Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ManueB]

More than a little concerned about finding this on my path I think it is agathas

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Is she acting off, and was she laying normally the previous days?

One of my ex-batt has just started laying again after two months off and it's been soft shell for a week. Three days ago she didn't perch to sleep but just laid down in the straw on the floor of the coop and passed a no-shell egg half an our later. However she's acting perfectly fine, way better than when she wasn't laying, so I'm not too worried.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning X batts

 

[Shadrach]

No, but lately they've been together a lot, which surprises me because she and Stilton practically ignored each other for 18 months.

Things changed when they moved into the same coop this winter. This flock is a blend of 2 brooder groups, 3 months apart. They've always had the option to roost in separate coops, but a couple months ago, I finally encouraged them to sleep in one. After a few weeks, Frida started roosting next to Stilton nightly. Now that affection seems to be crossing into the daylight hours.

He does have a best friend for all time, Miss Ashley, from the brooder. She still grooms him daily, which I think is why he's never had much of a beard. Here they are at 9 weeks old.

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He also puts in regular time with head hen Brahma Donna. She doesn't groom him much, but they meet many times a day to walk and scratch the ground together. Here they are in discussion about the direction of the flock (is what it looks like).

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It takes true love for a hen to be an attentive groomer; or she could just be a fuss pot like Ruffles who was always tut tuting about Cillins state of appearance.

 

[Shadrach]

I am late to this and unsure of everything that’s going on here, who this C is or what you’ve been up to in the UK Shad… but please if you can help this poor girl on, even if C won’t, surely they can let you help her at least. I’ve seen that look before in too many of my rescues, she doesn’t have long left, at any rate, but the caring thing to do is help her along. I have gotten better at making this decision myself, some things don’t heal. Hugs my friend and I am sorry you’re not in a position to help her. It’s heartbreaking dealing with rescues.

It would take ages to explain it all Kris. If you get a chance the first few posts explain the basics.

 

[Shadrach]

Gasp! I’m so sorry, Shad. She looks awful. Was she injured by the other chickens or a predator? I guess I better go back and read.

Other chickens.

 

[Shadrach]

The sick hen died last night. I hope the Metacam helped to make it less painfull.
She was a lot cleaner than she is in the pictures above when I put her in the broody coop and I made sure she had clean bedding and enough to keep her warm.
19 left now from 26 in last September.
Wendy has found other things to do apparently and will no longer be helping out; not that she did much.

I must confess that I often wonder if I'm making enough of a difference. Then I get there (it takes at least half an hour from my new flat) and see them expectantly crowded around the gate. The gate is hardly open before they are trying to push their way out. Just watching them run, stumble and fly a bit up the allotment run to where there is still forage in the not so well explored end puts a smile on my face. After 15 to 20 minutes I call Henry and give the treat containor a shake and they all rush back to see what I've got. Henry gets first dibs out of my hand while some of the more fiesty hens try to jump up and grab a bit. Henry drops bits once he has tested the offering and then I throw most of the rest in small amounts in various directions hoping that everyone gets at least something. Henry stands back a bit while the melee ensues, and then comes in close to take some for himself from my hand. After he's had his own special hand feed he joins the hens.
I clean the worst of the poop out of the coop and put in clean bedding, checking the poop as I clean. Making sure the roost bars are wedged in properly is next; no roost in the right place and Henry won't roost in the coop.
Next it's check out the eggs. I'm looking for thin shells and misshapen eggs.
Then I go and sit in my chair and watch them all for a while. This is when I look for a chance to get a couple of half decent pictures. Some of the hens and sometimes Henry gather around me while I sit on the chair. This is my best opportunity to check a couple of the hens over for any obvious problems. I also see those hens who are a bit off and make a note of who I need to capture and check more thoroughly.
I'm there an hour and a half most afternoons. It's usually pretty cold. The westerly wind that is infamous for making exposed areas of Bristol feel a few degrees colder than anywhere else is usually blowing. The chickens don't seem to mind. They just love being out.
I do the water and commercial feed last. I take a kilo of commercial feed there each day. On the better days C has fed them enough so that there is still at least some feed left in the trays. Today al the trays were completely empty and the chickens were hungry. A kilo in the evenings means they can fill their crops before roosting. C doesn't seem to understand the importance of this. It's breakfast and supper that's important for chickens.
Last is to change the water and washout the water containor which gets covered in mud both inside and out.
On these cold evenings most go to roost when Henry calls them apart from Dusk and now two or three others who forage right up to the last moment. If I'm in a bit of a hurry to catch the bus I have to go and encourage the stragglers to go to roost. Once I've seen the last hen go up the ramp into the coop I clean off my boots and head for the bus stop.
As the evenings get longer and hopefully the weather warmer I intend to spend longer there.
Having done it, I leave the allotments with no doubts about making a difference any more and for me that's enough to bre going on with.

 

[Shadrach]

Pictures from today. Finishing off the oats and haddock.

 

[Sally PB]

I am sure you are making a difference. And sure that your poor hen had some good days at the end of her life because of you.

 

[micstrachan]

Pictures from today. Finishing off the oats and haddock.
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Both this post and the one before warm my heart.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

No worries. Thanks, Shad. I think what I am doing is ok, especially as the days get longer so they have more time to be active. Twice this week I got home in time for them to have a quick run around after work, and they are getting several hours on the weekends. Today they got blueberries, tomatoes and sprouted wheat berries. Yesterday they got zucchini, carrot, cabbage and sprouted wheatberries. The day before they got sprouted wheatberries, some dairy (cottage cheese mixed with yogurt) and an apple. Another day they got kale and sardines with sprouted buckwheat groats. I’m trying to keep it varied so they find it interesting and it covers lots of nutrients. I hope I’m doing the right thing, as I have really screwed up along the way despite being the best chicken servant I know how to be.

I brought home a can of sardines today.

When I went out to coop I fed the sardines to them.

They wolfed them down.

They had some added Omega 3.