Information on ex barn hens
Your hens will have been kept in a large barn or unit. They will have a nesting area and solid or slated floors. There can be thousands of hens cramped in together. They haven't seen natural light and are kept mostly in darkness to keep them calm and to stop them fighting. These barns can become extremely warm, and those who are picked on have no where to hide.
They are cleaned out every 6 months in some farms they may leave it longer.
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The hens can come out of farms bald, partially bald or feathered and can be under weight. This is not a problem as they will soon fatten and feather up.
LHR strongly recommends feeding ex farmed hens Layers Mash for the first week at least. They would starve rather than eat pellets or corn simply because they don't associate it with food. Once eating well from their feeders start to introduce pellets or corn if thats what you prefer to feed them. If not they will be quite content eating layers mash for the rest of their lives.
Once you get your hens home you will need to put them in their coop in a enclosed penned area, or run until they adjust to their new surroundings. They will come across as very scatty and quite frightened of almost anything.
Please watch carefully that your hens are drinking this is very important, as they have different drinking systems in farms. Hens will not be used to drinking from bowls. After having them enclosed with regular supply of fresh water and food inside the hen house you will be able to let them out (if they are to be free range) or allow them into their larger run or area after roughly a week. Continue supervision of your hens, follow the above sugar water recommendation if you feel one isn't doing as well as it should.
Remember to clip their wings as barn and free range hens are more able to fly, clipping is a simple procedure that causes them no pain. You simply trim their flight feathers on one wing only.
Your new hens are likely to go off lay the first few weeks, but soon start laying again once settled. You should get an egg a day, if girls are on layers mash, or layers pellets. You can also add mixed corn to bulk out food.
Layers mash recommended for first few weeks, until the hens have settled then you may introduce other forms of feed.
Mixing them with your original chickens
If you have a small flock, then putting new birds into coop at night is supposed to work. There will naturally be a little scuffle to ascert the pecking order. Watch carefully the first few days to make sure nobody is getting seriously injured. If this is the case you may have to pen off the ex barn hens close by to allow a gentle introduction then allow them into a larger area so they can get away from each other.
With a larger flock you will need a separate
safety pen next to your original flock, to allow
gentle introduction.