Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[TropicalChickies]

Hoping all is well with Shad's little legbars...

 

[MrsNorthie]

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

Congratulations! They are so adorable!

 

[tranquiliti]

Hoping all is well with Shad's little legbars...

He must be spending all his time showering them with love!

 

[Shadrach]

I don't usually take them off either. I've only overseen (if that's the right word) four broody hatches up till now, and the hens left their nests periodically on their own to eat, poop, and dust bathe. Dusty was so committed I had to lift her off at least once a day -- but when I did she was great about dust bathing, but not eating -- she would run past the food, frizzled black bat wings stretched out, hissing and cawing, bless her heart. So I fed her when she got back to her nest. Eggs and cheese, because she wouldn't eat anything else the last week.

Anywoo... For all her high maintenance, youth, and inexperience, at the end of it she did a great job. She started with 4 eggs, ate one, another one got broken in a scuffle with a rival hen...so was down to only two.

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

View attachment 3611571
Here's one, peeking out this morning, wondering what this "food" stuff is...

Congratulations Dusty.

 

[Perris]

Is Fret holding on tight for the last 4?

 

[TropicalChickies]

Tina, the other broody hatched 2 out of 3 eggs yesterday morning. Both were out by 10am. She's a little over two years old and this is her second brood in five months. The two chicks look fine and healthy.

I just removed and chucked the 3rd egg. She had pushed it out to the front of the nest. No pip, no movement, and it was cold. It's been at least 22 hours since the two chicks hatched, so if 2 out of 3 is fine by her, it's fine by me.

Neither of the chicks is a carrioca like Tina (naked neck/Transylvanian) even though they were both Tina's eggs. I doubt Tina herself is a product of two Transylvanians. It's really a diverse bunch of genetics operating here. I doubt I will ever be able to breed for any particular characteristics with such a mixed bag. And that's fine. After my sad first experience with buying sick birds, I'm happy just to have healthy chickens with a shot at a better life.

Neither of Dusty's chicks are actually her offspring. When I gave her eggs to sit on, I wanted to give her the best chance of a hatch. I had watched Lucio mate with Dusty several times, and let's just say the affair did not appear successful most of the time. Dusty is very small, with a narrow back and short wings, Although she made a good attempt to crouch willingly, big gangly Lucio just couldn't get his balance and there was a lot of slip and slide and little actual contact of the, ahem, important parts.

Lucio is pretty adept at mating the other four hens at this point. They are all either stronger, broader, or lower to the ground (like Patucha) that makes for what looks to be more success. But he and Dusty don't match up, physique wise, so I gave Dusty 3 of Rusty's eggs and just one of her own for a what the heck/maybe.

The egg Dusty ate early on was her own. Perhaps she knew it wasn't fertile. So I think I made a good call
giving Dusty eggs with a better chance of being fertile.

Anyway, Dusty seems thrilled with her little foster babies and is mothering them very tenderly.

And that's another reason I'm hoping Dusty becomes the senior hen in the junior tribe. I can tell that young Tobias and Segundo are going to be smaller than Lucio and one of them might make a better match for her to mate more successfully.

 

[fluffycrow]

Tina, the other broody hatched 2 out of 3 eggs yesterday morning. Both were out by 10am. She's a little over two years old and this is her second brood in five months. The two chicks look fine and healthy.

I just removed and chucked the 3rd egg. She had pushed it out to the front of the nest. No pip, no movement, and it was cold. It's been at least 22 hours since the two chicks hatched, so if 2 out of 3 is fine by her, it's fine by me.

Neither of the chicks is a carrioca like Tina (naked neck/Transylvanian) even though they were both Tina's eggs. I doubt Tina herself is a product of two Transylvanians. It's really a diverse bunch of genetics operating here. I doubt I will ever be able to breed for any particular characteristics with such a mixed bag. And that's fine. After my sad first experience with buying sick birds, I'm happy just to have healthy chickens with a shot at a better life.

