Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

In front is safe

not where she's digging! Mine learn to stand to the side and not move in to explore what's revealed until they're sure she's moved on to the next patch, on pain of being flung a foot or two behind

 

[pennyJo1960]

what happened Penny?

Plain old cold has me red nosed may have turned the corner.

 

[Shadrach]

Interesting.

2. Molting. Hens do not lay eggs during a molt.

Oh but they do. I wish they didn't.

Chickens need a consistent 13-14 hours of daylight to produce eggs

I've got three laying with 9 hours of daylight. One so called heritage breed and two Red Sex Links.

 

[Shadrach]

In front is safe, it is behind the hen where they get sprayed with dirt or if a bit too close are the spray themselves.

This is what I've observed. The chicks start off behind and get kicked around until they learn to get in front of the mother. This makes better sense because they can see what mum turns up, grab it and dodge the next digging foot.

 

[Shadrach]

6C and dry with a light wind.
There was food left over from what I put in the tray last night. There was also food in the other tray so C had been at some point.

Did the chores. Scraped a bit more much off the ground around the new coop and inside the new coop extension. I've found more paving slabs under the muck.
Fret went to lay an egg as I was cleaning out the coop. She has waited on one of the perches in the past but these days she comes in and heads straight for the nest box. She came out after and joined the others on the allotment and then went back to the nest box and was looking broody when I left. She's only got one egg and watching her and Henry recently I doubt it's fertile.

I don't know what it is Lima is finding in that bushes roots but she's digging from the other side as well now.

Fret is in the nest box.

 

[BDutch]

Interesting.


Oh but they do. I wish they didn't.

I've got three laying with 9 hours of daylight. One so called heritage breed and two Red Sex Links.

I have two : Janice the elegant mix (Dutch x Tournaisis) and Katrientje (bantam RIR) who started laying around the 4th of January. Even less than 9 hours of daylight.

Katrientje

Ini mini and Janice.

 

[GregnLety]

We hatched one chick from Gorda (new Hampshire red?) And Cholo (Lav Orpington). Both are over 11 pounds. The chick at 4 days is as big as a Lav Orpington 10 days old. Will post a picture tomorrow. Got home last night and called out at coffee time this morning.

 

[Solanacae]

Interesting.


Oh but they do. I wish they didn't.

Same here.

I've got three laying with 9 hours of daylight. One so called heritage breed and two Red Sex Links.

The lady’s take on the egg laying situation was interesting to me, because of her emphasis on nutrition has on the bird. Like you and @BDutch have noted, mine lay with far less light and I’m of the opinion the increasing/decreasing has much more influence on laying that those that spout the magical number. Hopefully that came across in what I was trying to articulate in my comments regarding the article. Its been a busy week and my thoughts have all jumbled. I wanted to share it because it was the first time I’d seen someone on that group have a fairly comprehensive look at the intersection of food quality, climate, and laying. Most parts of the state hover around freezing the entire winter, with the northernmost part routinely staying below freezing most of the winter. That definitely will have an impact on a bird but most people around here seem to chalk it up to daylight hours. If that makes sense. I’m off to bed, my brain is far past optimal functioning.

 

[BDutch]

Same here.

The lady’s take on the egg laying situation was interesting to me, because of her emphasis on nutrition has on the bird. Like you and @BDutch have noted, mine lay with far less light and I’m of the opinion the increasing/decreasing has much more influence on laying that those that spout the magical number. Hopefully that came across in what I was trying to articulate in my comments regarding the article. Its been a busy week and my thoughts have all jumbled. I wanted to share it because it was the first time I’d seen someone on that group have a fairly comprehensive look at the intersection of food quality, climate, and laying. Most parts of the state hover around freezing the entire winter, with the northernmost part routinely staying below freezing most of the winter. That definitely will have an impact on a bird but most people around here seem to chalk it up to daylight hours. If that makes sense. I’m off to bed, my brain is far past optimal functioning.

Researchers often tend to average outcomes in their summary. Like chickens need 14 hours daylight to lay. Or chickens moult in autumn.
People on forums tend to take over such information or average themselves too. Even the known differences in chicken breeds are often not mentioned. Like … heritage breed lay 120 / 160 / 200 / 280 eggs a year. And weighs 900 g / 1400 g / 2,5 kg or 3,8 kg. Probably they feel no need to explain that much.

Imo each chicken is an individual and even within one breed or type there are many differences and from year to year new unexpected differences. Weather probably is of more influence as we tend to think too. Egg laying and even feather patterns can change too after a moult/winter.

Janice and Katrientje are about a month earlier into egg laying after winter than last year. Maybe this very mild winter was of influence? Maybe because I let them free range more often? Other feed? Or because the flock dynamics changed? I don’t know. Only the day length hasn’t changed for sure.

 

[ManueB]

Same here.

The lady’s take on the egg laying situation was interesting to me, because of her emphasis on nutrition has on the bird. Like you and @BDutch have noted, mine lay with far less light and I’m of the opinion the increasing/decreasing has much more influence on laying that those that spout the magical number.

I've also been wondering about this on bybob thread. The first time I saw this idea that increase in daylight was a more important factor than the number of daylight hours is on BYC- all the explanation read elsewhere always insist on the number of daylight hours and make an automatic link between molting and stopping to lay. I really it's probably more complex and there are a number of factors at play. And individual variations as well, I agree with @BDutch.
Although it's rational to question the quality of chicken commercial feed, especially in relation with the huge price increase of food and energy, I think the thing going on in social media now is a fake. Much like it's rational to question government action about avian flu but to say it doesn't exist or it's deliberately spread becomes a conspiracy theory. With anyone being an expert on anything the thread between critical thinking and spreading false rumors has become thin for many.

6C and dry with a light wind.
There was food left over from what I put in the tray last night. There was also food in the other tray so C had been at some point.
View attachment 3389229
Did the chores. Scraped a bit more much off the ground around the new coop and inside the new coop extension. I've found more paving slabs under the muck.
Fret went to lay an egg as I was cleaning out the coop. She has waited on one of the perches in the past but these days she comes in and heads straight for the nest box. She came out after and joined the others on the allotment and then went back to the nest box and was looking broody when I left. She's only got one egg and watching her and Henry recently I doubt it's fertile.

View attachment 3389231View attachment 3389232
I don't know what it is Lima is finding in that bushes roots but she's digging from the other side as well now.
View attachment 3389233
Fret is in the nest box.
View attachment 3389228

Don't want to spread fake news, but I think they are putting something in layer feed that is making hens go broody when it's freezing .