass tests to ensure you have the right space and money to buy a big enough coop, and knowledge to feed and care for them (chickens can easily overheat so its important to choose the right materials for a comfortable coop).
The site above is run by experts, who can offer a hen-keeping starter guide and tips on feeding and hot/cold weather, plus details of hen-friendly vets.
Many foods (including flowers like daffodils) are highly toxic to chickens, so it’s really important to learn what not to feed them. These are not birds to just ‘give your leftovers too’, as many foods could harm including:
- Avocado, chocolate and caffeine, alcohol
- Mouldy food and anything rotten
- Salty or sugary junk
- Raw dried beans
- Green potato skins
- Onion and garlic in large amounts
- Xylitol (sweetener)
Hazards around the garden include loose string, rubber bands, rat bait, slug pellets, dirty standing water, and plants like foxglove and yew. Chickens investigate with their beaks.
Let’s All Keep Chickens is a guide from an expert on chicken-care, which covers all the basics including how to keep chickens healthy and avoid pecking. Also learn how to speak chicken, to make care even easier!
How to Keep Chickens Safe from Foxes
Foxes are natural predators or chickens, so obviously good deterrence is key. In the wild, the natural diet of foxes is rabbits and rats, it’s often due to lack of natural habitats that they have come into urban areas.
Tips to deter foxes from attacking chickens include:
- Use plant-based fertilisers (avoid blood/fish based ones).
- One swan sanctuary recommends playing an outdoor camping radio (Radio 4 of people talking over music), this seems to deter).
- Don’t feed foxes. All wildlife rescues say they never see a starving fox, as they are scavengers who can live on anything from carrion (dead meat) to earthworms and fruit. So it’s fine to leave them to find their own food.
British Hen Welfare tips include:
- Use a large chicken-friendly coop with fencing, so hens are free to roam and be happy, but secure from predators.
- Never leave hens out overnight. Put them to bed at dusk (and keep them in secure runs, if you are out during the day).
- Check coops and runs for damage, high winds or snow (can weaken roofs).
- Fixed runs should be at least 5 ft high and laid on grass at right angles, to prevent predators digging underneath.
- Don’t house near overhanging branches, which foxes can use to gain entry.
