Rescue hens

New Home

Unfortunately it's not a Europe-wide thing at all. There is a ruling from 1999, but it was on a phase-out basis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Council_Directive_1999/74/EC

According to figures submitted to the European Commission in 2011, 14 countries were expected to be battery cage free by 1 January 2012. However, six states including Portugal, Poland and Romania admitted they would not be ready, while Spain and Italy, among others, did not know or would not say whether they will meet the deadline. In France one third of egg producers have gone out of business and according to figures of the UGPVB (the industry association) 5% of producers were still not compliant as of January 2012 and have had their licences withdrawn. This has led to fears that cheaper, illegal eggs, particularly liquid egg products, from non-compliant states will flood the market undercutting compliant egg producers. John Dalli, the EU health commissioner, has issued legal warnings to 13 countries over their lack of readiness or effort to enforce the ban. The 13 member states already found to be in breach of the directive are: Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and the Netherlands.

It is clear that beyond the date of the law coming into effect, many hens are still being housed in battery cages. European Commission figures show that more than 47 million hens are still (January 2012) in conventional battery cages across the EU, representing 14.3% of production, although it has been reported this figure might be as high as 23% of EU egg production – equivalent to 84 million hens laying 70 million eggs a day.

15 EU states reported to the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health that they had non-compliant producers. These states were Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, UK, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Romania. Some of these countries, such as Italy and Belgium, admit to having 30% of illegal production.

In the UK, there are approximately 31 million egg laying hens. Over £400 million has been spent to meet the standards. In January 2012, reports stated that figures from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) indicate 423,000 hens on 32 farms in the UK were still being housed in battery cages. This represents a non-compliance rate of 1%.

volchitsa

So it is a European directive, though. It's just that some countries are more reluctant to obey than others, it seems. Damned EU, telling people how to look after their hens! /SARCASM off/ :rolleyes:

DBB

volchitsa wrote: »

I didn't know there were no longer battery hens these days - I have a horrible memory of visiting a nearby battery hen farm as a child (I think my aunt took me, not sure why now) and it was awful.

Are they banned in NI too, do you know? (This was in NI) Perhaps it's even a Europe wide thing? It was clear to me even as a child that it was cruel to the birds.

Oh I think what replaced them could only be deemed marginally better... Actual cages are gone, but the birds are still squashed into impossibly small spaces, and always indoors.
The commercial "free range" eggs bought in many supermarkets are only just that... You're still talking serious density of birds, but they have some degree of access to outside, I think possibly for X amount of time per 24hrs. So, a better life than non free-range, but it's all relative

volchitsa

Yes, thing is I knew many were in very poor conditions, so I'm not surprised to hear that, DBB, I just hadn't realised that the actual battery hen format, that I saw at first hand as a child no longer existed. It's a slight improvement I think.

Personally when I'm buying eggs whose origin I'm not sure of, I always check on the code that is stamped on the egg itself. 0 before the country code is the best, or else 1 at a pinch. But I never take 2 or 3.

New Home

Just a question about code 0 (I know it's slightly off topic, sorry).

The codes on eggs indicate the following:
0 Organic
1 Free-Range
2 Barn
3 Cage
IE Ireland
12345 Producer ID

Code 0 indicates Organic, but that doesn't necessarily mean free-range, or does it? Potentially, could the hens be kept in cages or in barns, but fed organic food?

Anne_cordelia

New Home wrote: »

Just a question about code 0 (I know it's slightly off topic, sorry).



Code 0 indicates Organic, but that doesn't necessarily mean free-range, or does it? Potentially, could the hens be kept in cages or in barns, but fed organic food?

Nope. There are stringent rules around housing, crowding of birds, outdoor time, feed, non use of antibiotics etc to be organic. Organic birds have a better life for sure.

New Home

Ah brilliant, thanks.

volchitsa

Anne_cordelia wrote: »

Nope. There are stringent rules around housing, crowding of birds, outdoor time, feed, non use of antibiotics etc to be organic. Organic birds have a better life for sure.

Yes, my understanding is that organic includes the idea of free range as a minimum, and then the restrictions on antibiotic etc follow on from that - partly because the antibiotics become necessary when animals are kept in such intensive conditions.

Whispered

Thanks DBB that makes sense.

No perching attempts yet. They broke out of their hen house last night though. Well this morning, door shoved clean off. In fairness it's old and wouldn't have been that hard, so it's been repaired. Little wagons

New Home

Chicken Run - Part II, eh?

Whispered

New Home wrote: »

Chicken Run - Part II, eh?

Haha brilliant.

em_cat

Oh please keep this thread going, I love reading all the posts about the hens, I’ve always wanted some as I love the clucking & cooing but don’t think they’d be too happy on our balcony and between the GP’s, Chichilla & dog, we are very quickly becoming over run and we have dreadful issues with foxes.

Graces7

I love just knowing the hens are here. And that I can hear them clearly in the house. Such a comforting sound.

Already they are individuals. I am hand feeding through the mesh and one comes and stays. The other grabs the food and runs to the back, turns her back and eats there.. Hens make sense of the term "pecking order.."

Fine birds and I think a year old.

sdp

Whispered wrote: »

Thanks DBB that makes sense.

