Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

It looks like I'm going to be moving. I don't know when, it depends on when the next flat becomes available but I'm on the list with a priority application.

I'll be walking distance, 1.1 miles by road and a bit less along the river, from the flat to the allotments, A 1.1 mile walk takes me about 20 minutes on reasonably flat terrain.
I'll also be walking distance form the eldest which she is pleased about and an easy bus ride to the youngest.

I often spend more than 20 minutes waiting for buses. The same train line I use also runs to a station 8 minutes walk from the flat complex.

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity.

We all like being close to family including chickens.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

well, we can only really be sure when they either crow or lay an egg! but to date here the early pink wattle has been a reliable indicator, whatever else does or doesn't show. Young males sometimes (and some of mine have) hide secondary characteristics when they grow up in the presence of adult males, and maybe Gaston's presence and witnessing Theo being chased has turned it on in some of your chicks' cases. Then again, maybe they're pullets!

On the topic of secondary characteristics, this is Miss Pinkie, crowing her heart out. Her henopause has been interesting!

She stopped laying at 3 years old (this winter) and grew out a glorious comb and wattles. She's been crowing 2-3 times at dawn in the coop for a few months. In the past few weeks, she's crowed a few times in the afternoon, so I finally got a video.

She makes rooster sounds but no treading or herding at this point. She tidbits backwards: eats a treat then loudly tidbits a twig or pebble where the treat used to be. The hens ignore it, and rooster Stilton currently seems unbothered. He still herds and occasionally treads her.

From Pinkie's salad days, as a pullet in the nesting box.

Her beautiful pink egg up top (Brahmas down the left, other Langshan eggs down the right). Funny aside that Pinkie's name came from her beak color as a chick, but then her eggs turned out to be pink.

 

[MROO]

Hmm I suppose that means the chickens in suburban backyards are either cooped, runned, or yarded. Or some combo of all three.

The "combination" works for me. I'm in "Small Town, USA," so I guess mine qualifies as a suburban-ish backyard. We used to free-range, with the birds wandering over the fence into our woods. Most of my little buggers can fly! When the bird flu started showing up aggressively in the area, they lost their freedom. Now my flock is confined to their playhouse coop and the attached (covered) sandboxes. It doesn't look like the issue is going away soon, so the next big project is converting the attached swing-set into a covered run, too. I think I'll leave the actual swings ... that ought to be entertaining!

 

[Shadrach]

If you can't take the chickens home, take your home to the chickens .

It sounds like good news though I thought you liked the residence where you live. Will you be in Bristol or in the "village" ?

I do like my flat but it's in the wrong place with the wrong people as neighbours.
When I move, I'll take some pictures which should help explain what the difference is.
I'll be in a village on the other side of Bristol.

 

[Shadrach]

Shad sounds like you could pitch a tent and call it a temp coop and put a cot and a cooler for beverage in it so you could catch a nap with those feathered kids to keep you company and you will be keeping them company. I need more chairs in my coops so I can take sit down breaks and have serious discussions with mine. They act like they are listening but they are not fooling me. They just want to hear one word. TREAT.

I could go for a shed if I was a few years younger.
Need leccy for the tunes thought and internet. Can't be doing with this mobile phone nonsense.

 

[BDutch]

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity.

We all like being lose to family including chickens.

Love the typo.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

OhMaGosh - I LOVE the treat dispenser idea! I have Japanese beetles all over my raspberries, I've been collecting them and turning them loose in the coop - but the girls go into a frenzy and many beetles escape. A "bug waterer" will be a GREAT boredom buster for all of us!

Thank you! I've also done the thing where I poured out a jar of beetles in front of the chickens, only to watch them instantly take flight and return to the fruit trees

 

[Shadrach]

On the “ranging” topic from a few pages back: The instructor at a chicken class at our farmers co-op 3 years ago included a few presentation slides on terminology. Not sure where his definitions were from, but he said, under no uncertain terms, free ranging means roaming with zero fences.

He would've called my setup "pastured": there's significantly more freedom than a coop run (8K sq ft) but with fences. In that case, I suppose people ranging without pasture could call their chickens forested, or jungled.

In reality, as I swing open the wide gate to their electric-protected yard each morning, I'm reminded of the work camps in Grapes of Wrath (or maybe their little dust bowls keep bringing up this imagery). While I'd prefer not to be responsible for setting their boundaries, I know they still get a ton of exercise. Not to mention a healthy degree of existential excitement, ducking raptors and dodging copperheads and other wildlife not deterred by fencing.

And hunting June bugs! I pity the beetles who cross Donna's path. She lives for this time of year. Tax. Pardon her dustbath booty and the shaggy grass. I asked DH not to mow this area until the baby bunnies are big enough to hop away (2 rabbit families take advantage of chicken-yard protections as well).

Donna hunts rain or shine. The others enjoy beetles but also the shade of the coop run on hot afternoons, so I went beetle hunting with a spare waterer and made a "treat" dispenser. I do feel kinda bad for the June bugs and Japanese beetles, but they’re invasive and sucking the life out of our fruit trees.

A wry grin crosses my face when I read people writing that chickens are prey animals.

 

[BDutch]

I could go for a shed if I was a few years younger.
Need leccy for the tunes thought and internet. Can't be doing with this mobile phone nonsense.

Monday typo day?
Couldn’t figure out “leccy for the tunes thought”

But nowadays you can live “of the grid” as long as you have acces to drinking water nearby.
There are solutions for internet (phone, tv) and electricity (in summer).
Solar panels, a battery, 5g internet, in vitro filter for waste water/regain water for shower, …
What else do you need? …
A permit.

 

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach , sounds great you can move close to family and the allotment soon! Congrats.

Do you know the residence? Is it a flat too? And about the same size, costs and comfort?

In the meantime Im waiting on more good news. Hope you can get your hands on a few ‘fresh’ ex Batts soon. Its so sad you only have just 3 chickens to care for now.

Just an idea: do they have the hybrid type Blue de landes in England too? These hybrids are quit common in Belgium. The hens are a bit bigger as the white and brown laying machines. And would be a great fit with Henri.

I've been there and timed routes to and from to key places. Worn my legs out.
It's a flat. I think they're a bit smaller than the one I'm in and slightly more expensive, mainly because they are more recently built.

Not quite sure why you think it's sad I only have three to care for. My ideal would be four or five. I have to think about what I do quite carefully. Get too many Ex Battery hens while Carbon and Fret are alive and they'll get sidelined I think. The Ex Battery hens tend to be quite aggressive initially. They've had to fight for everything and it takes them a while to appreciate that there are plenty of resources for all. Also, some at least, make a B line for Henry. They don't have men in the batteries.