My neighbors just 'rescued' four chickens from our local chicken farm. We decided to do the same, but have started with just two.
These poor girls look just awful. Their feathers are all worn away from their necks, their tail feathers have been cut off and their beaks have been cut away on the top. They are truely the most pathetic birds I have ever seen. As a child I grew up on a farm but never asked (these) questions, since our chickens were 'normal'. I know their feathers will grow back. My (dumb) question is will their beaks?
My next question is about their age. What can I
expect from 14-16 month old ex-chicken farmed chickens?
I just have to mention their behavior too. When we took them out of the box and put them in their new pen, they just did not know what to do. It looked like they even thought the grass was weird. The two of them keep huddling up. They sit on the ground and then lose their balance (I think). Perhaps because they are used to the other chikens propping them up? After three hours, they finally started pecking at the ground and scratching.
Would it be possible to ever put borrowed, fertilised eggs under them to hatch or will they have lost that instinct? We are not allowed roosters in town, but one of my friends has a farm.
I feel pretty happy they are out of that place!

I'm sure a lot of chicken lovers will reply to your post, Team. If most Americans could see how their grocery store eggs are produced, they wouldn't buy them. No reasonable person could support that system by buying what it produces. Those poor pullets are miserable. It is truly cruel to make them live that way.

If your chickens are white and lay white eggs, you probably have Leghorn hens (a hen is a female that is older than a year, pullets are females that are less than a year old). If your chickens are brown and lay brown eggs, they may be a strain of Rhode Island Red called 'Production Red'.

I don't know much about Leghorns. We have some but they're just now going into their second season. Commercial egg farms don't keep the the birds longer than about a year because the second year their egg production starts to drop off, which isn't economical for the corporation.

The production hens are not very good setters. They don't tend to hatch their own eggs. I don't believe it would be a good idea to put eggs under them. They most likely wouldn't sit on a nest.

You're doing the right thing. Those hens will learn about grass and sunshine and bugs. You should get plenty of eggs from them. Most hens will lay eggs for several years. You just might not get as many as you would have in the first year. Also, whenever we move a layer (usually for breeding purposes) there may be some time during which they don't lay anything. Just give them some time. They'll get used to their new lives. And, thanks for being a caring person.

Like Leee said, commercial egg production is pretty scary. Anyone see the PBS special on chickens? There were maybe 4 hens crammed per cage. It was so sad to watch. :(

Unfortunately, eggs are being produced this way
in 'clean, green New Zealand,' where I live (but I am an American girl).
I really appreciated the hint on what type of chickens they are. What little feathers they have are a reddish brown with lighter under feathers and they will lay brown eggs.
They were walking on the grass in their pen a lot more confidently this evening. In fact they were sorting out the pecking order and 'Zipper' (the kids named them) is definitely the boss.
I would like one more ('normal') chicken. A friend has some silkies and said I could have one (or more). Would it be unwise to add one? It would be younger, 4 months old. I have read some of the scary stories about adding pullets and I don't have the facilities for side by side housing.

I did see the PBS show on chickens. It was a nice, uplifting program (the silkie mom that saved the babies from the hawk). There were some pictures of factory egg farms there. The one confinement layer house I've seen personally has 7 or 8 pullets in a single cage, some dead, no room at all to move around or stretch.

This link to confinement egg farm pictures is disturbing, as they all are. It is difficult to imagine how a civilized society got itself in this situation. I believe France has made confinement production of poultry illegal. I am certainly not a socialist, but unregulated capitalism allows people to be cruel to animals in order to raise food more cheaply with cruel methods.

Although the organization that maintains the website is anti-factory farming, the images are accurate or at least consistent with my own experiences.

