Well the old girls seem to have completely lost interest with the new ones, so no more fighting. The two new girls are still separated and in their runs, I'm hoping it won't be too much longer until they can play freerange, but they still haven't got the hang of going to bed when its dark.
The new hens especially Bellatrix eat so much, you can definatly tell they have been starved all their lives so far. Bella really enjoyed her few chips the other day.
And we have also fed both girls corn by hand, they were both gentle unlike the first time we tried to feed bella when we first got her and she tried to take my finger off- good thing they don't have teeth.
You can definatly see that sping is on the way, I have seen Phoenix several times darting around the lawn chasing flys. She looks so crazy whilst doing it because you can't see the fly shes chasing so all you can see is her darting forwards doing quick changes in direction.
The girls have had a scary visitor this week in their garden, a baby bunny. It really worried Sophia and Phoenix when it hopped towards them, and both girls had to run away screaming and they didn't spot crying until they jumped up onto the bench out of reach of this scary furry thing.

Jane

Yesterday I looked out of the window and saw Bella enjoying the sunshine and having a dust bath, I am amazed at how well these two girls have adapted to a completly foreign world in only about 3 weeks. Now when we go out in the garden they run up to the mesh and are looking for food, Bella just gobbles everything up whilst Greta isn't always that interested she usually just picks at the food which one time drove my little bantem hens crazy I had given them some pasta, a favorite, they eat theres whole whilst Bella was eating hers slowly. Both Petra and Sophia were trying to get through her mesh run to get her pasta until Bella managed to swollow it. The girls then noticed that Greta had just left her peice of pasta in her run, well Petra and Sophia just went crazy tying to get to that pasta unfortuantly for them with no luck.

Our backyard civil war seems to have calmed down, the original girls seem to have lost interest in the new girls and are now ignoring them,until one day when they are let loose in the garden, I think then the trouble will start again but that won't be for some time.

Jane

Weird question you might ask but our battery hens seem to be. I know that hens can’t see in the dark, our other girls just go into their hutch when it starts getting dusky and go to sleep. However for Greta and Bellatrix nighttime is a new concept since they will have been used to having the light on most of the time in the barn. When it starts getting dark they look all panicky and I have seen Bella jump into the wire mesh 5-6 times now, I think she was trying to get out of her run and away from the dark- not particularly good thinking as it ends up with a bumped head. Bella now seems to have worked out that when we go out in the evening and gently push her with a stick that she has to go in her hutch and the doors locked, Greta however has not. This results in her being pushed a lot whilst she ignores us and continues pecking at the ground or trying to step over the stick which is in her way…… some time later we manage to trap her and as soon as the girls are locked away they start to cry. I don’t think they like being stuck in the dark.

I think our girls have experienced most types of weather, sun, wind, rain (and a lot of it), sleet, hail and some snow. We saw Bella eating the snowflakes. At the moment it’s raining heavily and I’m pleased to see the new girls are in their hutches sheltering themselves. The 3 others I have seen have been sheltering under our bamboo, one hen in particular is staying under there a little too long…… we have a broody!!

Phoenix, as cute as she is, is a very broody chicken always trying to hatch her eggs or apple cores or kiwi fruit or anything lumpy to sit on. So she’s not allowed anywhere near the nest. But she is very determined and if we just overlook closing the hutch door for a minute, she’s in there so fast. Which makes things awkward to Petra and Sophia who keeps wanting to go into the hutch to lay their eggs but the door is closed, so every now and again we hear a hen crying to be let in.

Phoenix’s broodiness caused trouble at the beginning of the week; the other two hens (especially Petra) were wound up with the battery hens being in their garden that when Phoenix turned broody they started attacking her, which meant she had to be separated for a few days. When she’s broody she does tend to be picked on more because all of the sudden she starts making funny clucking noises and starts ruffling her feather which the hens mistake as aggression.

The battery hens are progressing really well. They have really got the hang of scrabbling at the ground looking for food.
They are having some eggs, not as reliable as the other girls, but we didn’t think they would be, they seem to have an egg every 3 days or so. I think Greta has had the most so far.

I’ll finish for now

Jane

Here is our Girl's first weeks story.

26th March 2008 Wednesday
Rescue Day.

For the first time in over a year the girls leave their barren cages and unknown to them and another lucky 598 freedom and happiness is about to happen for them. Very excited we set off for our 5 hour return trip to collect them for Lancashire. Our two new girls were waiting for us at the rescuers house, on straw, a new experience for the girls only ever having been on wire. We scooped up the girls (at 2pm) and put them into their cardboard travelling box where they sat quietly on the way home occasionally putting their heads through the air holes in the box. When we stopped at the petrol station one of the hens put her head right out of the whole in the top to look around, very much like a periscope. When we got them home we put them into their new hutch, kept inside at first since the hens were used to warm conditions. After staring at them for a while we left them be. By late evening we were a little concerned that they hadn't eaten or drank anything, I had read that this happens, even though we were giving them the same food they didn’t recognise it in a bowl as they get all their food from a moving conveyer belt and they don't get their water from a bowl either. So at 11.30pm we were trying to convince to shell-shocked hens to drink and eat and it wasn't until we had forcibly pushed their beaks into the water that they started to drink. Greta-the most threadbare with a naked neck and heavy feather damage on her shoulders and wings- seemed to pick up the concept of drinking quickly however the other hen- still currently unnamed which most of her feathers but still threadbare around neck and wings with a bald patch on her head- didn't quite get the knack straight away she would put her beak in but a little too far and the water would go up her nose (she's just about got it now) and they both pecked at the food. So we left them for the night.

