BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[MaryJanet]

I've caught up on your thread BDutch now I'm only behind on Manue's thread.

On the topic of cockerels and wastage, I noticed nobody said anything about humane killing. If I tried to kill the cockerel at my house, who is rather big and strong, it would not be humane, it would be extreme terror and pain for him. I have never killed a cockerel before and there's no one to show me how. What I do have is a vet who is willing to provide a humane "go to sleep" death for him. The vet and staff have repeatedly assured me the cockerel will be treated with kindness and respect. That's what I'm doing. Then he will be cremated and his ashes returned to me. This means his meat will be wasted. I'm ok with that. I don't want to eat him, he's my friend. I don't need money from selling his meat, I earn money from my employer.

And the vet added this perspective: the cockerel doesn't know he's going to die. Quite the opposite. He lives his life to the fullest every day and has done so for four months. He runs around, talks to his sister, gets told off by the old biddies, keeps watch over everyone, scratches up bugs, you name it, he's doing it. As pointed out, most cockerels are killed when they're tiny hatchlings. His life has been one of comparatively great fortune.

Of course I've been trying to rehome him. It simply hasn't worked out and now he's too noisy for the neighbourhood.

I'm not suggesting I'm doing it the right way. What I am suggesting is that context matters and everyone's context is different. If you raise chickens for food, of course you eat them. If vets are too expensive for your budget, of course you find someone to help you kill them at home until you can do it yourself. If you live in a place where all the towns are within a day's walk, you can more easily rehome cockerels. Context matters and being humane matters, and this means everyone does it the best way for their circumstances.

 

[BDutch]

I've caught up on your thread BDutch now I'm only behind on Manue's thread.

On the topic of cockerels and wastage, I noticed nobody said anything about humane killing. If I tried to kill the cockerel at my house, who is rather big and strong, it would not be humane, it would be extreme terror and pain for him. I have never killed a cockerel before and there's no one to show me how. What I do have is a vet who is willing to provide a humane "go to sleep" death for him. The vet and staff have repeatedly assured me the cockerel will be treated with kindness and respect. That's what I'm doing. Then he will be cremated and his ashes returned to me. This means his meat will be wasted. I'm ok with that. I don't want to eat him, he's my friend. I don't need money from selling his meat, I earn money from my employer.

And the vet added this perspective: the cockerel doesn't know he's going to die. Quite the opposite. He lives his life to the fullest every day and has done so for four months. He runs around, talks to his sister, gets told off by the old biddies, keeps watch over everyone, scratches up bugs, you name it, he's doing it. As pointed out, most cockerels are killed when they're tiny hatchlings. His life has been one of comparatively great fortune.

Of course I've been trying to rehome him. It simply hasn't worked out and now he's too noisy for the neighbourhood.

I'm not suggesting I'm doing it the right way. What I am suggesting is that context matters and everyone's context is different. If you raise chickens for food, of course you eat them. If vets are too expensive for your budget, of course you find someone to help you kill them at home until you can do it yourself. If you live in a place where all the towns are within a day's walk, you can more easily rehome cockerels. Context matters and being humane matters, and this means everyone does it the best way for their circumstances.

I do understand your decision MJ! It is difficult, but the most humane you can do in your situation. You sure gave the Vulture a wonderful life!

You are right that I am lucky, being able to find another home for my cockerels.
This has several reasons. Some people buy hens and decide they want a rooster.
Some had a rooster who was the first to get killed by a predator. Some want a rooster to breed with.
And distances are never very far where I live. Within 2 hours travel all parts of the Netherlands can be reached from where I live, except for the islands.

 

[Molpet]

Within 2 hours travel all parts of the Netherlands can be reached from where I live,

I didn't realize how compact your country is.

 

[BDutch]

PI didn't realize how compact your country is.

Two hours is without traffic jams for most places. I checked and find out I wasn’t completely honest. There is a village in the North-East that takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to reach by car . (Never been there)

 

[BDutch]

My automatic chicken guard malfunctions again. . The pop door didn’t close and 5 chickens have a blue light above their heads saying what the problem is.

Glad the pop door doesn’t open to the garden. We have a kind of weasel in the neighbourhood. Last week someone 5 houses down the road had him on camera.

Actually I’m done with the Chicken guard after 8+ years and 5+ repairs. Glad tomorrow the weathers is good for the last repair. This spring I’m definitely going to buy a new one.

 

[BDutch]

Black, my 9+ Dutch bantam laid her first egg this spring.


Only Pearl and Ini mini haven’t laid (so far?).

Janice decided she doesn’t want to roost alone anymore. She joined Ini mini and the Amrocks in the playhouse a couple of nights ago.

I bought a new simple auto door with a light sensor that is not adjustable.

