Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[GunnyBun]

Tax! My young olive eggers and as you can see I have a few young cockerels ones there!! Don’t mind the waterer I can’t keep it clean, they like to play on them and in them

And just in case that wasn’t enough, here is our frizzled calico bantam boy!

 

[Shadrach]

are we looking at a tree-hugger in training?

None of them have shown the slightest interest in high perching yet.

 

[MaryJanet]

Sort of? I think I aspired to elegant cartwheels and somehow intuited that to be the first step on the road to the ultimate expression of physical accomplishment: TIGHTROPE WALKING!!

I'll just mention I was about six at the time but I still think it should be an Olympic sport

Oops! Forgot my tax!

 

[Shadrach]

very interesting article; thanks for the link! There's another rabbit hole for me to disappear down!

That is one big rabbit hole if yyou follow the links as well as read the article.
I've got more.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

So, here's a question for people to think about.

Was Mr Young right and battery hens are not proper chickens?
If he was right, given their breeding, the fact they are hatched in their millions in incubators, have never aquired the skills and knowledge that broody reared, free range chickens do, are never likely to reproduce naturally.
Could they ever learn how to be proper chickens, particulalry given they have such short life spans in which to learn given the opportunity?

If breeding is a large part of it, then most, if not all, laying or “dual purpose” breeds from hatcheries wouldn’t be proper chickens either.

(Chicken tax) rooster flock

 

[Shadrach]

Can't help but to share Ace's first crow here. He was 18 weeks old yesterday. It's an outstanding first crow if I do say so myself!

That was a truely excellent effort for a first timer.

 

[Shadrach]

How do you know which are laying? Maybe he does the same.

I check their pin bones.

 

[Shadrach]

Shad, I know you already said no to financial assistance, but what about this. What if we also had a tax system (or really a tip system, since it would be voluntary) where we could send a little tax/tip money now and then. Since we will all learn from this, it could be like a small payment for enrolling in your class. We’d really just be contributing toward class “materials.” Or we could be “co-adopting” the chicks. I’m sure you will shoot this theory down, but wanted to throw it back out there just in case. Could you also grow some self-reseeding plants?

No. Thank you. Lots of reasons.

 

[Shadrach]

I laugh because @cfonts is my island neighbor. Kauai is loaded with wild feral chickens everywhere- and I mean everywhere!
I have been reading along hoping environment would be considered in this discussion about proper chickens.
More later. I'll continue my reading. View attachment 2924509
Flock of ferals w/ main guy being a dropped off (at a young age) domestic roo

***chicks on bottom left cinnamon brood by cinnamon mother dropped too. Obviously bead by Mr Biggles. She was a constant broody. None of his or hers survived. Both were excellent chickens. Watched the show for years b4 a stray dog pack started picking off the generations b4 we could get it contained.

I have mentioned environment and later on it's one of the things I want to cover at more depth.

 

[Shadrach]

Mine must be unusually friendly. About half will jump on my lap although most don’t like petting while up there. One jumps up & will snuggle next to me almost asking me to pet her!

The other half will stand around near me or under me but have never jumped up and when I’ve had to handle them visibly don’t like it.

We need to be a bit clearer on the cuddle stuff. I've seen kids and some adults unfortunately grab a hen that has come close, pick it up and squeeze it like a football.
Having a chicken choose to jump on you or even rest on you is rather different.
I've had roosters mainly who did seem to enjoy beingpicked up but I think it's becaue they think that is how they have sex with the oddball hen. Not much to do with affection.