Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[TropicalChickies]

It's a delightful hobby, I don't feel stoic about it, I mostly obtain great joy and satisfaction from spending time with the hens. The success rate isn't too bad for six years of chicken keeping, especially if you deduct the one fox raid and the lipidosis, which were my mistakes. When it's read in one short post it seems awful, but it reads worse than it really is.

Agreed. For the 6 days I buried a hen, there were over 1000 days I enjoyed being a part of their lives.

 

[Sally PB]

This is beautiful. Thank you for posting it.
I gotta go blow my nose now.

 

[BDutch]

While this is in fact true if one includes all chickens, the majority being commercial layers and meat birds, I think it's slightly misleading when it comes to small hobby groups.
Part of the problem is old age comes at different ages for chickens depending on their provenance and breed. The last two Ex Battery chickens that died at the allotments did die of diseases related to old age; it's just old age for them is about four years old rather than ten or twelve years old.
I think the vast majority of chickens I've know that have died at what I would call a good age for a chicken have died from a disease/health problem. Disease is what kills most creatures who reach old age, including humans. In theory if we didn't have diseases in their various forms we would live forever.

I was writing about the small hobby groups. I didn’t include killing by mankind. And excluded chickens from inbreeding programs and the laying hybrids for the industry. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.
Inbreeding to revive an extinct breed was probably what caused problems with the Tournaisis breed I had. I realise their lifespan is often very short. Anyway I didn’t find 3.5 - 4 years old a good age to die for a chicken.

In my statement I meant the old age of more natural kind of chickens is probably 7 years or older. These groups include the old breeds like my Dutch, Wyandottes, Sussex etc., with plenty breeders over the years and of course the barnyard mixes.

The ex-battery hens have 2 disadvantages why they rarely become of a distinct chicken-age.

1. the breeding programmes for an extreme amount if eggs in a short time.
2. a harsh life in a cage with thousands of other hens on a very limited space.

Don’t get me wrong. I highly redpect what you and all the other rescuer’s do, giving these chickens a good life for the time they have left. But such chickens are too complicated (heartbreaking) for me. It just doesn’t suit me to be a chicken nurse too often or to have a chicken-sanctuary.

But I get it that these ex-bats are wonderful creatures. You can imagine that I was truly amazed with Fret becoming seriously broody, hatching 3 eggs and being a careful mother with her genes and no living ancestors that showed her how to do this. (wondering if daddy knew more and gave here a few wise lessons).

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I've heard of that one before. I'm a visual person, it's late, and I'm sort of a kokoromialos (it translates to dumb, or air headed, the literal translation is rooster brained) so I still don't get it

Hey!!!! I'm that too, lol

 

[MrsNorthie]

Did you fracture your arm??? That sure would hurt!

Right ulna, doesn't seem too bad, still a little swollen. I feel more stupid than anything.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

True of course. But very few chickens die, or get sick from a disease related to an old age problem. This is very different with the experience people have with cats and dogs.

I think the large number of predation and sickness/dying young is not something newby chicken keepers realise when they buy their first chicks / chickens.

No chickens of mine died of old age yet.
For me my 3 oldest are the living proof chickens can get 8-9 year old easily, and be healthy and very much alive. I even read that an exceptional 20 is possible.

imho/statement: Chickens who die before they are 7 years old might have died from some kind of health problem or an inbreed problem but didn’t die from an old age problem.

My personal summary apart from the first unlucky batches with bought chicks: 3 reached old age, 2 died too young, 6 got lost/predated.

If I had confined them in a run 24/7 the numbers by predation would have been fewer, but the number of chickens that would have died with a health problem was probably higher. And even more important : if chickens are confined in a run 24/7, without a lively soil and lots of greenery, their life isn’t as joyful as with free ranging time.

I become conflicted about this. I would rather my chickens thrive, live a happy life free ranging and trying their best and possibly lose to mother nature than keep them confined to a run where, no matter how big, needs a lot of work to recreate a healthy environment. (Soil health, access to greens, space to really run and jump and explore. I love them all so much and thats why I think this way. I'm willing to lose a couple to mother nature in the pursuit of an overall, happy flock. Thinking I know whats best for these hens has been the most difficult of the chicken learning curve. I believe my next hens will be jungle fowl. I live on the side of a mountain and feel they will thrive. We value freedom over security around here; The hens told me!

 

[MrsNorthie]

Sorry for the dog talk but just learned today that our Lab has cancer.

Sending you and Bella positive vibes for successful treatment.

 

[Molpet]

Right ulna, doesn't seem too bad, still a little swollen. I feel more stupid than anything.

Prayers for swift healing

 

[Ladies-Eight]

oh my, thank you! I can't help but feel like it's going to be fun trying to crack a hole in an egg this small...I'll update tomorrow I guess when I'll be covered in egg bits

A dremel tool makes a nice round hole to blow through.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts god afternoon one and all!

Temperature is in the 80s.

Have a great day!