Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ManueB]

My wife is probably just as knowledgable as I am when it comes to poultry, if not moreso.

I am sorry things are being so rough for you.
Take it one step at a time.
Your wife is just probably very worried to see you so upset, doesn't understand, and frustrated that she can't help you feel better.

Four hours today. Chilly again at 7C.
I spent a couple of hours weeding and rubbish clearing. Carbon is eating worms again. She went right off them a few weeks ago.
I'm not having any luck persuading any of them that dried peas are good to eat. I've broken them up, fermented them, and even made a paste with them; no takers.
View attachment 3661092View attachment 3661091View attachment 3661090

Like @BDutch I ended up cooking the peas. If you have a high pressure cooker or can borrow one, and some place in a freezer, you can cook a big batch and freeze small portions for two days. At least to go through what you bought.

I've been reading "The Henwife" -- one of the books on the list of references in your feed article. The Hon. Mrs. Arbuthnott wrote in 1868:

"If altogether re-strained from sitting, however, a hen suffers much in moulting, and is restless and excited for the rest of the season."

Production breeds hardly ever, if ever, go broody. In order to lay more eggs all year as they are designed. Im wondering if by turning off the brood switch, their molting has also become more difficult -- making them even more prone to health problems in addition to the energy expended in laying so many eggs over a short period of time.

My ex-batt's have followed an erratic scheme with molting and they never went broody. But I am not sure what the exact correlation is.
They only really molted in their third winter. Before that it was just replacing a few feathers but also keeping very tattered feathers.
We have noticed that the three who actually molted, are the three who made it to four years old. But it could be a coincidence.

 

[Perris]

I'm not having any luck persuading any of them that dried peas are good to eat. I've broken them up, fermented them, and even made a paste with them; no takers.

I give them an alternative legume to peas whenever I cook some for myself.

My chickens love boiled peas.

I ended up cooking the peas

I tried quite a few varieties of peas before I found some they liked, and still haven't sourced a sack of peas where they like everything in the mix; most of them really don't like maples, at least without skinning them first (they do the skinning, not me!). I've noticed some of the chickens eat peas of any variety only after they've skinned them and separated the halves, and then eat the halves, and wondered if it's something to do with the hardness, even after 24 hrs+ soaking in the ferment liquor. Grain is significantly softened by the soaking. Anyway, I'll give cooking them a go, as you're all having success with that. Did you try cooking them Shad?

 

[Perris]

Congratulations @fluffycrow on your two Seramas and the Tsouloufati roo; gorgeous birds and deserved winners in the Standard and Unrecognized Chicken Shows

I was surprised and of course delighted that Janeka and Amadeo did so well (2nd and 3rd respectively in recognized breeds in unrecognized colours); it's bittersweet in Amadeo's case of course , but at least he passed his genes onto Fez, and perhaps some of the others in the upcoming generation (too early to tell).

 

[TropicalChickies]

In 1868 there were no production breeds.

I know that. But the author was observing a natural correlation in 1868: no sitting --> harder molting. What I'm wondering is -- since that time -- by modifying hens to make them not sit people may have unintentionally made their molting more severe as well.

After all, a bird that molts hard (loses most of its feathers, weakens in condition, and takes a long time to regrow them) would not be favored in nature. Nature would favor the birds who had a more gradual and mild molting process, did not suffer from losing so many feathers at once, and did not lose condition dramatically. Brooding *seems* to encourage these "mini" or more gradual molts, at least as I've witnessed, in accordance with Mrs. Arthunbott. I don't have a big enough hen population to do a proper study, which is why I inquired about other experiences.

None of my hens who go broody often and are over 1.5 years old went through the "first big molt" at 18 months. But if you Search the internet on *chicken molt", every article on the first page tells the reader that this is the "normal" process. In contrast, all of my hens had a mini molt at about 9 - 12 months (or when they started exhibiting some broody behavior) and have continued with these gradual molts since).

I doubt there's enough -- or any --long term studies on this. The only real takeaway for me is that, once again, what the most-circulated resources tell us is the "normal" or "standard" way chickens molt -- or do anything! -- probably isn't "standard" at all and in reality there's a much wider variation.

Tax

Junior cockerel Tobias standing back while Prima eats a papaya treat.

 

[fluffycrow]

Thank you so much @Perris ! Congratulations on your amazing wins as well, very well deserved, gorgeous birds. I'm glad that even though Amadeo is not with you anymore, you have some of his offspring to remind you of him

 

[TropicalChickies]

Thank you so much @Perris ! Congratulations on your amazing wins as well, very well deserved, gorgeous birds. I'm glad that even though Amadeo is not with you anymore, you have some of his offspring to remind you of him

Where is this contest posted? Would you share the link please?

 

[fluffycrow]

Where is this contest posted? Would you share the link please?

Here it is! The winners were split up in the categories. ABA/APA recognised breed, recognised colour, ABA/APA recognised breed, unrecognised colour, and unrecognised breed.
Post in thread 'Official BYC 2023 Summer Fair Contest—Standard-Bred Chicken Show' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ndard-bred-chicken-show.1589086/post-27249523

 

[fluffycrow]

@Somewhere_In_The_Clouds also snoops through the thread, so I'd like to extend the congratulations, as they achieved some serious wins as well!

 

[RoyalChick]

Here it is! The winners were split up in the categories. ABA/APA recognised breed, recognised colour, ABA/APA recognised breed, unrecognised colour, and unrecognised breed.
Post in thread 'Official BYC 2023 Summer Fair Contest—Standard-Bred Chicken Show' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/official-byc-2023-summer-fair-contest—standard-bred-chicken-show.1589086/post-27249523

Wow - I had not seen that. Congratulations @fluffycrow, @Perris, and @Somewhere_In_The_Clouds
Such beautiful birds!

 

[RoyalChick]

Wow - I had not seen that. Congratulations @fluffycrow, @Perris, and @Somewhere_In_The_Clouds
Such beautiful birds!

I should add congratulations to the birds themselves. Not that they likely care!