Hello I hope this is the right place to post! I have two bengal cats and I'm thinking about getting some rescued battery hens. I've got a few questions - I wonder if anyone with experience would be kind enough to answer them for me? I want to make sure I've properly done my research before deciding whether to take on the responsibility.

1. Are hens noisy? We live in a terraced house with a garden. Our neighbours have fairly noisy children anyway but I don't want to upset them if the birds are going to be noisy at night.
2. How much does it cost approximately each month to look after each hen?
3. My bengals are very needy and demanding, I'm concerned they may be jealous of the hens - does anyone have experience with bengals and hens?
4. My male cat is a bit of a hunter - would there be a good way to introduce him to the hens so as to minimise the chances of him trying to eat them?
5. How long do they live for?
6. Can you compost their waste?
7. If I let them 'free-range', will they destroy the lawn? I don't mind if it's tatty but I'd like some grass
8. Do you think I'd need pet insurance for them?
9. Are there any potential cons/downsides you think I should take into consideration?
10. Anything else you think I ought to know?

Sorry for all the questions but I don't want to do anything until I've got all the facts.

Cats generally ignore chooks - mine do anyway and they are all ex-ferals so pretty good hunters, chickens don't behave like normal prey animals, they will usually go up to the cat and see what it is - confuses the hell out of my cats anyway!
Introduction wise let the cats just watch them from the window first then supervise their interaction to start with just to be on the safe side!

Yes hens can be noisy, also the fact you are in a residential area by the sounds of it, you need to check with your local authority if you are allowed to keep livestock on your property - many are not, so do check before you get them!

You will need a good chicken house that is vermin proof and that you can lock them in when it gets dark - chickens can be a tie especially in winter when it gets dark so early - someone needs to be home to shut them away or Mr. Fox will have a field day!! Your garden also needs to be escape proof with a decent fence or they will be lining up along your neighbor fence eyeing up their plants!

You also need to realise where you have chickens and feed you will usually get rats and mice! - the first sign of any vermin either put some traps down or get a pest controller - don't use poison as things can accidentally eat it!

Their poop makes the best manure to put on your plants but it does smell pretty strong almost like cat poop! They do get through a good bit of bedding so you need to have a muck heap somewhere in your garden - I use wood shavings and straw for nest boxes - the wood shavings don'ty do plants any good as it is quite acidic so needs to rot for a good while - or you can get the kind of house that just has a tray under their perches so you just have poop and noo bedding!

If you really like your garden then a pen maybe better - they do make a mess, will dig through flower beds and dig all the plants up, eat the young plants etc!, they do need to graze though so some grass in their diet is needed, but if space is limited it will quickly get eaten down and become very muddy in winter!

Age wise it varies - I'd say the average life of a chicken is about 6 -8 yrs, the oldest I've had was a rescue cockerel who was just over 14 when he got ill and I had to bump him off, but they are good at dying and some may only live a year or 2!
Egg laying - battery chooks tend to lay less and less until they are about 3 some stop before that - they are designed to lay tons very young so burn out quickly!, they also lay less in winter and stop laying when they moult.

You also need to worm them - I do mine three times a year, external parasites are also ones to watch for - they do need a sand box if you keep them in a pen so they can dust bath which helps but is not enough to keep away the crawlies, I use a spot on bug killer twice a year and I spray the chicken house for red mite 3 times a year.

Was it specifically battery chooks you are after? - if space is limited and you are garden proud then one of the smaller bantam types maybe better - the feathered legs types like the Pekin or Sablepoots are the best for not digging too much - they're not the best layers but you do get little eggs in the summer, they come in lots of colours too - just a thought!

There are some good books on poultry keeping on Amazon - will give you all the basics and what to look out for if they are sick - do loads of homework to see if they are for you!! They do make great pets though and are very trewarding - I love to watch all mine pootling about in the morning - very good de-stresser!!

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Wow thanks very much for the detailed reply - I really appreciate you taking the time. I'm not really proud of the garden - I use it for BBQs in summer & growing veg in bags mostly. Good point about checking with the local authority I hadn't even thought about that.

I thought I'd really like to take rescue hens if I can as I like the idea of giving them a bit of a happy time after a rubbish life in a battery farm. I might look into the other breeds you mentioned though.

The coop I've been looking at is this one http://www.chickencoopsandhouses.co.uk/cocoon-CC2000-chicken-coop-house.html.

