Please check that their toenails haven’t grown so long while in their battery cages, that they are curling back into their feet and damaging them. A vet with rural experience will trim them for you and then their scratching about will keep them at the correct length.

Also, check how badly the factory farmer has mutilated their beaks. If you have any with the upper beak cut off and the lower beak fully intact, they will have difficulty picking up grain and will need to be separated from the other chickens at feeding time. A good trick is to have a layer of mash underneath the grain or to have the grain in a deep container, so that they are able to lift and shovel it into their mouths.

Some may have leg injuries from rough handling by the battery farmers. The swelling will usually settle within 2-3 days. If not, please contact one of the SPCA Birdwing ladies to have possible broken legs splinted.

Due to feather loss, they will require somewhere to shelter from the sun and the wind. They can easily sunburn or become chilled. As the feathers return, the bald patches will fill with dark, rough stubble. They should be fully feathered again in time and look the picture of health.

The hens will most likely be in poor condition. Please choose a variety of good quality feeds to ensure that they have a nutritious diet. An even split of 'chook chow' and pellets is recommended. The chook chow is best, but would give them loose bowel motions, if that were all they were fed. They also enjoy wheat, kibbled maize, mash and kitchen scraps in addition to what nature provides for them. Provide an abundance of clean water.

It is recommended that you use a three-in-one product that treats them for lice, leg mite and worms in one oral liquid application. It’s called Ivomec 1%. Administer 0.1ml per 4kg chicken undiluted 4 weekly for 2 doses, then 3 monthly for 2 doses, then every 6 months.  Please note: This is 0.1 of a ml, NOT 1.0 ml. Later on you may want to alternate ivomec with another type of drench to avoid worm resistance. You will need to get a tiny 1ml syringe from your vet. Gently open their beaks and drop the solution at the back of their throats. Alternatively, you may wish to treat them all at once via their drinking water. Check with a rural vet for quantities.

They will need to be separated from your existing flock for a week or so, until they all become familiar with one another through the caging. This will lessen pecking attacks on their featherless skin.

Be prepared for a lull in their egg laying. Often the girls will rest their bodies for several months after being rescued…then they resume laying again at the pace that nature intended. Having said that, some don’t stop at all. Please provide straw filled nesting boxes for them. A painful condition called “egg bound peritonitis” is not uncommon in hens who have been forced to lay eggs in unnatural quantities. At the first sign of lethargy and loss of appetite (and sometimes loose stools), they will need treatment – otherwise death will occur. Mention the possibility of this condition to the attending rural vet.

They will not know how to roost. When they are in their shelter at night, you will be able to gently lift and hold them on the lower perches until they learn to do it themselves. This may take a few lessons. If roosting is not a concern, they will happily sleep on a cosy ground covering, but will be more at risk of chill and predators.

As they have had no exercise in their battery cages, they may lose weight at first.

Their natural enemies are domesticated dogs and ferrets – both will kill them. A large hawk or a strong cat may take a smaller hen or a chick. Slug bait or other garden poisons will kill them.

They are sociable creatures and will seek out your company. Please spend time sitting and talking with them. They will become very tame very quickly. They make lovely pets for adults or children.

Thanks to Shawn Bishop at The Sanctuary for this great information

www.animalsanctuary.co.nz