Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[RoyalChick]

Absolutely. Have I posted this here before? In any case it won't hurt to repost for those who missed it when this nutrition journey started all those years ago...
https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/animals/dairy/Whats_in_Grass_Todays_Farm_May2014.pdf
They definitely prefer some varieties over others (there are some 10,000 species of grass). And they like the flowers a lot (some pollen is very nutritious apparently), so if you can live with an area of long grass, old school meadow style mowing routine, they will benefit from that too.

I'm sure there's lots there that is too small or well camouflaged for my eyes to see. I've definitely seen some of them eat some funga and mycelium. They also get minerals by eating earth.

Tax: Zimmet selecting the flowers of perennial rye grass
View attachment 4073024
I used to assume they were eating the grass seeds until I looked more carefully and realized that it was actually the newly opening flowers they were stripping from the stem. If I'd thought about it a bit harder I'd have realized it was too early in the year for the grass to have set seed

The grass article was interesting. Thanks for posting. I love that look that chickens have when selecting what to forage. Zimmet is clearly considering carefully what to snatch up next!

 

[ChaosMom]

I can testify that chickens like forsythia blossoms. I’m running an experiment, seeing if I can protect a forsythia from the destructosaurs long enough for it to be a source of shade and cover in a corner of the run.

I’m not super-optimistic.

 

[Sally PB]

I can testify that chickens like forsythia blossoms.

We have a couple of forsythia bushes sprawling. I might cut some branches for them when they bloom.

 

[ChaosMom]

We have a couple of forsythia bushes sprawling. I might cut some branches for them when they bloom.

I’m hoping that they will like the forsythia bush as much as they like the blossoms and allow it to grow to do its job. But as humans don’t seem very strong in forethought and delayed gratification, I probably shouldn’t expect chickens to have figured that out either…

 

[Perris]

I think chickens are better at it than humans actually
My lot love primrose flowers and young primrose leaves, but they haven't eaten them to oblivion. And I happened past one of the comfreys last month and they've clearly been chomping on them too, but the comfrey will outgrow the depredations and be fine.

 

[ChaosMom]

I think chickens are better at it than humans actually
My lot love primrose flowers and young primrose leaves, but they haven't eaten them to oblivion. And I happened past one of the comfreys last month and they've clearly been chomping on them too, but the comfrey will outgrow the depredations and be fine.
View attachment 4073085

This is encouraging!

I’m hoping to make a virtue of necessity and attach various planters to the HEC HWC and frame of the run to introduce a bit of color as well as edible flowers and leaves.

Fingers crossed for nasturtiums

Edit for the hourly Autocorrupt

 

[BDutch]

There are some fantastic pictures there. Gulls are really sea chickens!

My chickens don’t eat big fish, rabbits, moles, and other big animals. Not even a mouse by my knowledge.

I was always skeptical about chickens eating grass but they definitely do.

Mine too. Its often what they eat if they start with free ranging. . Thats why I started cut pieces grass and give it to them if I cant let them free range. They come running, almost like with mealworms.

 

[RoyalChick]

I can testify that chickens like forsythia blossoms. I’m running an experiment, seeing if I can protect a forsythia from the destructosaurs long enough for it to be a source of shade and cover in a corner of the run.

I’m not super-optimistic.

View attachment 4073065

Oooh. Thank you for the reminder. I layered some forsythia branches in October with the idea of planting the new plants as cover for the chickens. I totally forgot. Need to see if they survived and can be cut from the parent.
Need to decide where to plant.
Oh, and chickens, well at least my Princesses, appreciate rose petals.

 

[Perris]

chickens, well at least my Princesses, appreciate rose petals

yes mine do too - field / dog / wild roses once fallen from the plant.

 

[Perris]

My chickens don’t eat big fish, rabbits, moles, and other big animals. Not even a mouse by my knowledge.

I've seen mine with various small mammals, fallen nestlings and amphibians and even managed to get a photo of Phoenix with a slowworm

They don't get much opportunity to go fishing here though