Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[HiEverybirdy]

I not only heard but saw her fart (whole body rose like those planks who do it deliberately in public )

That's hilarious. Also the first time I've heard plank used as an insult. Excellent.

They snore as well

When I first started keeping chickens and was trying to learn all I could to keep them well, I remember several online sources that said unusual breathing sounds basically mean certain death from respiratory stuff

Then I started spending >1,100 hours annually with robustly healthy chickens as they ate, slept, dustbathed, etc. and heard all kinds of breathing noises. From the egg-laying wheeze, to the occasional nose whistle, to a sneeze Lorraine does when she's annoyed.

And it dawned that the kind of people who post/repost dubious facts online usually aren't the same people who spend hours sitting quietly near chickens.

Stilton's coop is big enough for a human to stretch out in, so that group is used to me sitting with them long after they roost. It's a good spot to think, plus easy to sneak in quick health checks after dark. Once in a blue moon, a chicken falls asleep so hard they snore. It's charming.

Tax: Break out the smelling salts for when you swoon for Mr. March & Mr. November, who respectively celebrate their 3rd and 4th bdays this month.

 

[Perris]

And it dawned that the kind of people who post/repost dubious facts online usually aren't the same people who spend hours sitting quietly near chickens

that's my impression too. Thanks for the info on snoring too; I have wondered about such sounds in the past but never been sure what's going on. Your boys are really very handsome

 

[fluffycrow]

This question is not too chicken related, but it's something I've been wondering for some time. Shad, I'm quite certain you had/kept muscovies while in Catalonia. What did you feed them, if at all (self sustaining perhaps)? While I don't have ducks, I realised that I've never seen duck feed being sold here. From my very limited search, I couldn't find a single feed store (even online) that sold duck feed. It seems that the diet most ducks are on over here consists of chicken feed, and mostly table scraps.



That seems quite the opposite from the typical "ducks must be fed duck feed, because otherwise they might be niacin deficient and suffer" I've read on BYC. Then again, it's not like the same isn't said for chickens



Tax for the duck talk: a serama chick, and a Tsouloufati chick from my latest batch

 

[Molpet]

It seems that the diet most ducks are on over here consists of chicken feed, and mostly table scraps.

Maybe the chicken feed over there has the proper nutrition for ducks too.
Here is what a big duck hatchery recommends.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/nutritional-requirements.html

Also if they are Free ranged they might be able to get the nutrition they need.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

don't regret it: you lived it, in the moment, and I bet the real thing was better than any photograph of it. Which is not to say your photos aren't stunning.

Sadly I missed it; just couldn't stay awake that night after waking at 3 something or other (very, very early am).

I suppose I'm also mad at myself for not pushing through the fatigue to ride around the mountain to watch/photograph more. Like you, I was having a hard time staying awake.

I told myself I'd take a few shots and take a break before the lights were supposed to peak. Then I slept through the 1 a.m. alarm and missed out on possibly once-in-a-lifetime images of northern lights in Tennessee. Sigh!

Lovely pictures. Makes me want to get a new camera, but maybe in my case it's the person taking the picture that's the problem.

You obviously have the eye and some lovely feathered subjects, if you have the time to enjoy the new equipment. Technology has improved so rapidly that huge upgrades in battery life, sensor quality, internal editing/stabilization/HDR-type capabilities, user-friendliness, etc. won't bruise your wallet too much.

It turns out phone cameras with "night mode" do an extraordinary job capturing the northern lights. I'm not convinced my Sony A7III did better than neighbors' phones. Though to your point, that's probably the conductor's fault.

That camera requires more time to maneuver than a phone; time I didn't take. I captured 22 images and edited 10. By comparison, I usually take >70 images for astro shoots, with at least 25 contenders for editing (a short chicken shoot averages 300+ images, but at much faster shutter speeds).

Part of it was the lights were such a surprise. Predictability of events like lunar eclipses allows for better planning and an afternoon nap beforehand Two different lunar eclipses in 2022 when the weather was right:

In related news, I think I have an iPad setup to take quality chicken-behavior videos. Just have to procrastinate a few more projects before starting that one

 

[no fly zone]

Speaking of planks, i started building a planter. Some of the boards are already stained, left over from previous projects.

 

[fluffycrow]

Maybe the chicken feed over there has the proper nutrition for ducks too.
Here is what a big duck hatchery recommends.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/nutritional-requirements.html

Also if they are Free ranged they might be able to get the nutrition they need.

That's a good point. Although my question would be, why not market it as such. It would draw more people to the product, I imagine

 

[Perris]

Two different lunar eclipses in 2022 when the weather was right:

stunning photos! I love them.

 

[RoyalChick]

That's hilarious. Also the first time I've heard plank used as an insult. Excellent.


When I first started keeping chickens and was trying to learn all I could to keep them well, I remember several online sources that said unusual breathing sounds basically mean certain death from respiratory stuff

Then I started spending >1,100 hours annually with robustly healthy chickens as they ate, slept, dustbathed, etc. and heard all kinds of breathing noises. From the egg-laying wheeze, to the occasional nose whistle, to a sneeze Lorraine does when she's annoyed.

And it dawned that the kind of people who post/repost dubious facts online usually aren't the same people who spend hours sitting quietly near chickens.

Stilton's coop is big enough for a human to stretch out in, so that group is used to me sitting with them long after they roost. It's a good spot to think, plus easy to sneak in quick health checks after dark. Once in a blue moon, a chicken falls asleep so hard they snore. It's charming.

Tax: Break out the smelling salts for when you swoon for Mr. March & Mr. November, who respectively celebrate their 3rd and 4th bdays this month.

View attachment 3836052
View attachment 3836053

Swooning. Definitely swooning!

 

[Shadrach]

And it dawned that the kind of people who post/repost dubious facts online usually aren't the same people who spend hours sitting quietly near chickens.

It seems to me that a great many people do not have the ability to sit quietly and observe.