Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[GregnLety]

Very hard to deal with hawks with a ranging group of chickens.

Yes indeed. It's our first loss to a hawk surpringly. The hawk caught her in an open spot and took advantage.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Our late naked neck rooster fathered a half Silky offspring, along with several naked neck babies. In the process of picking the best young Cockrell from him to continue the tribe. View attachment 3518792Goldie survived her broken leg and was free ranging with a cochin mama and her babies yesterday morning when a hawk killed one of the pullets. It is the first loss to a hawk. Normally our dogs are lose that time of day but the hvac tech was coming so they were In their kennel. Perhaps they would have dissuaded the hawk. We lost a beautiful lavender orpington pullet and our air con, not a good day yesterday. Here's Goldie and mama henView attachment 3518799

So sorry for your loss.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Yes indeed. It's our first loss to a hawk surpringly. The hawk caught her in an open spot and took advantage.

A friend of mine keeps chickens free ranging in the Philippines and there are several birds that prey on chickens -- hawks, eagles, large falcons. She sets up A frames around her land in open spaces, simple things like two pieces of plywood or tin roof material propped up against a pole. Just anything that the chickens can get underneath --as long as one of them gives the hawk alarm. Yes, sometimes they just crouch where they are and an A frame wouldn't help, but she says the chickens do get under cover more often than not.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm not cut out for the current mental health crisis it seems I have some obligation to be involved in. I have better things to do with what time I have left on this earth. I've resigned from the committee by driving the stake called truth through the afflicted's heart.
Normal service can be expected for the forseeable future.

All about Lima.
My feeling is death is stalking her. This is Carbons feeling too. I want to be able to spend as much time with her as I can; not for her sake, there is nothing I can do for her, but for mine.
I spent five hours at the allotments today. An hour of that with Lima dozing on my lap.

For twnty minutes or so she was fast asleep and it was me fumbling for my camera that woke her.
She is still eating and drinking but much of the time I was at the allotments she looked like this; just standing there with her lower eyelids closed.

After a brief forage with the others she came and sat by my chair and stayed there whether I was on it or not.
Carbon came and went checking on Lima throughout the afternoon. She went off to roost on the coop extension roost bar an hour earlier than the other hens.
Henry went to join her about twenty minutes after.

 

[Shadrach]

Fret got off her nest on her own this afternoon. This is great. It means she knows she should. Having a dust bath was her first priority after eating a little from the feed tray in the extension. She ate a bit more plain pasta, tuna and mixed organic seeds before returning to her nest.

I must admit, it took me a while to notice that Henry had broken one of his spurs. It's broken about one an a bit inches from where it joins his leg. In the past, when I've had younger males break spurs it's been major drama, blood and snot and some extensive wall blood spatters when I've caught them to inspect the damage and seal the break. I couldn't see any blood in the run and when I cleaned the coop out I found this.

Notice that the spur is essentially hollow at the break point and further towards the point. There is no blood supply to this part from what I can tell and there was no blood in the coop either. It may be that the more elderly roosters have spurs like this, blood reaching the first inch or so and the rest a kerotine shell basically. This is the first time I've seen a broken spur from a rooster of Henry's age. He's fine and I've kept the spur.

I left the allotments at 10pm. Good night chaps.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hello X Batts. I am using spent coffee grounds from a shop we pass all the time.
4 bags free mind you.
Birds do not mess in the grounds. better to have bugs in their mind.
@Shadrach they are blessed to have you care for them.

 

[notabitail]

Anyone who has experience with taking care of bumblefoot: What do you recommend I do with my chicken? She had bumblefoot. I have heard Epsom salt and wrapping the foot in a bandage.

 

[BDutch]

Anyone who has experience with taking care of bumblefoot: What do you recommend I do with my chicken? She had bumblefoot. I have heard Epsom salt and wrapping the foot in a bandage.

I found an article on bumble foot (for ducks) in the article section with good ratings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/treating-bumble-foot-in-ducks.74245/
I can imagine its will work for chickens as well.

 

[TropicalChickies]

I'm not cut out for the current mental health crisis it seems I have some obligation to be involved in. I have better things to do with what time I have left on this earth. I've resigned from the committee by driving the stake called truth through the afflicted's heart.
Normal service can be expected for the forseeable future.

All about Lima.
My feeling is death is stalking her. This is Carbons feeling too. I want to be able to spend as much time with her as I can; not for her sake, there is nothing I can do for her, but for mine.
I spent five hours at the allotments today. An hour of that with Lima dozing on my lap.View attachment 3520331View attachment 3520330
For twnty minutes or so she was fast asleep and it was me fumbling for my camera that woke her.
She is still eating and drinking but much of the time I was at the allotments she looked like this; just standing there with her lower eyelids closed.
View attachment 3520332

After a brief forage with the others she came and sat by my chair and stayed there whether I was on it or not.
Carbon came and went checking on Lima throughout the afternoon. She went off to roost on the coop extension roost bar an hour earlier than the other hens.
Henry went to join her about twenty minutes after.View attachment 3520334
View attachment 3520338View attachment 3520335

Hello Lima, lovely frayed one ...ah, once these feathered little mysteries get under our skin, there's no going back it seems.

I believe she knows you are there for her.

We have a visitor at the farm right now, another hobby gardener who (I hope) is learning that tropical rainforest restoration is not a hobby. At any rate, hosting these visitors is a way I earn money for the farm, to feed the dogs, the chickens, ourselves... And yet every afternoon after lunch I'm practically shoving her out the door so I can be with the chickens, Cleo especially. Her bumblefoot surgery wasn't successful, there's so much swelling we couldn't locate or extract the main kernel (if there is one). There's a lot of liquid and cheesy pus. I'm doing warm saltwater soaks twice a day and squeezing out what I can little by little. Applying drawing salve in between soaks. I put her on Doxycycline to try to get the swelling and bacteria count down. I'm about to do another soak and squeeze now before the visitor arrives for breakfast. She's fundamentally healthy, would be a shame to lose her to a stupid foot infection we've been able to keep under control for 3 years...

Well, I always knew I never really liked being around people all that much, with a few dear exceptions. But I never knew how much these animals would expand my heart. It is heartening to see others who care.

I'm not cut out for the current mental health crisis it seems I have some obligation to be involved in. I have better things to do with what time I have left on this earth. I've resigned from the committee by driving the stake called truth through the afflicted's heart.
Normal service can be expected for the forseeable future.

All about Lima.
My feeling is death is stalking her. This is Carbons feeling too. I want to be able to spend as much time with her as I can; not for her sake, there is nothing I can do for her, but for mine.
I spent five hours at the allotments today. An hour of that with Lima dozing on my lap.View attachment 3520331View attachment 3520330
For twnty minutes or so she was fast asleep and it was me fumbling for my camera that woke her.
She is still eating and drinking but much of the time I was at the allotments she looked like this; just standing there with her lower eyelids closed.
View attachment 3520332

After a brief forage with the others she came and sat by my chair and stayed there whether I was on it or not.
Carbon came and went checking on Lima throughout the afternoon. She went off to roost on the coop extension roost bar an hour earlier than the other hens.
Henry went to join her about twenty minutes after.View attachment 3520334
View attachment 3520338View attachment 3520335

 

[tranquiliti]

Hello Lima, lovely frayed one ...ah, once these feathered little mysteries get under our skin, there's no going back it seems.

I believe she knows you are there for her.

Yes!!!!!
I was going to write something on Saturday along the lines of “Lima knows she is loved” but couldn’t bring myself to make it sound right—so I just cried instead.