Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[HiEverybirdy]

There is absolutely no way I am going to lie in order to bolster C's fragile ego or lack of self esteem.

Don't worry. If she's struggling with anything like what I described, you run no risk of ever raising their self-esteem. You only run the risk of having an easier resolution as you triage this situation.

Think of it not so much as lying, but as practicing compassion for someone with fingernails and leg hair instead of claws and scales (and less self-awareness than the average chicken).

 

[ManueB]

Sometimes ones best is just not good enough. It's a lesson it seems that is unpopular in current times but it is one of the most important life lessons to be learned.

It seems to me a lesson every chicken keeper who puts his heart in it will learn at some point : some chicken die however hard we try to save them.

Not enough, doesn't mean not worth trying imo.

Don't worry. If she's struggling with anything like what I described, you run no risk of ever raising their self-esteem. You only run the risk of having an easier resolution as you triage this situation.

Think of it not so much as lying, but as practicing compassion for someone with fingernails and leg hair instead of claws and scales (and less self-awareness than the average chicken).

Part of their behaviour with the chicken certainly come from their education and stubbornness. Being mentally unwell makes them unable to handle correctly every aspect of the allotment holding.
I feel sorry for them also and I don't think they can be very happy with this outcome, being unable to carry on their dead partner's legacy.

Do you know what you wish now @Shadrach ? Do you feel like closing the door on all this and moving on, or would you like to know and have a say in what becomes of the chickens ?

Tax : pretty little Théo is still afraid and evil with us. Now that my other cockerel Gaston is growing up I can see how different both rooster's personalities are!

 

[no fly zone]

Outside the vet office, waiting to get called in.

 

[RoyalChick]

My guess is her partner was the leaseholder and she has taken it over.
Allotment leases are often ambiguous as to whether they are statutory (in which case they are allotments in perpetuity) or temporary (renewed each year). It is apparently a hot topic with local authorities and the ambiguity is likely to make the local authority cautious about simply taking it back unless it is unambiguously temporary.
If it is clearly temporary then they can take it back chickens or no chickens.
The name of the leaseholder has in other cases been provided under freedom of information requests.
Allotments can have up to 50 chickens without any other licenses required. There is no such thing as a smallholder license - simply a requirement to register with the local parish if you keeep livestock (defined as fewer than 50 chickens).

All the above I gleaned from digging into allotment law while at a long wait at the doctor’s office the other day.

My takeaway that the threat about ‘if we do x then they will build in the lot’ is purely fear-mongering.

None of that changes what is the right thing to do for Henry and gang of course.

Sorry - I should correct myself. Livestock is defined as MORE THAN 50 chickens. Fewer than 50 chickens doesn't have to be registered on an allotment unless they are part of a commercial enterprise.

 

[GregnLety]

Outside the vet office, waiting to get called in.

View attachment 3347747

Praying for the best for Skeksis.

 

[no fly zone]

well, after waiting for 90 minutes, i called the office again to see what was going on. they never even checked me in, and they said were already fully booked for the day (it's first come, first serve; which is why i went early). so i said i was going to find a different vet. brought skeksis back home and started calling a bunch of vet offices in the area. there were quite a few that do not not even see chickens. did find one that did, and i have an appt for wed at 10:30 am.

 

[no fly zone]

Skeksis is such a good girl. This was taken at 75 mph. Ignore my van interior please, it's a complete piece of junk. Need to get around to fixing my Audi A4.

 

[Solanacae]

well, after waiting for 90 minutes, i called the office again to see what was going on. they never even checked me in, and they said were already fully booked for the day (it's first come, first serve; which is why i went early). so i said i was going to find a different vet. brought skeksis back home and started calling a bunch of vet offices in the area. there were quite a few that do not not even see chickens. did find one that did, and i have an appt for wed at 10:30 am.

How frustrating that you weren’t even checked in! I’m glad you were able to take your business elsewhere. Did you miss work to take her in?

 

[HiEverybirdy]

While I never want to have a mental illness, I sometimes wonder how much they understand or realize what they are doing but can’t stop themselves. I guess it varies from person to person. Still, I know from working with my own children and those that I taught that people tend to live up to the expectations you have if them. Treat them like they can’t do anything right, they’ll fail every time. Let them know that you recognize their potential for doing good and acknowledge their efforts (despite their failures and mistakes) and they will respond towards you positively. They may not be perfect, but it makes such a difference for them to know you’re in their corner. They still have to be held accountable for their mistakes and you have to set limits with them, but that can actually help them trust you more in the long run. I would hate to be in C’s position, if she feeling like she can’t do anything right and everyone hates her.

This is beautifully put!

I agree whole heartedly with all you said and you're imo also correct in them having accountability for the harm they are causing.

I really have sympathy with all the varient mental disabilities. I've come across many upsetting situations in my time... in saying this when harm is made to human beings or animals there has to be a point where it is stopped

I hope C gets the help she needs and has guidance I the right direction but sadly again imo she shouldn't be dealing with animals I would also be concerned with children or vulnerable of any kind

So true: we still hold each other accountable. Having a disorder doesn't excuse hurting others.

We all have our own thick catalog of struggles, but mental-health concerns are in a class of their own. Personality disorders are usually linked to developmental issues beyond a person's control. They take a lot of strength to manage. People are still responsible for their behavior, but the patience of those of us not fighting those demons can really help people who are.

I have a lifetime of thoughts and experiences beyond the co-worker situation, but they're not germane. And I'm definitely not saying you don't know how to handle this situation, @Shadrach. All the best from across the pond.

Tax for the tangent: Andre's slow-motion happy slappy flaps.

 

[Perris]

Yes they are referring to the Solway coop, not the extension.

What about the old wooden one? That's what I meant by 'the other half' of the whole coop / enclosure / place where the chickens roost and spend most of their time, rather than the extension you just built (which I consider part of the Solway, fwiw) I imagine she thinks she owns that outright.