No perching attempts yet. They broke out of their hen house last night though. Well this morning, door shoved clean off. In fairness it's old and wouldn't have been that hard, so it's been repaired. Little wagons

Clever girls! I sometime think we don't give them enough credit for their brain power:eek: might be worth putting a perch in their pen, get their legs used to perching, hopefully their natural instinct to perch will kick in, then maybe lift them on perch when they go to bed, some photo of all your girls is a must

Whispered

There's a perch in the henhouse but in wondering if there's enough room around it. It's got the height of the roof, I'll have a proper look later, maybe I can bring it down a bit. For now they're piling on top of each other.

One egg yesterday and none this morning. They don't seem to touch their food at all. Spend the day pecking and scratching the ground though.

Graces7

Whispered wrote: »

There's a perch in the henhouse but in wondering if there's enough room around it. It's got the height of the roof, I'll have a proper look later, maybe I can bring it down a bit. For now they're piling on top of each other.

One egg yesterday and none this morning. They don't seem to touch their food at all. Spend the day pecking and scratching the ground though.

My two are eating well after being neglected. They were at the pier and when we landed would rush to us. crooning well too...

Graces7

Graces7 wrote: »

My two are eating well after being neglected. They were at the pier and when we landed would rush to us. crooning well too...

Another egg. If I remember right, they used to average 5 eggs a week. Changing their food would put them off lay a bit .

Whispered

I figured that it's the feeder that is putting them off. Little fella took himself up with a handful of food and scattered it for them and they ate. So I'll do a combination of both for a while then cut back on the scattering. We introduced some scraps today, namely corn on the cob I burned slightly and some tomatoes the boy picked before fully ripe, they seemed delighted.

DBB

Lol... Sweetcorn is like heroin here
Try scattering the food around the feeder... They'll soon get it.

Graces7

Whispered wrote: »

I figured that it's the feeder that is putting them off. Little fella took himself up with a handful of food and scattered it for them and they ate. So I'll do a combination of both for a while then cut back on the scattering. We introduced some scraps today, namely corn on the cob I burned slightly and some tomatoes the boy picked before fully ripe, they seemed delighted.

Mine are eating from the dish. But they have been half-starved so they will eat wherever food is.. ... lovely to see their enthusiasm

When I had hens before I always scattered. They were totally free range 24/7 as there were no predators there.

Graces7

The chickabiddies have gone into overdrive,, I guess they are happy..

angeldaisy

mine play bob- apple with sweet corn it's hilarious to watch!

Graces7

Well, I have the sweetest, friendliest hens that ever lived..

I hand fed them in the coop for several days, talking to them, keeping them in.

When I let them out my heart was in my mouth! Were they going to go crazy, fly around, escape..... YOU know..

They querulously crooned their way delicately out, YOU know the way hens walk when they are unsure. Foot up, claws clenched...

When I went in the house? They came as near as they could to where i had blocked the way, and sang there half the day...

Three days on and they stay near the house. Go back in when I put the food in..

One likes it here so much she is trying to go broody.. Worry not; I am on to her... Nipping this in the bud..follow the crooning...

scarepanda

Woohoo! Hens pen finally started! Got my delivery of pallets (my dad and husband collected them for me yesterday!) To build the wall. I'm hoping it will provide a bit more structural strength to the fence over just wire which will help stop one of the dogs trying to break in.

Now to sort a hen house out, considering either building one, or buying a cheap garden shed and dickying up to suit.

Whispered

Having an almost total egg strike here. 2 eggs in the past 3 days. Is this just because they're settling in?
However the ladies are getting cheeky and funny. Ran squawking towards the toddler today when he walked in with a bowl of food. They no longer scatter when a dog goes to the fence. Bigger one allowed the toddler to touch her today while she was pecking. So eggs or no, they're giving us a lot.

On the subject of food. I'm still scatter feeding and also giving a tray of food. But how much should I be giving? They act half starved. I assume their constant pecking on the ground is as much a behavioural thing as a necessity for food?

scarepanda

They are always hungry, even when they are full! The pecking and scratching is just their thing

sdp

@ Whispered, do they have access to layer pellets and grit at all times? you'd be surprised how much they eat! I don't scatter feed as there can be a draw to other furry friends (rats) and crows, as I found out few years ago! best thing worked for me is one hanging feeder, and one wall feeder, grit also on wall, so they can feed ab -lid, treats only in the evening in the pen,

Whispered

I do have feeders but they're not eating from them. Yesterday was the first time they ate from their tray. Constant access to food & grit in the feeders (which they don't eat) and then scattered pellets twice a day. Plus treats "before bed" and we'd go up to see them a few times a day and the toddler always wants to bring food so I hope they're getting enough. Hungry things!

Lady Haywire

Hen can go up, hen can't get down:pac:

*dramatic sigh*

Graces7

Whispered wrote: »

Having an almost total egg strike here. 2 eggs in the past 3 days. Is this just because they're settling in?
However the ladies are getting cheeky and funny. Ran squawking towards the toddler today when he walked in with a bowl of food. They no longer scatter when a dog goes to the fence. Bigger one allowed the toddler to touch her today while she was pecking. So eggs or no, they're giving us a lot.

On the subject of food. I'm still scatter feeding and also giving a tray of food. But how much should I be giving? They act half starved. I assume their constant pecking on the ground is as much a behavioural thing as a necessity for food?

Do a very diligent search... every tuft of grass etc! Hens are very protective of their eggs and will hide them in the tiniest places.

I was thinking earlier, no eggs, then I looked where one hen liked to hide and found FOUR.. 2 from each hen as they have different shells.

If you do not find and remove them, the hen may go broody and stop laying. One of mine is on the verge..
4 or 5 eggs a week from each hen is fine although mine are exceeding that now.