Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[RoyalChick]

That's almost as absurd as the watermelon that would grow in your stomach if you ate watermelon seeds ...

I think that one was a step too far for my mother so she didn’t try persuading me if that!

 

[TropicalChickies]

I think that one was a step too far for my mother so she didn’t try persuading me if that!

It was my grandmother who told us that one. My mother was a nurse so she tried the more scientific sounding scares like "cyanide poisoning."

 

[RoyalChick]

Pits and seeds tax: Tassels who is always in my face and has been digging deep in the heaps of dead leaves and grasses!

 

[TropicalChickies]

"You've got to let love rule."


Sorry bout that. Listening to it now.

Kravitz was incredible when he wrote his own songs. Don't know why he starting doing so many covers later in his career.

 

[TropicalChickies]

What I've seen a lot of is chickens spread out, with the group gradually moving along as the roosters stand guard. They like to eat together and if the group moves off, even if a particular hen has found a good supply of bugs in some hole, she will in general leave the bugs and follow the group.
This is on acres of ground. A fast moving group of chickens can be hundreds of metres away in seconds and hidden from sight.

Same here. I observe that the chickens range over about 1.5 - 2 acres throughout the day in a fairly predictable pattern. Every 2 hours or so, they circle back to their feeding areas to see if there's any grains or seeds they might have missed. On very dry and sunny days they will range further into the forest to forage in the shade. It's incredible how quickly they move around -- especially Lucio. I'll hear him crowing from several hundred meters away, if he hears his favorite sound (the feed bucket opening), he's here in a flash with his fan club in tow.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Temperature is in the 60s and cloudy.

Have a great day!

 

[Molpet]

Congratulations @BDutch
Thread 'Official BYC Caption Contest 11-17-23 Pic by BDutch' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ption-contest-11-17-23-pic-by-bdutch.1604512/

 

[BDutch]

I gave my chickens mandarin oranges and they loved them. I haven't seen any sickness. But will heed the warning. What does it do to them that you have seen?

I was talking about berrie fruits from bushes and trees we don’t eatsuch as elderberry and hawthorn.

I never gave pieces of citrus peel to eat. Citrus fruits are no problem. But when I solit an old orange or mandarin they leave the (half) peel for me to discard it.
Btw, the text in the spoiler was translated from a Dutch explainer site for teenagers.

My chickens eat apple seeds quite often. I never had problems with apples seeds from pears, grapes etc. at all.

P.s. my chickens don’t eat from the ivy. And I have no idea what Buckthorn is. Its probably not common in Europe. The very poisonous ivy doesn’t grow here either.

 

[no fly zone]

Skeksis enjoying some organic blueberries and millet in raw milk back in 2020.

 

[BDutch]

Interested in berries that are great food for birds (and chickens)?

Translated from Dutch site. For the pictures visit the site https://www.onzenatuur.be/artikel/9-vogelvriendelijke-bessenstruiken

Spoiler: 9 bird-friendly berry bushes

9 bird-friendly berry bushes
September 4, 2021
Berry bushes are an important source of food for many bird species. By the way, it's not just birds that enjoy it. You can harvest some berry-bearing shrubs yourself, provided the birds don't get ahead of you. Moreover, you can enjoy a magnificent display of colors all year round. So what are you waiting for? Discover 9 bird-friendly berry bushes to plant in your garden here.

1. Wild dwarf medlar (Cotoneaster integerrimus)
This rather small shrub (50-200 cm) can be recognized by its glossy green, egg-shaped leaves. From April, white flowers appear on the wild dwarf medlar. The small red berries are ripe around August. Until the end of September they are a popular and vitamin-rich snack for many garden birds. wilde-dwarfmispel.jpg

2. Wild mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia)
The wild rowan is a large shrub (or tree) that can grow up to 9 meters high. This species owes its name to the thrush which, together with many other birds, loves the red-orange berries that hang on the branches from August to September. But the wild rowan is more than just a food source. The dense branch structure also provides the perfect breeding ground for birds. In May and June the shrub also produces beautiful white blossoms that attract many insects. All in all, the wild rowan is a great added value for your wild garden. vilda-38992-rowanberries-lars-soerink-800-px-55064.jpg Lars Soerink

3. Firethorn (Pyracantha)
Treat yourself and the birds in the garden with a graceful firethorn. This evergreen climbing plant shows its most beautiful side in the autumn. With bright yellow to bright red berries, this shrub attracts all birds in the area such as blackbirds, house sparrows, etc. From May to June the shrub is covered in white flowers. The thorns make the shrub inaccessible to cats and other predators, making firethorn also an excellent breeding ground for birds in the summer. firethorn.jpg

4. Single-style hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
The monostylist hawthorn is a common, large shrub (or tree) from the rose family. The shrub can grow up to 8 meters high and has small thorns. In May, the hawthorn shines in all its glory with fragrant white blossoms that attract many insects. The first red berries appear in July and remain visible until December. Hawthorn is a shrub with a dense branch structure and thorns, which makes it widely used to naturally fence gardens, meadows and grasslands. vilda-18546-berries-of-hawthorn-yves-adams-800-px-55067.jpg Yves Adams

5. Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
Privet has everything a beautiful hedge plant should have: easy to prune, a dense branch structure and evergreen. This makes this shrub an ideal nesting place for garden birds. This shrub can only lose leaves during very severe winters. In June and July, the privet blooms with white flowers that are very popular with insects. From October the bush is filled with dark, black berries. A feast for birds, but beware: the berries are poisonous to humans. privet-ligustrum-vulgare.jpg

6. Red Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)
The popularity of this plant is not stolen. Red dogwood is a graceful shrub about 3 meters high. The bright red branches guarantee a beautiful view in winter. In June, red dogwood blooms with white flowers and from August the black berries ripen. Enjoy the view before the birds take it away. red-dogwood-cornus-sanguinea.jpg

7. European serviceberry (Amelanchier ovalis)
A bird-friendly berry bush that will give you something to eat? Invest in a European currant tree. This tall shrub (max. 5 meters) blooms in April and May with fragrant white flowers. An attraction for small insects, and sparrows quickly realize this. After flowering, the currants form. The green berries - if they have not yet been picked off en masse by tits or starlings - later turn red to blue-black and taste nice and sweet. The name of the tree also refers to the berries that used to be dried instead of currants to use in cakes and pastries. Finally, the currant tree gives you one last moment of pleasure: in early autumn the leaves turn golden yellow to copper red before they fall to the ground. In short, a tree that will give you plenty of pleasure! shutterstock-1137537062.jpg

8. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
We don't need to tell you anything more about the blossoms of the common elderberry. This large shrub (or tree) can grow up to 7 meters high. However, in autumn there are no white flower heads, but bunches of dark red berries hang on this shrub. You can make delicious syrup from it yourself, but hurry because many birds, including the blackcap, lie in wait. Did you know that birds help spread the elderberry seeds? As a result, solitary elder bushes regularly appear here and there. We are certainly not complaining. vilda-38948-elder-with-berries-lars-soerink-800-px-55066.jpg Lars Soerink

9. Cardinal's Bonnet (Euonymus fortunei)
Less known, but certainly no less beautiful. This multifunctional plant is a striking appearance in all its guises. Lying, climbing or creeping, cardinal's hat grows into a plant with green, oval leaves that it retains in the winter. In June and August, the cardinal's hat blooms with yellow-green flowers. After that, the shrub only becomes more beautiful. The pink fruits with striking orange seeds open and are visible until October. The berries are therefore not only a feast for birds, but also for the eyes. vilda-12068-cardinalsmuts-yves-adams-800-px-55065.jpg