Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

I grew them; two observations: 1. the birds don't recognize them as raspberries either, at least for a few years, so you've a better chance of harvesting them without netting and 2. it's harder to tell when they're perfectly ripe than it is with the red ones.

I wondered. We have a yellow raspberry since this year and the chickens haven't touched it . The blueberries, rasp-blackberries (cross), and grapes are favourite. Funny to see how the chickens jump to catch one. The strawberries are a easy peasy favourite.
The red berries are not tasty enough to fly into and getting gooseberries is probably too painfull. For the fruit trees they wait until the fruit falls (cherry, pear, apple, plum).

 

[Perris]

I used to love that red gooseberry; enjoy! sadly the sawfly caterpillars wrecked ours.

 

[Little Tala Bug]

I wondered. We have a yellow raspberry since this year and the chickens haven't touched it . The blueberries, rasp-blackberries (cross), and grapes are favourite. Funny to see how the chickens jump to catch one. The strawberries are a easy peasy favourite.
The red berries are not tasty enough to fly into and getting gooseberries is probably too painfull. For the fruit trees they wait until the fruit falls (cherry, pear, apple, plum).

View attachment 3610558

My chickens must be hardcore because they absolutely savaged my gooseberries this year. One day I left to go into town. and when I got back the next day, every single berry had been stripped right down to the core of the plant. They weren't even ripe yet, but I guess the chickens have a different metric for what they consider ripe, because this isn't the first time they've eaten something before I would/could. Fortunately my other plant was protected, so I got to make some gooseberry curd.

 

[fluffycrow]

I hate to be that person, and I know you've said that this only applies for your flock, but well, I'm going to be that person. I think to some extent its environmental. Cruella has two chicks that are on par, and one that is behind. Supposedly a cockerel. So, shouldn't all females have the same development Cruella's chicks have? Well, no, the brooder babies are way ahead. They have the exact same genes running through them, and it would be a one in a trillion coincidence that all the chicks in the brooder were the ones that had the fast feathering gene. Photo one, Cruella's "male", photo two, Cruella's "females" photo three brooder babies. I guess they'd be sorority sisters

 

[fluffycrow]

I hate to be that person, and I know you've said that this only applies for your flock, but well, I'm going to be that person. I think to some extent its environmental. Cruella has two chicks that are on par, and one that is behind. Supposedly a cockerel. So, shouldn't all females have the same development Cruella's chicks have? Well, no, the brooder babies are way ahead. They have the exact same genes running through them, and it would be a one in a trillion coincidence that all the chicks in the brooder were the ones that had the fast feathering gene. Photo one, Cruella's "male", photo two, Cruella's "females" photo three brooder babies. I guess they'd be sorority sistersView attachment 3610605View attachment 3610606View attachment 3610607View attachment 3610608View attachment 3610609

That was a reply to @TheFatBlueCat , I completely forgot to quote the post. Four and five are also brooder babies

 

[TropicalChickies]

I posted it over there, thanks. I always forget about those contest threads.

What a puss!

You should post that in the picture of the week thread.

 

[Molpet]

My chickens must be hardcore because they absolutely savaged my gooseberries this year. One day I left to go into town. and when I got back the next day, every single berry had been stripped right down to the core of the plant. They weren't even ripe yet, but I guess the chickens have a different metric for what they consider ripe, because this isn't the first time they've eaten something before I would/could. Fortunately my other plant was protected, so I got to make some gooseberry curd.

I have wild goose berries and black raspberry. The turkeys eat the leaves in reach and all jump for berries

 

[TropicalChickies]

None seem to want to leave the acre that is my backyard

Seriously, tell me about it. We have 8 acres and the adjacent property is empty and the two next to that we manage on behalf of the owners (in the US and Canada). So these chickens potentially have 32 acres at their disposal and -- up until a few weeks ago, were literally within my earshot and sight all day long.

Recently, with the younger group making their own way around, the whole ranging area has expanded greatly. Now there are several hours in the day when I don't know where they are, but will hear Lucio crow from a considerable distance away, and then Tobias (the most vocal junior) answer on the other side.

It's a nice break, as much as I adore them. But when I don't see them for a couple hours, I'm always glad to hear them rustling leaves up in the forest.

Question: can chickens get lost? Fencing in a large enough area for them is out of the question. There's no way we could afford that much sturdy chicken fencing over such a big area and considerable clearing of trees would have to happen to run it. I'm not convinced they wouldn't find ways over or around it either. So if they can get lost, I just want to be mentally prepared for the possibility.

 

[TropicalChickies]

She's got expensive broody tastes. Prawns and mature cheddar cheese are on the like list,

In her last week of brooding, Dusty decided she will only eat eggs and cheese. Not as gourmet as Fret, but I haven't offered her prawns either.

Thank you for the lifting the broody advice.

An hour ago, 6:20 am here, I very carefully went to lift Dusty off her nest to go poop and stretch. Being very wary that today is day 21, though I didn't actually put the eggs under her until the late afternoon on her first day.

Lo and behold, there was a hole in one of the eggs with a little tooth sticking out and steadily chiseling away. I *very gently* put Dusty right back, being careful her feet were out of the way of the little one trying to emerge.

Geez, I really hope I didn't mess things up ...

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

In her last week of brooding, Dusty decided she will only eat eggs and cheese. Not as gourmet as Fret, but I haven't offered her prawns either.

Thank you for the lifting the broody advice.

An hour ago, 6:20 am here, I very carefully went to lift Dusty off her nest to go poop and stretch. Being very wary that today is day 21, though I didn't actually put the eggs under her until the late afternoon on her first day.

Lo and behold, there was a hole in one of the eggs with a little tooth sticking out and steadily chiseling away. I *very gently* put Dusty right back, being careful her feet were out of the way of the little one trying to emerge.

Geez, I really hope I didn't mess things up ...