Neither of Dusty's chicks are actually her offspring. When I gave her eggs to sit on, I wanted to give her the best chance of a hatch. I had watched Lucio mate with Dusty several times, and let's just say the affair did not appear successful most of the time. Dusty is very small, with a narrow back and short wings, Although she made a good attempt to crouch willingly, big gangly Lucio just couldn't get his balance and there was a lot of slip and slide and little actual contact of the, ahem, important parts.

Lucio is pretty adept at mating the other four hens at this point. They are all either stronger, broader, or lower to the ground (like Patucha) that makes for what looks to be more success. But he and Dusty don't match up, physique wise, so I gave Dusty 3 of Rusty's eggs and just one of her own for a what the heck/maybe.

The egg Dusty ate early on was her own. Perhaps she knew it wasn't fertile. So I think I made a good call
giving Dusty eggs with a better chance of being fertile.

Anyway, Dusty seems thrilled with her little foster babies and is mothering them very tenderly.

And that's another reason I'm hoping Dusty becomes the senior hen in the junior tribe. I can tell that young Tobias and Segundo are going to be smaller than Lucio and one of them might make a better match for her to mate more successfully.

Congrats to both the girls, expecting many more photos !

 

[Perris]

Tina, the other broody hatched 2 out of 3 eggs yesterday morning. Both were out by 10am. She's a little over two years old and this is her second brood in five months. The two chicks look fine and healthy.

I just removed and chucked the 3rd egg. She had pushed it out to the front of the nest. No pip, no movement, and it was cold. It's been at least 22 hours since the two chicks hatched, so if 2 out of 3 is fine by her, it's fine by me.

Neither of the chicks is a carrioca like Tina (naked neck/Transylvanian) even though they were both Tina's eggs. I doubt Tina herself is a product of two Transylvanians. It's really a diverse bunch of genetics operating here. I doubt I will ever be able to breed for any particular characteristics with such a mixed bag. And that's fine. After my sad first experience with buying sick birds, I'm happy just to have healthy chickens with a shot at a better life.

Neither of Dusty's chicks are actually her offspring. When I gave her eggs to sit on, I wanted to give her the best chance of a hatch. I had watched Lucio mate with Dusty several times, and let's just say the affair did not appear successful most of the time. Dusty is very small, with a narrow back and short wings, Although she made a good attempt to crouch willingly, big gangly Lucio just couldn't get his balance and there was a lot of slip and slide and little actual contact of the, ahem, important parts.

Lucio is pretty adept at mating the other four hens at this point. They are all either stronger, broader, or lower to the ground (like Patucha) that makes for what looks to be more success. But he and Dusty don't match up, physique wise, so I gave Dusty 3 of Rusty's eggs and just one of her own for a what the heck/maybe.

The egg Dusty ate early on was her own. Perhaps she knew it wasn't fertile. So I think I made a good call
giving Dusty eggs with a better chance of being fertile.

Anyway, Dusty seems thrilled with her little foster babies and is mothering them very tenderly.

And that's another reason I'm hoping Dusty becomes the senior hen in the junior tribe. I can tell that young Tobias and Segundo are going to be smaller than Lucio and one of them might make a better match for her to mate more successfully.

congrats on the second hatch!

It will be interesting to hear how the two broodies and their clutches interact, if they do.

 

[fuzzi]

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

Mine haven't eaten earthworms I've offered, but they love pillbugs/roly poly millipedes.

 

[TropicalChickies]

congrats on the second hatch!

It will be interesting to hear how the two broodies and their clutches interact, if they do.

Last time I had a hatch it was with two broodies as well, Tina and Patucha. But they were sharing a closer proximity. Each had their own apartment, but within a few meters of each other. They feuded some in the first few days they took the chicks out to range, but then they made way for each other and there was calm.

In this case, Dusty has her brood in her own coop space 75 meters away from Tina, so I'm hoping it goes smoothly with each in their own area.

When they take them out to range, I expect some spats when paths cross. I'll keep an eye on it, but I think it will be ok.