Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

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.

at the risk of throwing the whole topic into chaos, I ought to mention that Dyffryn started laying on 3 December, when days were still shortening, and we were still 2-3 weeks off shortest day...

 

[BDutch]

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.

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 .

I’m not on facebook and insta anymore because of the rumours , fake news, aggression and commerce. Never even started with tiktok.

I hate what these platforms did with the world. E.g. making people believe Brexit is a good idea. And Trump being a more thrustful person than Hillary Clinton (hope this is not too political).

I only use Twitter and LinkedIn because of work. For news I still prefer reading the thrust worthy newspapers. But even these newspapers and the national news on TV are influenced by social media and the impact of it. Many people seem to have lost their minds about what is true and fake/false news). I find it hard to understand how extreme strange ideas (opinions) are considered as true.

at the risk of throwing the whole topic into chaos, I ought to mention that Dyffryn started laying on 3 December, when days were still shortening, and we were still 2-3 weeks off shortest day...

Did she have an early moult?

 

[ManueB]

I have created an Instagram account especially to see chickens account. I love seeing photos from all over the world and some accounts have good info. I really thought I would be safe from the weird stuff .

@Perris have you looked at actual sun rising / falling hours where you live ? Where I am, although the solstice is of course the shortest day, the decrease / increase is not regular and it mostly stagnates from the 10 December to the 1 st January.
My ex-batts also took up laying again in December. My pullets (same age as yours) also began laying then.

 

[Perris]

Did she have an early moult?

she's a pullet. Her juvenile moults were unremarkable.

 

[Perris]

@Perris have you looked at actual sun rising / falling hours where you live ? Where I am, although the solstice is of course the shortest day, the decrease / increase is not regular and it mostly stagnates from the 10 December to the 1 st January.
My ex-batts also took up laying again in December. My pullets (same age as yours) also began laying then.

that's a good point. If a normal person using simple tools tries to establish any of the cardinal four points in the calendar, it's practically impossible to get closer than about 3 days, and for most of us a fortnight is good going.

It never ceases to amaze me how Hipparchus discovered the precession of the equinoxes in the second century BC.

I guess chickens have less of an obsession with precision than us, and more of a 'that'll do' attitude

 

[Perris]

thinking further on that, calendars and dates are of course an arbitrary abstraction - whose development was prompted by the needs of farmers. There's a great saying that the difference between a good farmer and a bad one is a fortnight. What matters in the natural world is the weather, not the date. Chickens are operating on long honed instincts about the weather.

 

[Iluveggers]

I’m not on facebook and insta anymore because of the rumours , fake news, aggression and commerce. Never even started with tiktok.

I hate what these platforms did with the world. E.g. making people believe Brexit is a good idea. And Trump being a more thrustful person than Hillary Clinton (hope this is not too political).

I only use Twitter and LinkedIn because of work. For news I still prefer reading the thrust worthy newspapers. But even these newspapers and the national news on TV are influenced by social media and the impact of it. Many people seem to have lost their minds about what is true and fake/false news). I find it hard to understand how extreme strange ideas (opinions) are considered as true.


Did she have an early moult?

The problem I have with the media is the bias. I think both Trump & H Clinton are untrustworthy. They had all the press time. You get a guy like Bernie Sanders…and he couldn’t buy a minute of coverage. I have lost all faith in the media.

I am a huge American football fan also. Politics has creeped its way into the game. They demonized players who did not get vaccinated during Covid. They push other political ideals in slogans on shirts/helmets, & on the field. I watch the games for entertainment and all that takes the fun out.

Sorry for the mini rant. Tax is my favorite chicken from the farm.

 

[Molpet]

Jumping in on the daylight length..... mine also seem to be affected by how much sun verses cloudy. ... How much they stay in coop due to cold..

One Dec it's cloudy and no eggs from spring pullets or old ladies, next year it's sunny and I get eggs all winter, even old ladies pop out a couple a week.
One year they laid in a sunny Dec. Jan started sunny but turned cloudy and snowy.. Jan 21st all quit laying for 3 wks until the weather broke.

This year they stop at winter solstice until January 16th. Its been cloudy but mild.
I didn't have any early spring pullets so some are just starting to lay

 

[Sally PB]

at the risk of throwing the whole topic into chaos, I ought to mention that Dyffryn started laying on 3 December, when days were still shortening, and we were still 2-3 weeks off shortest day..

I started getting eggs December 2. (No pullets this year.) I'm getting 2 eggs every 3 days, and as far as I know, most --or all -- are from one hen.

Jumping in on the daylight length..... mine also seem to be affected by how much sun verses cloudy. ... How much they stay in coop due to cold..

Yeah. Our weather has been CRAZY this year. And gloomy. We had ZERO sunshine for the first half of January. Even I wanted to stay inside and mope.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

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

Be careful that it doesn't turn in to something else.