OK, I'm jumping in to battery hen rescue...now what?!!!!

[Miss Lydia]

Good for you KC, Silkies are popular in Asia China etc. because of blk bones and blk skin? i know weird but thats what I read. Poor things I wish I was closer I would be right by your side in this .

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
Silkies are just like any other chicken, people get all upset when they see Silkies for meat but not as much with Cornish Xs. Its still a chicken. I've had Silkie before, tastes the same as any other chicken.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yep! ..

 

[kickinchicken]

With regard to the silkies being there for meat...I wasn't upset because of the fact that they are "silkies" its just that...how much meat do they really have on them?

They are all fluff. Hardly seems worth the effort of plucking and cleaning....its like trying to make a cherry pie with one cherry. I am not a chickenist! Is that a real word?

I was equally horrified for the cornish xs, the quail and pretty much every bird in there.

On another note...the girls are in their new recovery room. It was a large, poorly laid out bathroom in our basement. But perfect for chickens! Tile floor exhaust vent, a stand up shower what is now filled with pine shavings and straw all over the place. They seem content. They are doing that peeping softly thing...cute!

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is so sweet.....

 

[kickinchicken]

Well. I spoke with the state vet at the DEM. We are moving forward on the animal welfare issue of the birds being unsanitary and not having access to water. The health dept says there are no real health concerns to human health.

And....I just started on the coop for the girls. Its going to be a 4x4 coop with a 4 ft high roof that slants down to 32 inches in the front. I am setting it up for lots of floor usage. The front wall will have the pop door but will also be hinged for opening for cleaning. I need these birds outside asap. Boy do they smell. I'm sure they'll enjoy being outside in the sun and fresh air. Pictures to follow tomorrow.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thats really great that your moving forward kc, and I hope these people get booted out of here if thats what it takes. I have a hard time believing it's not a health hazard. Looking forward to seeing those pictures.

 

[kickinchicken]

Well, as of today the RI SPCA has been cc'd on the email to the state vet and the state vet is thinking of moving forward with the animal welfare concerns. Ironically, the USDA said that its ok to sell live birds from this "store".

The state vet isn't fond of this as he worries about avian flu and New Castles. He was under the assumption that this "store" was a terminal slaughter set up...guess not. The vet is sending out his agent to run some bloodwork on my new birds.....free of charge. This is so great. They will still be under quarantine for another 20 days but at least I will have bloodwork to ease my mind on the big diseases.

The girls are now outside in their new coop. Yesterday, we got a light dusting of snow, yet it was nice and warm so I went out to get the 3 fatties outside to exercise.....to no avail.

I'd toss one outside, and no sooner than I had my hands on the next chicken, the first one was running back in.

Poor gals need time to realize that there's a whole new world just waiting for them outside that pop door. Today, however, one of the gals did come out for about 15 seconds.

She heard my bantams complaining about not being able to free range and she was curious. She rushed right back in once she realized it was just some squawking minis!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

yippee hopefully they get shut down and run out of town, Thats really cool that your getting free blood work hope all comes back with good results. Yep like you said it's a whole new world for them I am sure they will come around soon though with all the good care they are getting. Thanks for the update.

 

[ryanhodapp]

I am just curious, you will have to let us know, how they take blood from a chicken?
I am glad they are adjusting.
I have a RIR that seriously must leave the coop for an hour a day. Every time I leave in the morning and then come home at night, she is roosting. I dont think she likes her feet to get cold. Funny Chicks.