Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[HiEverybirdy]

One of the next generation for tax; just love this pic

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Adorable bird!

 

[Labsandchickens8]

I've had similar and the discussions to go with it. My view, not a popular view I expect here on BYC is most people just do not know how to keep chickens. I had the chickens on the vegetable plot in Catalonia. One of the people from the main house would shoe then off whenever they saw the chickens in there.
I took them to a few of the local small holdings that had their chickens running around the place. Many of these smallholding used to fence the chickens on the vegetable plot rather than off it so the chickens would do the work cleaning out pests, tilling the soil and fertilizing the ground. Delicate (read chicken favourites) got temporarliy covered with wire cages much like I've used at the field. My plot at the field is the most productive per square metre cultivated. Yup, every now and then a plant gets dug up or some leaves get chewed but if I'm out there with them it's easy to prevent or put right. People at the field ask me how I get so much produce from the area, so they've noticed it's very productive. I tell them it's because the chickns are on it most days for a while. Nope, they won't believe that's the reason it's more productive then their plots which they haul in shop compost to maintain.

You are completely right that most people don't know how to keep chickens. I finally got chickens after 15 years or more of wanting them and I was shockingly ignorant. I spend a ton of time trying to learn. I have one friend who has chickens and knows things but she doesn't keep them like most of you do.
Many many pages back you linked to a breeder who gave people who bought chicks a fact sheet on raising chickens. I think a minimum starting point would be Storeys book. These are living creatures and we need to do better by them.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

I lived in Houston for a few years in Houston as a kid. I don’t ever want to live in that kind of climate again, and I don’t want the chickens (feathers!!!) to, either.

So true. I'm an hour north of Houston with 2 sons who still live there. Our climate is terrible in the summer
We have had tremendous population growth in our county for the last few years. We see license plates from California, Nevada and even Canada. Why? Do they not check the weather conditions?
Actually I know why, but personally I'd move to Tennessee or the Carolinas.