Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[pennyJo1960]

Nice photos Shad They came out very nice.
Tax

 

[rural mouse]

Henry keeping an eye on the red/golden ones.
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The others.
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You need more roos.

 

[rural mouse]

Wow. That is cool. Look how effective at keeping in the heat the down is.
Looks like chickens might get cold ears just like I do.

Gives new incentives for chicken hats....


Paying tax now

 

[micstrachan]

Henry keeping an eye on the red/golden ones.
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The others.
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Hey, Shad. I just noticed that “the others” are spread out like mine do. What do you make of that? I seem to recall you commenting on my flock that you found it usual for them to spread out while ranging.

 

[blackacres]

After 30 pages of catching up, I’m sure owe more tax. So here’s a picture from this evening when I went to lock up the coop.

 

[micstrachan]

So are you saying that it would be better for the chickens if a flock was all the same breed?

I’m guilty of picking and choosing a wide variety of feather patterns and egg colors. The reason I did that was so I could track who was laying and how often to keep better tabs on their health.

The two chicks I have are ISA Browns - though they were supposedly Buff Orps when I bought them - that I never would have bought except I had a single Brahma chick that needed company, and those two were the youngest I could find. The Brahma chick ended up dying - abandoned by mama hen because it was a week-ish younger than the ISA’s and couldn’t keep up with them, so I can only guess that mama decided to put her energy into the more active chicks. I noticed that she was less attentive to the Brahma one afternoon, decided I needed to keep an eye on the behavior, came back that night from a performance I was in, and the little Brahma was dead from exposure outside the coop. After that, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to keep the two ISA’s (still on the fence about them actually) but I feel a certain responsibility to give them the best life I can since they are here.

If I had known they were production birds, I don’t think I would have bought them. It was my first time hatching eggs and I didn’t know how good a mom my broody would be, or how long she would stick with her chicks. The chicks are 9-ish weeks old now, and she’s still with them. I still wonder if I made the right choice.

What a sad story about the baby Brahma. I also keep a variety, not just because they look pretty, but it makes it easy to quickly tell at a glance who is accounted for. My flock is pretty chill, though, and get along for the most part.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What a sad story about the baby Brahma. I also keep a variety, not just because they look pretty, but it makes it easy to quickly tell at a glance who is accounted for. My flock is pretty chill, though, and get along for the most part.

That's another reason I like birds that look different. At a glance I can see 3 3 3 2 4 1 3, not count all the individual birds multiple times to make sure they're all there

 

[pennyJo1960]

I will have to post tomorrow for tax .. Seeing the birds grouped. Mine do that also but will post what I see then

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

The temperature is 70 and cloudy.

Have a great day!

I shall pay some tax:

 

[Solanacae]

What a sad story about the baby Brahma. I also keep a variety, not just because they look pretty, but it makes it easy to quickly tell at a glance who is accounted for. My flock is pretty chill, though, and get along for the most part.

I still can’t help but look at the spot I found that little Brahma chick every night I go out to do my head count. I guess it’s just a reminder to me to be careful how I tinker with flock dynamics and to keep learning about chicken behavior and other things chicken. My flock gets along quite well, and having varying feather patterns also make it easier for my kids/husband to tell me which chicken they’re talking about if they saw something unusual.

The ISA chicks (juveniles, really) are 12 weeks now and still stick close to mama - they like to sit in the roosting bars during the day but stick to the floor of the coop at night. After reading that article about keel bone fractures makes me wonder if any vets around here have access to a hormone implant similar to what was mentioned in the study, that would delay the onset of their laying so they can mature a little more. No one here actually specializes in avian care, but perhaps they could order something in? It’s worth asking around. I’m seeing some comb and wattle development on these gals but they’re still smaller than my Sultans and it boggles my mind that they’re potentially laying in a month.

Here’s some tax:
1. First egg from Fuzzy, my flock queen, after she took a two month break to molt. I was surprised that she got back to laying so quickly. It’s really spotted, usually her eggs are a smooth dark brown.
2. Fuzzy
3. Peanut showing off her fluff