Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[no fly zone]

Over three years ago, a few weeks after we bought our first group of chickens, I started to figure out just how sick they all were. Cleo had severe bumblefoot in both feet and was hobbling -- at not even a year old -- along with bronchitis. One of the pullets had already turned blue and dropped dead in the first week I became a chicken keeper. Of course the most practical thing would have been to "cull" them all (why can't people just say "kill" if that what they mean) and start over. But I felt obligated to at least try to do something for them. I've always been a sucker for a hard luck story. Just the fact that I was providing a steady food supply, clean shelter and let them walk around as they pleased made them somehow "like" me -- or at least follow me around all day. So I started my chicken journey not learning about fun things like hatching or rooster behavior, but about diseases and afflictions.

So we soaked Cleo's feet and operated. One foot was not as bad and we got the kernel out. That foot healed completely after a few more scrapings. The other one was so bad the foot was already disfigured and try as we might repeatedly to heal it, that's what eventually killed her -- but 3 years later. At least she got three more years of mobility and a good life. Eventually we were able to cure the other hens' cases of bumblefoot which weren't a severe as Cleo's.

Anyway, after the first surgery, she was so weak from the bronchitis and the blood loss, I thought she might die. Her feet were wrapped and I would carry her around so she wouldn't get mud in the bandages. She was barely conscious. I started to wonder if this was any way for an animal to live.

But then a hummingbird flew very close to us and hovered in the air, and Cleo picked up her head and looked at the hummingbird wistfully and with so much curiosity, I knew she still wanted to live. And she did, for quite awhile.

For a long time I felt horrible about all of it -- like a total failure as a chicken keeper because of how difficult for me that first group was. But now I realize I actually did well by them, or as well as I could with zero experience and sick malnourished birds. And that they came with their problems. And not having good nutrition as chicks started them damn far behind the eight ball. (I saw the fellow I bought them from on the bus once. He had a sack of dried whole corn. He's a poor man immigrated from Venezuela, so pretty far behind the eight ball himself. I never berated or even told him he sold me sick chickens. After all, he probably thought I would eat them like a sensible person. But I asked him politely, "Comprando maíz for sus pollitos?" -- Buying maize for your chickens?" And he answered "Sí senora!" He also advised me to keep my own hens penned so they would be better ponedoras -- egg layers. So that's what they ate, just whole dried corn and the rocks that tore up their feet when they tried to scratch for something else.

Even with their early misfortune, they were a happy bunch once they got used to freedom and a more balanced diet. Each one of them was very unique. Some like Cleo were more endearing but they all deserved my energy and respect. And that's what I gave them. What more could I do?
They taught me a lot, and quickly, even though it cost them the long lives some chickens are fortunate to enjoy. It's a very bittersweet feeling.

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Cleo is buried under this tree. Not a bad view.

My goodness I can tell some sad stories. Is "pet tragedy" a genre? I think that's enough from me on death for now. Looking forward to seeing the new tribe and many more grow up and hopefully fare better.

A blueberry bush was planted over Mr. Bumble, and Skeksis was buried by his side.

 

[fuzzi]

What are the ankle bracelets for? To tell them apart?

Yep.

 

[TropicalChickies]

View attachment 3556389

Little John. TAX installment. Father had ancestors from Cornwall.

Quite noble looking.

 

[Nomadicus]

Victoria showing off her new Cowgirl skirt. She doesn't like talk about her weight but between me and you it's over 18lbs.
View attachment 3556407

The rooster standing behind Victoria is an American Bresse with that long and deep breast. Great match for a deep and wide breast. Need to be looking at grills with rotisseries.

For those not familiar with the Bresse they are a French dual purpose breed.

 

[Shadrach]

Whenever I hear someone say, "Well, it's more humane to put the animal down" when a problem the animal could probably live with becomes more than that person wants to deal with, I think "Sure, more humane for the human."

A chicken with a severely injured leg, for example. I would try to amputate if that were the last option. I would rather live with one leg than die. I taught yoga to war vets with prosthetic arms and legs. They were glad to be alive. But I've heard people say, "Oh but if the animal can't live a 'normal' life, it's more humane to put them down." What is normal anyway?

I spend at least thirty minutes a day tending to Butchie, my hen with some sort of reproductive disorder. Any maybe gout -- her feet are a little puffy and the legs stiff. Mainly I clean her butt, massage her crop and belly, pluck any truly disgusting feathers, and exfoliate and dust her skin between her feathers. She's not "normal" and sometimes taking care of her every single day for the past 8-9 months is a right royal pain in the ass. But she enjoys a great deal in life still, waddling around outside, keeping company with the dogs, chasing moths, pecking the little chicks, and eating. So I keep her clean and let her talk to me in her sweet way. I mean, seriously, who can resist this little fluff ball?

