Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[micstrachan]

It didn't rain today.
This is the sick looking Legbar. I massaged her crop twice yesterday. She doesn't like being handled, or hasn't in the past. There are two distinct balls in her crop. When I massaged her crop again today and got some coconut oil into her there was only one ball. Yesterday I got about 300ml of water into her by tipping her head into a small containor of water. Needless to write we both got wet.
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A couple of strange things. Normally she and the other Legbars stay just out of reach. Today this one came to me when I sat down and I picked her up for another massage with very little protest. Something has improved for her because instead of standing on her own hunched up she was foraging with the others and drinking a lot from the extra water bowl I put in the allotment run.
As usual Lima, Miss I can be any breed of chicken I want, hung out with the Legbars.
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Matilda having finished pecking my leg and trying to pull a bit of paper out of a side pocket settled down in her Bucket Boy wind break position.
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It was quite pleasant for half an hour.
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C told me today that they are not out of the coop when she comes to feed them in the morning which is a change from their behaviour in the old coop.
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They like their coop! I think the Legbar understands you are helping her and was asking for more. And… Lima

 

[Perris]

It is likely that there is Mycoplasma in the allotment crew so this is always a consideration

I read that it is likely it is in every flock. I'm sure I see symptoms sometimes.

Needless to write we both got wet.

Normally she and the other Legbars stay just out of reach. Today this one came to me when I sat down and I picked her up for another massage with very little protest.

What you did before helped her so she's back for some more please. I've experienced the same with birds with crop (or other) issues. It'll be interesting to see if she reverts to type once the issue is sorted; most of mine do.

As usual Lima, Miss I can be any breed of chicken I want, hung out with the Legbars

I suppose you're going to say she's the exception that proves the rule, huh? Or has her foot glue failed?

 

[Perris]

I didn't mention it but I give access to food non stop, so this explains partly why I get so much waste. I won't go back on this, at least while we have ex-batts. We used to feed them twice a day, but they were so stressed about not getting enough that they gobbled it up and bickered and had panic attacks if we were five minutes late. I much prefer when they can eat at their own rythm and they don't eat more.

You may be interested to know that what I'm currently reading (which is written for the poultry industry, not by anyone hostile to it) says that production breeds are deliberately overfed simply in order to get more eggs out of them. Here's a choice bit: "the pullet appears to have a fairly precise innate ability to regulate its energy intake regardless of dietary energy level (Cunningham and Morrison, 1976; McNaughton et al., 1977b; Doran et al., 1983). Manipulation of energy intake is, therefore, best considered in relation to feeding management and, in particular, methods of stimulating feed intake. For example, feed intake may be increased through use of pelleted feed, increased frequency of feeding, feeding at cooler times of the day, and, where possible, use of longer periods of light".

So pelleting is a device to over feed them and enhance egg production, like artificial lighting.

Yes there will be bickering - it's the pecking order - but if you can wait till those who go first have filled up and moved off, and then replenish the bowls for the next sitting (and so on, as many as it takes), everyone gets as much as they want, and then at your place they can also forage all day to top up. Worth a try surely?

 

[ManueB]

You may be interested to know that what I'm currently reading (which is written for the poultry industry, not by anyone hostile to it) says that production breeds are deliberately overfed simply in order to get more eggs out of them. Here's a choice bit: "the pullet appears to have a fairly precise innate ability to regulate its energy intake regardless of dietary energy level (Cunningham and Morrison, 1976; McNaughton et al., 1977b; Doran et al., 1983). Manipulation of energy intake is, therefore, best considered in relation to feeding management and, in particular, methods of stimulating feed intake. For example, feed intake may be increased through use of pelleted feed, increased frequency of feeding, feeding at cooler times of the day, and, where possible, use of longer periods of light".

So pelleting is a device to over feed them and enhance egg production, like artificial lighting.

Yes there will be bickering - it's the pecking order - but if you can wait till those who go first have filled up and moved off, and then replenish the bowls for the next sitting (and so on, as many as it takes), everyone gets as much as they want, and then at your place they can also forage all day to top up. Worth a try surely?

I have tried feeding twice a day, in fact this is how we began feeding them. We did it this way for about eight months, I think.
They don't eat more when given free access to food, just like cats. I know because I regularly weigh what they eat in a day and I also check on how many days a bag of feed lasts. Their commercial food consumption varies throughout the seasons and depending on their health.
I don't give pellets, I haven't found any brand of organic pellets here.
My concern was their level of stress and the fact that they ate too quickly and sometimes choked.

Having tried both ways, I much prefer that they can decide when to eat. I've noticed that every single hen will eat a bit after laying. I think there is a reason for that.

Edited to add : both my chickens and my cats eat less than the average recommended amount , even with the waste. I suppose it's because they forage.

 

[MaryJanet]

I've noticed that every single hen will eat a bit after laying. I think there is a reason for that.

I've noticed that too.

 

[Perris]

I've noticed that too.

x3

 

[RoyalChick]

I have tried feeding twice a day, in fact this is how we began feeding them. We did it this way for about eight months, I think.
They don't eat more when given free access to food, just like cats. I know because I regularly weigh what they eat in a day and I also check on how many days a bag of feed lasts. Their commercial food consumption varies throughout the seasons and depending on their health.
I don't give pellets, I haven't found any brand of organic pellets here.
My concern was their level of stress and the fact that they ate too quickly and sometimes choked.

Having tried both ways, I much prefer that they can decide when to eat. I've noticed that every single hen will eat a bit after laying. I think there is a reason for that.

Edited to add : both my chickens and my cats eat less than the average recommended amount , even with the waste. I suppose it's because they forage.

My solve for the bickering problem is to have many feed stations that are always available.
My feeders hang from the roof and I find they eat spills off the floor. My new feed is not pelleted because the insect protein one doesn’t come in pellets.
Now my flock is so drastically reduced I will remove one of the feeders until I expand the flock again.
Apart from the bickering, feeding twice a day just adds another chore so I much prefer to refill the feeders once a week and be done.
I do need to get better at monitoring intake however so I will start keeping note of new bags of feed.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

I have feed available 24/7.

I find they will eat the pellets off the ground and then go to the feeders.

I have 2 feeders and 14 chickens.

49 sunny 66% humidity feels like 46 rain 0%.

Have a great day!

 

[Solanacae]

@Shadrach, here are pictures of that chick’s beak I was talking about.

 

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach, here are pictures of that chick’s beak I was talking about.

That's a serious bit of beak overgrow. Can she eat okay?
Every three days or so is what I do but I'm mostly shaping as they beaks grow and smoothing out cracks and rough spots
There's a lot to remove if one wanted a top and bottom match.