Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

@Perris I need to formulate a homemade baby chick food. Been slammed with farm work, major tree pruning and planting projects before the rainy season, and I just grabbed some (unmedicated) starter stuff in a hurry.

I see a variety of foods listed in your article. Anything in particular you recommend for the first week or so? I assume a soft scrambled egg always goes down well?

I offer milk-soaked and ff liquor soaked bread first, plus mealworms, and Janeka has been very clear with this latest clutch that mealworms are best

And yesterday the first chick popped out around 11am, and the second one was out by 3pm!

Yay! congratulations!

 

[fluffycrow]

mealworms, and Janeka has been very clear with this latest clutch that mealworms are best

Cruella is hit or miss about her earthworms. Some days she'll let the chicks have them, others she doesn't

 

[Perris]

Cruella is hit or miss about her earthworms. Some days she'll let the chicks have them, others she doesn't

mine have never been keen on earthworms. Wireworms and other harder, smaller types of worms are preferred here.

 

[fluffycrow]

mine have never been keen on earthworms. Wireworms and other harder, smaller types of worms are preferred here.

Interesting. Can't say I've observed the same here, everything gets gobbled up before i can make any serious observation . Unfortunately Cruella does not free range, so she cannot dig her own worms to give to her brood, and I only know of a good earthworm spot, I try to pick the smallest ones. Mosquitoes and flies are another deal, however, those she catches them all the time

 

[pennyJo1960]

Fret has hatched a chick! It's a light bar so Henry's a dad.

Two Lightbars now and I think one more is on the way.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

mine have never been keen on earthworms. Wireworms and other harder, smaller types of worms are preferred here.

Here earthworms appear to be an individual preference. I have ridiculous amounts of worms (which is good I know and I've been working towards this goal) I can't stick a shovel in anywhere without pulling up 10 at least. A handful of hens will follow me around when I've got a rake or shovel. Another handful will wander in if I'm around for awhile and have a scratch about for worms. Then a few are not interested in worms at all.
Cockroaches and huhu beetles are the ultimate favorite.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

some of those reading this thread might find this interesting.

https://civileats.com/2023/08/16/this-network-of-regenerative-farmers-is-rethinking-chicken/

It suggests that regenerative farming really could replace the industrial model in an economically viable way, for meat birds rather than layers this time. Modern broilers get a far worse experience than the layers whose rescue prompted this thread. Offers food for thought on humans' jobs too.

This was an excellent article and also a good website thanks for sharing. I must say I was a little frusted with my own country while reading it. Trying to put together a small processing plant like they have in the article would be extremely difficult here. We have so many places here where this system could be rolled out, there are already extensive orchards that could incorporate chickens without much trouble (provided the chickens don't get run over by the tractors). Plus hill country that would be best put back into some kind of low-input tree system. But, trying to bring those chickens to the market, there it would all fall down.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Yay for Dusty. What a cute pic!

They're both eating and drinking already! Precocious little buggers.

 

[TropicalChickies]

This was an excellent article and also a good website thanks for sharing. I must say I was a little frusted with my own country while reading it. Trying to put together a small processing plant like they have in the article would be extremely difficult here. We have so many places here where this system could be rolled out, there are already extensive orchards that could incorporate chickens without much trouble (provided the chickens don't get run over by the tractors). Plus hill country that would be best put back into some kind of low-input tree system. But, trying to bring those chickens to the market, there it would all fall down.

I've chatted with the founder Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin a bit over social media. He's a really great guy -- very passionate about what he's doing. He's originally from Guatemala and grew up on a mixed fruit farm of mangoes and other trees. He has a deep understanding and appreciation of indigenous tropical agroforestry methods. He definitely understands that chickens are really at home under a tree canopy, scratching in the detritus of the forest.

 

[fluffycrow]

View attachment 3612019
They're both eating and drinking already! Precocious little buggers.

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