View attachment 3555817

As is almost always the case the keeping circumstances are a major consideration. In Catalonia for example a chicken with one leg wouldn't be able to keep up with their tribe and would, in a fairly short time, be picked off by a predator. Is it better knowing this to euthanize the bird or let the predators do a not so quick job later?
I've found birds so badly injured but still alive, just, that I knew there was no way they would ever recover to a state where they could free range. I can't see having a bird contained in a coop and run while their friends and family wander a satisfactory solution.
Broken legs were one of things my vet Gloria in Catalonia would not try to fix. In her opinion the suffering and often doubtfull outcome made an attempt an act of cruelty. I had one hen hit by a Goshawk. She took a full weight strike to her back. I didn't appreciate the severity of her internal injuries and kept her alive for eleven days after which she died. I still regret the suffering I put her through when the kindest thing to do was give her a swift death.
On the other hand I've had chickens with horrendous looking flesh injuries who one wouldn't think would survive another hour, let alone heal and make a full recovery.
Sickness is always difficult, especially if one isn't sure what the sickness is. Again I've had chickens looking as if they were at deaths door one day and a few days later show marked signs of recovery.
I've had paralyzed hens who took weeks to recover with a lot of supportive care that many people would have killed believing they were doing the right thing.

I can't find it in me to condem people who euthanzie their birds for their own sake or the birds. I've found sick and injured chickens to be extremely stressfull at times, more so than the stress situations that are in the top ten list for humans.

I've seen more chickens die than the total number of chickens the regular contributors of this thread keep combined. At my uncles farm we used to kill a couple of hundred in a day. I was young and they were killed for eating and I helped. I would still kill chickens I've raised to eat and have done so in the past.

These last two years alone I've had a dozen or more birds die. That's twice the number of many peoples tribes.

I can care for Ex Battery hens because of the experiences mentioned above and still make emotional attachments to/with them. For many people the combined horror of knowing the lives Ex Battery hens had and finding they die just when one thinks they are begining to enjoy their horribly short lives is just too heart rending to manage.
This is in part why I believe caring for Ex Battery hens is what I should be doing, because I can.
I would love a tribe of Light Sussex or Dorkings but they don't need what I hope I can give to the Ex Battery hens day after day, arrivals after arrivals and death after death.

 

[no fly zone]

As is almost always the case the keeping circumstances are a major consideration. In Catalonia for example a chicken with one leg wouldn't be able to keep up with their tribe and would, in a fairly short time, be picked off by a predator. Is it better knowing this to euthanize the bird or let the predators do a not so quick job later?
I've found birds so badly injured but still alive, just, that I knew there was no way they would ever recover to a state where they could free range. I can't see having a bird contained in a coop and run while their friends and family wander a satisfactory solution.
Broken legs were one of things my vet Gloria in Catalonia would not try to fix. In her opinion the suffering and often doubtfull outcome made an attempt an act of cruelty. I had one hen hit by a Goshawk. She took a full weight strike to her back. I didn't appreciate the severity of her internal injuries and kept her alive for eleven days after which she died. I still regret the suffering I put her through when the kindest thing to do was give her a swift death.
On the other hand I've had chickens with horrendous looking flesh injuries who one wouldn't think would survive another hour, let alone heal and make a full recovery.
Sickness is always difficult, especially if one isn't sure what the sickness is. Again I've had chickens looking as if they were at deaths door one day and a few days later show marked signs of recovery.
I've had paralyzed hens who took weeks to recover with a lot of supportive care that many people would have killed believing they were doing the right thing.

I can't find it in me to condem people who euthanzie their birds for their own sake or the birds. I've found sick and injured chickens to be extremely stressfull at times, more so than the stress situations that are in the top ten list for humans.

I've seen more chickens die than the total number of chickens the regular contributors of this thread keep combined. At my uncles farm we used to kill a couple of hundred in a day. I was young and they were killed for eating and I helped. I would still kill chickens I've raised to eat and have done so in the past.

These last two years alone I've had a dozen or more birds die. That's twice the number of many peoples tribes.

I can care for Ex Battery hens because of the experiences mentioned above and still make emotional attachments to/with them. For many people the combined horror of knowing the lives Ex Battery hens had and finding they die just when one thinks they are begining to enjoy their horribly short lives is just too heart rending to manage.
This is in part why I believe caring for Ex Battery hens is what I should be doing, because I can.
I would love a tribe of Light Sussex or Dorkings but they don't need what I hope I can give to the Ex Battery hens day after day, arrivals after arrivals and death after death.

You are a good man in my opinion.

 

[BDutch]

Ooh Shad, how sad .
Love and hugs again from overseas.

I lost the connection to this thread again and need to catch up 36 hours and many pages tomorrow.

 

[MaryJanet]

I was with mum when she died and missed dad by a few hours, although I'd put him to bed the night before. For me, closeness to death was indeed very helpful in negotiating the emotions that followed.

Just adding some tax for this non-chicken comment from the other day.

It's Katie and Edie enjoying the lawn chair with Ivy and Peggy in the background.

 

[Shadrach]

Four hours today. A decent amount of sunshine and around 20C with a gusty Westerly wind.
The run is dry and I raked out and moved three barrow loads of smallish stones that had been chucked in the run to try and deal with the flooding.
Somebody/thing has demolished my one and only brussel sprout plant.
Henry just rubbed salt in the wound by stepping on it a breaking the stem.
Fret likes the mash and has been eating better today. She also spent less time under my chair, partly because I grabbed her tail from time to time which she hates. It does however get her moving and with Henry and Carbon, no doubt moaning about what a horrible person I am. She dug a bit once I had got her going. I show her a pumpkin seed then push it into the ground a couple of inches. She hates me.
Carbon is laying again. Her egg looked fine. Good shape with a strong shell but not blue, but not while either.
Caught up on a bit of weeding and next week I should be able to harvest a few leaves of young spinach.

 

[Shadrach]

You are a good man in my opinion.

Thank you. That's a kind thing to say and your opinion is worth knowing.