I tried to repair the old chicken guard but the wire was really stuck and I couldn’t reset the door after I untangled the wire.
Glad I didn’t have to wait ling. The new chicken door was very easy to install. Only had to find a piece of wood to mount it and cut a hole in it. 4 screws was all it took and it works just fine.

 

[BDutch]

My oldest Ini mini (11 yo in May) has been a broody several times. But last year, she still mothered her chicks when they became juveniles and started to lay.

Gin and Tonic hatched in June, and they still sleep together with Ini mini in the separate playhouse. One change since a couple of weeks. Janice, who preferred to sleep alone decided to join.

Free ranging stops immediately if I open the terrace door. Always hoping I bring a treat.

 

[BDutch]

Yesterday my oldest send me some disturbing news about PFAS / PFOS in chicken eggs, in a village just 5 km from here, with a large paper (recycle) factory.

The article is in Dutch. https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8295334/g...apierfabriek-parenco-daar-mogelijk-schuld-aan

Because I find it worrying to have such a factory so close by, I bought a PFAS test kit for eggs. It costs 100 euros. But I want to be sure it’s safe to continue to eat the eggs.

Auto-translated the article if to like to read it in English.

Spoiler: Translated article about PFAS

Left paper mill Parenco, right councilor GroenLinks Merijn Biemans.

© Broadcasting Gelderland

RENKUM - Residents of the municipality of Renkum have been worried for months. The chickens there lay eggs with extremely high PFAS values. On Wednesday evening, the council, GGD and Province met to discuss the concerns. The question arises from different sides: does paper factory Parenco have anything to do with this?

Last year, RIVM examined eggs from chickens of a resident of Doorwerth. It contained twelve times more PFAS than is allowed under the standard. More and more residents had their chickens' eggs tested. The amount of PFOS in particular turns out to be remarkably high.

Five times more than the norm

GroenLinks councilor Merijn Biemans also discovered high PFOS values in the eggs of his chickens. They contain five times more PFOS than is allowed under the standard. He hasn't eaten them since.

The paper industry is considered a well-known source of PFOS. This type of PFAS is included in water-repellent coatings of pizza boxes and magazines. 'By processing waste paper, PFAS can be released via wastewater', says the Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT).

In Doorwerth, this type of PFAS is mainly measured. Biemans lives less than six kilometers from Smurfit Kappa's paper mill Parenco. “Then you wonder if that can be a source of the pollution,” he says.

ALSO READ

The chickens of Merijn and Kees lay eggs full of PFAS, province conducts research

Research on Parenco

Rijkswaterstaat has determined that Parenco has had to control wastewater more accurately since October 2023. In addition to washing waste paper, Parenco also burns scraps of paper. "The dirt burner is therefore the reason we have decided to add Parenco as a possible source to the research", says Kees Klappen - soil specialist at the Province of Gelderland.

Parenco does not have a license to emit PFAS. Still, there is a good chance that the factory will spread it, thinks state member GroenLinks Charlotte de Roo. “Precisely because Parenco reuses a lot of paper, it is obvious. Turns out they are indeed doing it? Then the permit must be adjusted as soon as possible to limit that.”

Stichting Vijf dorpen in het Groen, the interest group for local residents of Parenco, also wants clarity. They point to the regular fires at Parenco. “They extinguish them themselves. Extishing foam is known to contain PFAS", says Mariska Hulsewé.

The province cannot simply investigate the presence of PFAS at Parenco itself. In the area, a soil survey is set in motion to see if the toxic substance may descend from the sky.

'It's obvious'

“The values in the eggs are too high, but we see that in more places in the country. Renkum is not exceptional in this", the GGD knows.

Political parties have previously rang the bell about the possible relationship between PFOS pollution and the paper industry around the corner. The PvdA, PvD, GroenLinks and D66 asked questions to the Province last month about the possible role of Parenco. According to the province, Parenco could theoretically be a source, but there is no evidence yet.

Local parties like GroenLinks want clarity. Biemans: "It's not normal that you can't eat your own eggs or vegetables safely." Other parties, such as Renkum Rechttoe Rechtaan and Gemeente Belangen, say they have been reassured after the meeting. “Let's wait for the investigation. No reason to panic.”

Soil research in the environment

The Province's investigation into PFAS sources in Gelderland is still ongoing. In it, paper mill Parenco is only one of the 275 possible sources being investigated. The results of the study are expected this autumn.

 

[BDutch]

Yesterday my oldest send me some disturbing news about PFAS in chicken eggs, in a village just 5 km from here, with a large paper (recycle) factory.

The article is in Dutch. https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8295334/g...utm_term=omroepgelderland&utm_content=artikel

 

[AntiqueB]

You should have your garden soil analyzed, too.