The cheap food we all enjoy is partly because of the demise of the small farm. In 1950, we operated a dairy farm, together with my husband's brother. We milked never more than 50 cows, which means we also had another 20 to 30 animals,calves, young heifers, dry cows. We raised all of our hay and grain, made silage, hired no help, except during haying, when boys would load and stack bales. Two families had a good living, occasional great vacations, lots of wonderful family time (my 3 girls learned all the farm jobs and helped when needed) The 5 children of the two families all have university degrees, no student loans, although they worked during college, sometimes staying out a year to work. We also raised fruit for canning and freezing, huge vegetable gardens. We shared a hog or 2, cured our own ham and bacon, smoked sausage. We went fishing during Kokanee Salmon run and canned and froze those great fish (now the fishery is collapsed). Our food cost less than the cheap food of today. I live alone and spend twice what we did for a family--and I still can and freeze some of my fruit and vegetables. But I am an old lady now, the men are all gone and the life we lived together. Our farms are under conservation easements (about 750 acres, which includes large woods and natural meadows, swamps, lakes. My neighbors have subdivided, and have already spent the money they got for their land--the productive land is gone, and the neighbors moved to town, and cry about high prices and cost of living. All this is to emphasize that small farmers rarely treat their land and livestock the way the corporate farms do! During the depression years, my folks supplimented income with a flock of layers. They were in 3 large sections of a poultry house, about 150 birds per section. They had bedding to scratch in, roosts to rest and overnight. Automatic water, feed hoppers were up off the floor, so the entire floor space was usable and birds were uncrowded. They bought started pullets that free ranged until laying. House was cleaned thoroughly between flocks (old hens were marketed, live, to the oriental restaurants in the city 10 miles away). I can remember only one sickness--coccidiosis with a new flock of Leghorns--a crisis, but treatment was successful, but experienced several cases of bumblefoot (roosts were remodeled lower, so the heavier breed did not have to drop down so far) and I remember a "blowout", teenies, softshelled eggs, the usual occasional disfunctions. But the point is--people have no idea where their food comes from, and how it is grown, harvested, shipped and distributed--to arrive quite fresh--or the sorry plight of most of the harvesters of their fruits and vegetables--as well as some of the poultry you have mentioned (not all). I wil not buy store eggs or chicken! The farmer suffers low prices--always has. And yet, the farmers--as we were-- had the life that few people can enjoy or appreciate. Physical work was healthy, and did not require the visits to the health clubs of today. It was "natural" and I miss it--and would never trade a minute of it for the paved streets, the bright lights and the "entertainment" of present day. But I am one of the lucky ones, who still lives on a farm and appreciates it! But don't blame capitalism, the blame lies in the hearts of the men who take cruel advantage of the freedom it allows. Everyone does not do this, but because of it, we can live with a degree of freedom that much of the world does not have. I apologize for the length, just got carried away. . .CJR And no, the clipped beaks of the factory hens, have been cut too far back to regrow, so they will always require basic feed that they can pick up easily. But they are lucky hens!

Team, maybe it would be best not to wait untill they have entirely settled down before adding another pullet or they might not accept the new pullet anymore. Chickens can be quite cruel to each other.
Also, if you mix poultry from different origins you must be aware that you bring in different germs to whitch some might be immune but not the others. Watch them very carefully in the first few weeks, check droppings for diarrhea.
I wish you lots of luck and joy with your rescued birds, they will love you for caring. Anny
PS considering the possible risk and the fact that you would have at least some trouble adding chickens or pullets to your flock, try to plan so as to avoid it.

Cjeanr . . . thank you for a beautiful history lesson. Those of us who would like to have small family farms are limited by excessive land prices (we are in Massachusetts) and ridiculous ordinances against farm animals. Our flock has grown to about 120 hens and roos but we can't grow much more at this location. In your narrative you describe a life that was not easy, but rewarding in a multi-faceted way. We believe that our country, in not protecting small family farms, has lost a most precious asset. You have much to offer the younger generations with your experience and wisdom which is why we have come to depend on your advice. Thank you for your stories!!!

CJR, you are a treasure in every sense!

CJR,thank you ever so much for the beautiful commentary on your obvious happy, contented life.I can relive many boyhood memories as I read (and reread) your story. You would be a gem of a person to meet.How about inviting all your "COOP friends" to your place for a "COOP" party? Can you accommodate hundreds? Thanks again.

Sure, y'all COME, but we are all going to Dr Bruce's in Michigan first! I must remind you, for my guests, I don't do breakfast, and I put everyone to work with whatever needs doing at the time! That usually means cleaning pens, mowing lawn or picking apples, or raking leaves, hauling away prunings--lots more! CJR

I have already been working extra for a couple of weeks to pay my fare over to UP of Michigan. I see you all there. Anny.

CJR, thanks so much for sharing that with us. What you describe is what I dream of everyday. Would you adopt me??? :) Mina

Hugs to CJ!

Anny, we are the lucky ones, aren't we? We've had the chance to meet Jean and be warmed by her absolutely shining personality! She has the warmth and energy of the sun! You got the opportunity to really get to know her, I only had about 40 minutes, time enough to know she's one in a billion! I hope I might somehow be able to get to Michigan this fall!