Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

I actually took the camera into the garden to show how much damage the chickens can do to emerging perennials: this is dandelion and comfrey View attachment 3467142
and this is centaurea and primrose
View attachment 3467143
The centaurea in particular takes a battering, but it will overcome it, send up 8' flower spikes, and self seed all over the place. The chickens' foraging actually stops it taking over I think.

I've just noticed that the BYC project manager has produced a series of articles on various herbs, including comfrey, https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...e-to-a-nutritious-and-sustainable-feed.78456/
I think the first photo shows that we can trust our chickens' instincts to go for the young new shoots and not to eat too much of it, if left to choose for themselves.

 

[Iluveggers]

I have defeated the rats from getting the chicken food. I built and bent feeders, bent
hardware cloth to go around them.

Would love to see photos!

Let's hear it then. You can't leave us on a cliffhanger like this.

Agreed!

 

[DustyDivas]

I've found a very cheap auto door.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354715691182?hash=item5296b3e8ae:g:xDgAAOSw17hkN4tL

which with a bit of fiddling about I can fit to a plastic container.

I bought the same thing on eBay with the same feeder build intention, but haven't got round to building anything yet... Very interested in what you manage to do with it. I am still at the planning stage

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good afternoon one and all!

Temperature is in the 70s.

Have a great day!

 

[Shadrach]

It's great to see the chickens in the flowery areas and enjoying the sunshine! On nice dry, sunshiny days, is Henry still one of the first to go roost, or does he reserve his early roosting habits for wet/cold weather days only?

Tax of my outdoor bird (bantam hen) meeting my indoor bird (parrotlet). Thoughts were undoubtedly thunk by both parties, but in the end, my hen wasn't quite sure what to think about the small green chicken anymore than the small green chicken was sure how to introduce himself to a large white parrotlet that wouldn't chirp. Awkward silence ensued for a bit.
View attachment 3469249

Yep, he's still first in. This is usual in my experience. Roosters go in before the hens. I think it's a check that nothing unpleasant has moved in during the day thing. What I find unusual is how early he goes to roost. It's often half and hour before I would expect him to by light levels. The hens tend to hang around for at least a further half an hour if I'm there. The run gate is still open and a bit of a grass snack but just outside the gate is common.

 

[Shadrach]

I have defeated the rats from getting the chicken food. I built and bent feeders, bent
hardware cloth to go around them.

Lets have a look please Penny.

 

[Shadrach]

Any chance of an update ?

Not in the forseeable future. Other stuff to do.

Let's hear it then. You can't leave us on a cliffhanger like this.

Maybe I shouldn't, but I can.
It's on the list.

 

[Shadrach]

I bought the same thing on eBay with the same feeder build intention, but haven't got round to building anything yet... Very interested in what you manage to do with it. I am still at the planning stage

Have you tried it out to see if it works?

 

[Shadrach]

Overcast and 11C. It didn't rain but there was that damp feeling in the air that takes a good days sunshine to get rid of.
Waiting for me to finish in the coop and runbefore taking them out on to the allotment.

Working on my plot.

Working on the compost heap.

Treat time, walnuts and blueberries.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Feeders are PVC 4 inches wood cradles hold them.
There is hardware cloth bent over to ground. Then we bought 6 inch PVC cut it in half
to make the covers I set on them.
Less waste of food that way.