I work from home so should be ok letting them in and out at the right times to keep them safe & happy. One thing I have thought though is if I go on holiday, if I get someone to pop in and feed them etc, will they be ok not going out for a few days? I don't like the idea of them wandering about if nobody is around to keep and eye on them.

I think I'll do some more research before I make any decisions.

Thanks again for your help, it's very much appreciated!

I have a bengal along with dogs and never once had a problem with my chix and other pets.
Chickens are very intelligent and soon learn tricks like how to demolish a garden, how to jump to grab plants you thought were too high for them to reach and when food is coming.
We live on a housing estate and I was worried about noise from them, but compared to the noises from neighbours etc I would say they are quiet apart from when they are laying then they make a song and dance about it!!

If its eggs you want -these arent guaranteed to lay for long but if you want to rescue a hen thats not felt grass under its feet or laid in the sun or socialised with other hens and your main reason for wanting X batterys is to save them going to the pet food factory then yes they are for you. hope this helps.x

I've got 2 dogs & 2 cats (moggies not bengals) & all are fine with the chickens.

Ours have a coverted shed as a coop, we've mande nest boses inside & added branches so they can roost at night. We then fenced off an area of the garden for them so they have a nice big area to roam around in but don;t have the dogs bothering them. The cats are quite scared of them tbh & never go near them.

The area at first was grass but the chickens have got rid of all that by scratching & digging (some of the holes they dog are quite big) so maybe keep them in one area if you value your garden.

We have x3 ex-battery hens & x2 brahmas (cock & hen) & they are great. They aren't too noisy except when laying an egg then they really let rip

I can't tell too much with the coop from the pic but if it just sits on the grass then there is a danger that they could dig their way out or a fox/rat could dig their way in. Our enclosure has chain link fencing which is buried 2ft down & then laid horizonatl to prevent any intruders but then we live out in the countryside & have quite a few foxes/rats/mink where we live.

They don't need much looking after although in the summer we were plagued with red mites so I was constantly cleaning & spraying their coop. Our ex-batts adapted to their new life really quickly. It was lovely watching them regain their feathers (they were quite scraggy when they arrived) & develop their personalities.

that coop and run looks fine but the only thing to keep a checl on is the red mite as they love the felt on the roof

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That coop seems a bit expensive, I bought mine from here, it's lovely

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Are hens noisy?
They can be... They will announce when they lay an egg, and will make loud noises if they get spooked. Most of the time they are fairly quiet... Although some hens can be more "talkative" than others.

How much does it cost approximately each month to look after each hen?
This is a difficult one to answer, some layers pellets (main feed) are as cheap as £6 a bag, others can be £12 a bag. A bag is 20kg, that would be enough to feed 4 hens for about 5 weeks. Then there are treats you can get them... Mealworms, corn, lettuces etc etc. Then there is bedding for the nest and cleaning products. They can be cheap, but I spoil mine with the best feed and treats!!

My bengals are very needy and demanding, I'm concerned they may be jealous of the hens - does anyone have experience with bengals and hens?
Not Bengals, but other cats, there has never been a jealousy. Cats tend to see chickens as lower beings

My male cat is a bit of a hunter - would there be a good way to introduce him to the hens so as to minimise the chances of him trying to eat them?
Chickens will peck them if they try to hunt. I have had good hunting cats, they have always come off worse

How long do they live for?
Ex batts tend to live for a year or two after coming out of the cage.

Can you compost their waste?
Yes and it's fabulous compost

If I let them 'free-range', will they destroy the lawn? I don't mind if it's tatty but I'd like some grass
Yes, without question, but you could section an area for them. I don't care about grass, so mine go everywhere... I now have NO grass!!

Do you think I'd need pet insurance for them?
No, they come under exotics on the few companies that will insure, but chickens in my experience don't tend to need much vet intervention.

Are there any potential cons/downsides you think I should take into consideration?
Foxes are a big one. Also the fact that they will stop laying.. How will you deal with that? Have you got anyone to look after them when you are away etc?

Anything else you think I ought to know?
To be honest, I think that coop would only be OK for 2-3 hens maximum. Hens get very bored if they are confined and that's when you can get behavioural issues. Also the fact that the "bedroom" is upstairs, if you do have ex batts they may struggle initially.

If you have any other questions don't hesitate to PM me. I have a mix in my flock... Ex batts, hybrids, pure breeds, bantams... But I have opted for large walk in runs which are secure, and then full garden access when I am home.

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Debs

Lives with a wonderful husband, 2 adorable rescue kitties Harry and Sabrina, and a flock of pampered pet chickens.