Re-homing ex-battery hens
Re-homing ex-battery hens 
Giving a free range home to ex-battery hens is enormously
rewarding, they make great pets and soon become part of the
family. Knowing where your eggs come from and the reward
of providing happy homes for these hard working girls makes
re-homing an extremely rewarding experience.
Ex-battery and ex-barn hens will soon settle into their new
lives and are easy to look after. They tend to be friendly and
confident, once they have settled in to their new home and are
used to regular handling, but there are a few specifics to bear
in mind when settling them in.
What to expect
Farm life will have been very different to the life you introduce
your hens to and an adjustment period is to be expected.
Physical Appearance
Some newly re-homed ex-battery hens may be unsteady on
their legs and underweight.They tend to have pale combs
and some degree of baldness. All these conditions will soon
improve with a balanced diet and the right care.
Stress
It really important to keep the hens as quiet as possible and
allow them to explore their new home in their own time.
Fitness 
Due to their previous confined existence, newly re-homed
ex-battery hens tend to be very unfit. It can take several
weeks to develop the muscle strength necessary to jump up
to a roost or nest box so you may need to provide a ramp in
order for the birds to access these areas.
Beaks
You will notice that battery and barn hens are almost
always de-beaked, this is where the top beak is cut back.
The hens will have learnt to live and eat with these beaks so
it should cause them no discomfort. Their new free ranging
life will cause the bottom beak to eventually wear down and
form a more natural shape - do not be tempted to trim the
beak in any way.
Mixing your hens with an established flock
If you have an existing flock of hens you wish to mix your
ex-battery hens into, it is best to leave the introductions for
a few weeks. This will help the re-homed hens to develop
sufficient strength and confidence to withstand any bullying
from the other hens.
The importance of diet
A major advantage of keeping hens free range is that they 
have plenty of room to scratch about looking for food,
including insects, seeds and young, green shoots. These
will all contribute towards a healthy diet, but to ensure
that every hen receives the correct nutrition they need for
really tasty eggs, a complete feed (pellets or crumb) should
be used. Grit is also essential for efficient digestion and of
course clean, fresh drinking water at all times is vital.
The Smallholder Ex-Bats Range is specially formulated for
the welfare and condition of Ex-Battery hens. The Ex-Bats
Range will provide your birds with not only with the best
start to their new lives but it is also a feed
for life.
- Increased high quality protein
- Contains sources of Omega 3 oils
- Elevated calcium levels
- Boosted levels of Vitamin E providing
extra anti-oxidants
- Higher levels of vitamins and minerals
- Herbs such as nettle, fenugreek and garlic
- Pre-biotics are included to maintain a
healthy digestive system
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