Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[GregnLety]

Progress with Cholo Jr's upper beak. It is coming in nicely. I chose not to file it to see how it would go. I prefer not to handle the roosters if possible. He eats normal and mates the hens. He's a little slim but expect him to bulk up as he gets older.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Afternoon X Batts have a question for ya all.
4 nights now have 9 birds roosting in the hazelnut tree.
Cary each one to the coop setting them on a table.
Today not letting any birds out. Maybe they learn home?
Misc. photo tax

 

[Shadrach]

What about my girls? They have never seen a rooster, haven't heard one in a couple of years (my neighbors 100+ meter distant and not in sight of my chickens, used to have a rooster). The 2 year olds have never heard a rooster. My girls still sing the egg song.

That's a bit like asking why a rooster crows.
It doesn't seem to matter whether there is a rooster there or not and I've read some reports of hen only groups where the senior hen answers the call and does the escort duty.

9 AM changes relative to sunrise, why would they crow relative to our unnatural messing with time?

I think you may be taking this too literally.
The article makes some good observations on chicken behaviour and I posted it only for the part where it points out the behaviour of the rooster/s he's obseved.

 

[Shadrach]

Afternoon X Batts have a question for ya all.
4 nights now have 9 birds roosting in the hazelnut tree.
Cary each one to the coop setting them on a table.
Today not letting any birds out. Maybe they learn home?
Misc. photo tax
View attachment 3477425

Have you considered a roost bar rather than the table?

 

[Shadrach]

It was dry when I got on the bus. By the time I reached the allotments it was raining and it hasn't stopped since. They did venture out onto the allotment run on principle but we all ended up back under the coop extension.
Got everyone fed and watered. Henry went in as soon as I had finished the cleaning.

The hens stayed out with me for maybe half an hour and then they went off to roost about half an hour before what would be the normal time.

Lima's crop is back to it's usual bulging self.

 

[Iluveggers]

@Shadrach (& everyone else), do my Brahma’s feet look ok to you? It’s so hard to tell with her, compared with my non-feather feet birds.

 

[pennyJo1960]

The concrete bricks that make up the foundation in the new coop.
By nature there is two 2 x 4 run the length so 20 and 10 or 12 feet across.
Birds often roost on them also quite allot.
So not just on tables.
I can take more photos in the morning @Shadrach

 

[BDutch]

Afternoon X Batts have a question for ya all.
4 nights now have 9 birds roosting in the hazelnut tree.
Cary each one to the coop setting them on a table.
Today not letting any birds out. Maybe they learn home?
Misc. photo tax
View attachment 3477425

It took me about 5-6 weeks to change this preference of chicken behaviour. But it can be altered.
Make sure you have the chickens in way before sunset. I have a run attached to coop, so they don’t need to free range. If I lock the chickens in I give some scratch. They learn quickly. It only takes a minute of two for the chickens to arrive after they hear the ‘snack time’ sound.

 

[BDutch]

@Shadrach (& everyone else), do my Brahma’s feet look ok to you? It’s so hard to tell with her, compared with my non-feather feet birds.

View attachment 3477787

The finger/toe in front looks good. The finger/toe behind that not. I suspect a local scaly leg mite. But I’m no expert, never had it myself. Another reaction of an expert would be nice.

 

[BDutch]

Kraai: “What do yo think Ini mini?. Shall we move to this large coop? The humans have so much space here! And I think they save the scratch here”
Ini mini: “I tried to convince the landlady several times before to do so. Even searched for a place to lay my eggs or to brood in here. But she always says, “get out chickens”. Staying in here is out of the question.”