Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Canadian Wind]

Nice looking birds I think. Enough game bird looking left in them.

this is my buff pair.

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

Funny you should say this. Here's a picture I took of one of my bantam cochin (Pekin to my UK friends) just two days ago:

View attachment 4050261

On the other hand, my Chanterels, who were bred to survive our winters, weren't puffed up at all.

Now, if they were let loose do I think they would live through the winter without my feeding and sheltering them? No, I don't believe they would.

Same with breeds that have HUGE combs and wattles, they usually loose them to frostbite.

The wild birds here survive through absolutely horrendous conditions. A lot of it has to do with adaptability. I wouldn't bet a dime on a UK bird making it through the same.

Minnie the beardless D’Uccle looks like that quite often this winter. In their first winter nothing would stop them wanting to come out whatever the weather. 2nd winter similar but for whatever reason they are very not keen unless it’s dry & preferably sunny in this, their 3rd year. It must be said that this winter here in S England seems one interminable dank, gloomy affair

Tax, spherical Minnie & friends

I wonder if that very hard moult left her feeling the cold more. It certainly gave her some serious stress bars in her tail feathers and you can see some of them have broken tips. However, if there are treats she is very animated & will be the one to come check if the hooman has goodies.

Oh dear, Brits don’t like Pekin bantams being called Cochins . Found these pics as illustration:
American Cochin bantam from Cochins International website

UK Pekin from Pekin bantam club website

So glad mine aren’t show quality and that Bub-bub is a Pekin cross - he has legs even if his, like mine are on the short side!

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

I have read about chickadees surviving frigid nights by huddling in groups in tree cavities.

There's more, read on:
https://www.birdful.org/how-cold-can-chickadees-tolerate/

Similar here. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) did some work on this with the help of 400 people making observations mostly in their own gardens. No surprise that the tiny wren likes to huddle!
https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw/about/background/projects/roosting-survey/results

 

[Perris]

Similar here. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) did some work on this with the help of 400 people making observations mostly in their own gardens. No surprise that the tiny wren likes to huddle!
https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw/about/background/projects/roosting-survey/results

my chickens huddle too; the 4th coop has been empty quite a few nights during this latest cold snap, as they're all piling into the other 3 to huddle up.

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

my chickens huddle too; the 4th coop has been empty quite a few nights during this latest cold snap, as they're all piling into the other 3 to huddle up.

Mine like to huddle under himself & his ample fluff. Have an omlet 4th hand (and free) so no proper roosting bars as such so the hens jostle for the fluffiest part of his undercarriage

 

[Canadian Wind]

That IS something I've noticed with mine, only the young ones stay out and need to be herded into the coop! The four older ladies would much rather be out of the snow and wind!

 

[Shadrach]

Yup, grey damp and chilly again although it was a couple of degrees warmer than yesterday. We all got onto the field got an hour and a half.

 

[fuzzi]

...checking in...

 

[Shadrach]

One and a half hours today. Colder than yesterday at 2C with a wind rather than a breeze. I tried doing Mow's legs again this afternoon. I'm going to have to enlist some help. I'm not able to clear the feathering away from higher up her leg and hold and apply the vaseline and iodine mix; a hand short in fact.
Henry's got a new outbreak, that needs dealing with. Tull's and Sylph's legs are much improved. They've shed most of the worst of the damged scales.

Fret hackle flashed Tull this afternoon. Fret seems to be making sure that they show the right amount of respect. Tull looked most put out and stood there with her head hung not looking at Fret. See how it goes.

It's about this distance from the coop that I go and herd them back towards the coop. They move so quickly from one place to the next I worry they may slip out the gate. I'm sure they would head back but I would like to teach the if possible that further than the last growing plot is not in their territory.

Thi s one thinks it's a chicken. It arrives every day shortly after I arrive at the field.

 

[fuzzi]

Fret is making sure her seniority is understood by the youngsters!