Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fuzzi]

first glimpse
View attachment 3633830

Love the glare!

"Who're you looking at?"

 

[fuzzi]

And if I understood what you said correctly they only studied over 8 weeks. Maybe not long enough to get a true view?

My thought.

 

[BDutch]

I doubt they get many chicken requests. Probably 98% cats & dogs. Even so, Skeksis was incredibly unique for a chicken.

The plushie is unique too. But no plushie or other substitute can replace Skeksis.

Nevertheless is the plushie wonderfull (and funny).

 

[fuzzi]

I have been fighting fire ants. We had a couple of days of heavier rain, and mounds have popped up everywhere. Instead of killing them all (which is impossible), we try to make the environment as hostile as possible for them, to just move them away from living areas, where we walk, where we walk the dogs, and of course away from the chickens. They do have some good benefits, they eat ticks, aphids, and other insects, good a bad and may be why we do not have mites and lice in a wood coop? Blue and Goldie both stepped in a tiny mound and took 'bites' to the feet and were dancing a jig, poor babies.

While working on one large mound in the run, the girls kept coming over to see what I was up to, and I was afraid the swarming ants would go after them, but I could not get them to keep away. I started saying Blue's name, then mimicking his danger alert call and signaling to the area I was working on, and he started calling the girls to him in the far reaches of the run! I love that boy! I do not speak fluent chicken, but he seems to have understood what I was trying to accomplish?? (or he was just trying to get the girls to get away from the crazy lady having a fit in the middle of their run..lol) All but my silly Gracie listened to him.

Today, we are going to spray some vinegar on the grass inside the run to drive them out away from the run, once they are mostly cleared out we will put down a perimeter of rosemary, lavender and vinegar outside the run, to to discourage their return to that area. There will always be some, but I just want to keep them under control so we don't have any swarming attacks. The bites are painful, and then they itch but a swarm attack can cause an anaphylactic reaction so I do not know how this would impact the chickens, and I don't want to find out.

I'm having big issues with fire ants, too. They've come into the house now.

Tax for off topic talk:

 

[MrsNorthie]

I'm having big issues with fire ants, too. They've come into the house now.

Tax for off topic talk:
View attachment 3634399

That is handsome tax!

They seem to come in the house in August, I think looking for water, because it is hot and dry then. The vinegar seems to be helping. I know that cinnamon repels them, but I have read that it is also bad for the chickens and it is expensive.

They are a horrible insect. I got stung between my fore finger and middle finger in that tender spot, my hand was swollen to my ring finger, I had to take my ring off with some hand lotion. I have checked the little chicken feet and they look ok, but Blue was a grump today so I checked him all over with my flashlight tonight and he doesn't have any signs of stings under his feathers and seemed more annoyed that he was actually enjoying the attention. LOL

 

[Perris]

@Perris
https://hodmedods.co.uk/collections/peas/products/mix-3-all-the-peas?variant=37839473115295

Interesting site as they give a nutritional breakdown for the products.
This makes the balancing relativley easy math.
The 5kg bags seem a reasonable price compared to many I've looked at.
I've found a fishmonger for scraps finally.

Thanks. I heard the founder of that firm featured on the Food Programme some time ago; love what they're doing, and I love my chickens, but I'm not paying for wholemeal sandal-type human food at stockbroker prices. I'm used to paying about £12 for 25kg, not £17 for 5kg - the maths of chicken keeping definitely wouldn't balance if I spent that much on peas! Delighted to hear about the fish scraps; hope it works out for you.

 

[ManueB]

I doubt they get many chicken requests. Probably 98% cats & dogs. Even so, Skeksis was incredibly unique for a chicken.

Yes, I also don't think any object will actually manage to embody what she was to you . That said, I like some of the digital chicken artists on Etsy and IG, and there are very different styles. Maybe if you find one you like you could get a commission for Skeksis ?

This one is the one I think is male and it tried a few branches out this evening.

It does have that awkward male pre-teen look.

That is handsome tax!

They seem to come in the house in August, I think looking for water, because it is hot and dry then. The vinegar seems to be helping. I know that cinnamon repels them, but I have read that it is also bad for the chickens and it is expensive.

They are a horrible insect. I got stung between my fore finger and middle finger in that tender spot, my hand was swollen to my ring finger, I had to take my ring off with some hand lotion. I have checked the little chicken feet and they look ok, but Blue was a grump today so I checked him all over with my flashlight tonight and he doesn't have any signs of stings under his feathers and seemed more annoyed that he was actually enjoying the attention. LOL

In places you don't have chickens or pets or kids around making a paste with boric acid is effective to kill them. It's a poison though.
Cinnamon in small dose is good for the chickens ( see study mentioned in this post ) and I doubt the chickens would eat enough to cause themselves harm. I would not say the same for cats.

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

So I ordered a Skeksis plushie from Petsies. Submitted the 3 requested photos of my sweet bird that I felt would give them the best idea of what she looked like. As expensive as it was, let's just say they missed the mark.

View attachment 3634296

Oh dear, not a patch on the real thing but you can tell they tried.

Personally I really like Jennifer Miller / Featherdust’s bird art - some stunning chicken portraits. Not so taken by the fantasy works. https://nambroth.tumblr.com/ They used to be active on BYC and in the past made plushies.
Obviously other artists are available so as @ManueB said it’s a matter of finding one you like

 

[BDutch]

Thanks. I heard the founder of that firm featured on the Food Programme some time ago; love what they're doing, and I love my chickens, but I'm not paying for wholemeal sandal-type human food at stockbroker prices. I'm used to paying about £12 for 25kg, not £17 for 5kg - the maths of chicken keeping definitely wouldn't balance if I spent that much on peas! Delighted to hear about the fish scraps; hope it works out for you.

Shad, do you really pay this much for the feed? I find €20 for 5 kg way overpriced too.
The organic chick feed I bought last time was €23 for 25 kg.

Did you consider to put rat traps on the plot outside the run. The bucket traps filled with water will not only catch them but kill them too. And you don’t need any poison for these traps. Only concern would be children who come there to play.
Link to a bucket rat trap

 

[Iluveggers]

That is handsome tax!

They seem to come in the house in August, I think looking for water, because it is hot and dry then. The vinegar seems to be helping. I know that cinnamon repels them, but I have read that it is also bad for the chickens and it is expensive.

They are a horrible insect. I got stung between my fore finger and middle finger in that tender spot, my hand was swollen to my ring finger, I had to take my ring off with some hand lotion. I have checked the little chicken feet and they look ok, but Blue was a grump today so I checked him all over with my flashlight tonight and he doesn't have any signs of stings under his feathers and seemed more annoyed that he was actually enjoying the attention. LOL

Activated charcoal can help pull the poison that causes pain out of a sting if you put it on the affected area.