Thursday

When we checked on them in the morning we realised that Greta had been attacked by noname (hopefully by tomorrow she will be named) she was cowering and had a bloody comb. We decided to put them out in the run-hutch attaches to the run- so that they have some space and if noname wants to attack, Greta can get away. However noname was more vicious than we thought she stayed in the hutch most of the time but when she came out she beat on Greta, leaving her frightened and not daring to move from the end of the run even though it was raining and she had stopped eating and drinking so we decided to separate her. We locked her in the hutch and noname in the run-it had stopped raining- whilst I went out for an hour. When I returned we brought Greta inside and put her back in her travelling box and I gave her some Reiki-hand on healing- to help her came down. She sat for a while looking sleepy and then I got her a bowl of food and water which she tucked into. We kept her in the box. Noname seemed quite content by herself, now that she was allowed back in the hutch she spent most of her time in there. We brought her in at night. All five of our girls had eggs!! An amazing 5 egg day. The other girls (all bantams)- Petra, a welsummer who’s in charge but she is rather jumpy and skittish, Sophia who’s in the middle another welsummer and phoenix who I have to admit is kinda our favourite is bottom she is a partridge Wyandotte and my personal favourite breed of hen she is such a sweet little hen with little brain and is a persistent sitter continually going broody to the point you can set your clock by her- paid little attention to them.

Friday

Noname was happy to be in her run and hutch again, but poor Greta stayed inside in her box whilst a new hutch was being made for her, though she didn’t seem too upset we left the box lid open and she just stood there with her head peeping out. Both were eating and drinking fine but only their dry layers mash that they were used to, I fed them bread but they had no idea what to do with it so they left it. Our bantams took interest in noname and Petra and Phoenix were seen attacking through the mesh, noname twice the size fighting back.
Noname didn’t seem too fazed by her new surroundings and seems to be settling in well.

Saturday

Greta now has her new hutch that she seems all happy with, but no run yet as that was still being built so we took the lid of and put some mesh over so she had daylight. She seemed much calmer and she didn’t seem overwhelmed. By mid-afternoon her run was finished and she was allowed out, onto grass-a first ever. Greta was all happy with her new accommodation and started pecking at the grass. Phoenix took great interest in Greta and attacked her through the wire only problem was when Greta stood up tall tiny phoenix could not reach her head. And whilst she was focusing on Greta’s head she left her chest on show and got a swift peck-no damage done though. Both of the battery girls are now eating some solid foods, corn and layers pellets and still their dried mash, Greta also eating some grass, Noname (Now named Bellatrix- only 7 days after getting her- after a witch in Harry Potter) was on soil so she hasn’t had a chance to eat grass. Bellatrix had her FIRST DUST BATH (slightly muddy though due to lots of recent rain) and whilst Greta was in her hutch awaiting her run she had a little sunbathing.

Sunday

Bellatrix and run were moved to the grass so she got to eat grass, and boy do they both have a big appetite especially Bellatrix I’m continually filling up their bowls. Our little garden civil war continues with Petra and Phoenix attacking the new girls. Petra has her position to hold and Phoenix is hoping not to be on the bottom anymore, not a wise description though considering the size difference and that the new girls are used to fighting as they had to fight for their food everyday. Greta seems to be settling in well but is still very jumpy, Bellatrix seems to take it in her stride. Neither of the girls have worked out what to do when it gets dark- a new concept for them- they just walk round their run looking worried, we have now seen Bellatrix jump full force 5 times into the wire mesh of her run to get out/away from the darkness or something, obvious sign that she has no idea what to do yet feels she should do something.

Monday

Both girls are now sleeping out at night. They both seem to be jumping less at outside noises and small birds flying over them. Ballatrix seems to be drinking better, not quite as much water going up her nose. Greta spends most of her time sitting inside her hutch with her head peeping out.

Tuesday

Fighting continues, both girls managing well and eating lots of food. Greta’s runs moved onto grass and soil so she can experience digging for the first time, cautious at first she starts showing her natural instincts. I am surprised at how well the girls are adapting and how strong their natural instincts are, with just a little time and support they are starting to show their natural instincts. They still however have not worked out that they should go in at night, so we still have to go out and “help” them into their hutch. They still haven’t worked out how to eat bread yet.

Wednesday

Again more fighting and lots of eating. I even saw Bellatrix pecking at some bread! Bellatrix isn’t really bothered if you pet her through the bars whilst she busy but Greta jumps away. Greta seems to be playing in her run more and hiding in her hutch less. Still haven’t worked out to go in at night.

Thursday
3rd April

A day of firsts for the girls. To great upset to Sophia, Greta found herself a worm whilst scratching in the soil- her first ever- she didn’t really know what to do with it but Sophia was running around and around the run chasing Greta to try and peck Great and steal the worm. Sophia got so worked up, chasing her. Finally Greta swallowed the worm. Sophia was so upset that she attacked Greta through the wire- the first time I have seen her do that. Today is the warmest sunniest day since we got them, and probly the warmest this year and Greta bellatrix and Petra have been enjoying the sunshine. All have been sunbathing, the first time for Bellatrix and Greta’s first time in her run. Its amazing just 8 days ago the girls were standing in barren cages crammed together with starving and dying other hens and now they are sunbathing on the lawn with bowls which keep refilling. On the first evening we got them I was a little concerned if we had done the right thing, now when I watch them sun themselves in their new home I know I have done the right thing, I have helped save two lives.