Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

Over the past two to three weeks this is what I find when I get to the allotments. The feed I left in the night before has gone and the chickens are obviously hungry. Getting C to say exactly what they feed them in the morning and how much is next to impossible. Essentially one gets a rage fit and accused of not thinking they know how to look after what they rather oddly call livestock.
I bring a kilo of feed with me every day plus treat food and weather permitting and me arriving on time, which hasn't been the case for the past few days, they go to roost with full crops and that is the most important thing. Not having feed available during the day is bad practice when there is nothing to forage in the run which has been the case for many years now. A bit of breakfast which they get because there is still a decent amount of feed in the round feeder when they go to roost helps. They also get whatever C feeds them (read not much here)
What happens if I don't give them the kilo I bring at night? It's dark when C returns from work so even if C went to the allotments with feed for them which is doubtfull, they won't eat it because they've gond to roost. Basically they'll go to roost with a largely empty crop if their last meal was in the morning.
Anyway, these are the empty feeders on my arrival.
View attachment 2994146View attachment 2994147 This is after I've put the liko of pellets I take each day.
View attachment 2994148View attachment 2994149
Here they are out and about in the mud.View attachment 2994150

what are the holes in the third picture (between the ramp and the trough)? rat runs?

 

[Sortacountrychicken]

I must admit that I am continually surprised that there is such little ranting about the human aspect of the allotments. I think I would have lost my temper and said something I would regret by now.

 

[ManueB]

Over the past two to three weeks this is what I find when I get to the allotments. The feed I left in the night before has gone and the chickens are obviously hungry. Getting C to say exactly what they feed them in the morning and how much is next to impossible. Essentially one gets a rage fit and accused of not thinking they know how to look after what they rather oddly call livestock.
I bring a kilo of feed with me every day plus treat food and weather permitting and me arriving on time, which hasn't been the case for the past few days, they go to roost with full crops and that is the most important thing. Not having feed available during the day is bad practice when there is nothing to forage in the run which has been the case for many years now. A bit of breakfast which they get because there is still a decent amount of feed in the round feeder when they go to roost helps. They also get whatever C feeds them (read not much here)
What happens if I don't give them the kilo I bring at night? It's dark when C returns from work so even if C went to the allotments with feed for them which is doubtfull, they won't eat it because they've gond to roost. Basically they'll go to roost with a largely empty crop if their last meal was in the morning.
Anyway, these are the empty feeders on my arrival.
View attachment 2994146View attachment 2994147 This is after I've put the liko of pellets I take each day.
View attachment 2994148View attachment 2994149
Here they are out and about in the mud.View attachment 2994150

I have never seen my feeders empty like this, they always leave a bit of the stuff they don't like. The chickens you are taking care of must know what real hunger is.

I can imagine the human situation is difficult to bear... but I hate to think that because of it you would be led to stop caring for them.
If you brave the bristol weather you probably have the strength to endure the bristolians?!

 

[ManueB]

It was the same here; grim; the sort of day that makes everyone miserable and desperate to say goodbye winter, hello spring! We have two named storms rolling in to look forward to for the rest of this week, but it will make us really appreciate the sunny days when they return

We had 10 cm of snow yesterday after more than two months of sunshine, we needed the water so badly. It did feel strange to spend the day inside, I am sorry for all of you that are having months of dismal days in winter!
The weather has become so important to me .

The hens are eating the snow like crazy this morning because in a few hours there will be none left, the sun is back!

 

[Shadrach]

what are the holes in the third picture (between the ramp and the trough)? rat runs?

Yup.
There is something strange about the ground the coop was built on and how it was/is supported. The broody coop has a wire mesh base but underneath that there seem to be strips of wood.

 

[Shadrach]

I must admit that I am continually surprised that there is such little ranting about the human aspect of the allotments. I think I would have lost my temper and said something I would regret by now.

I rarely regret what I say; just the repsonse to it.

 

[Shadrach]

I have never seen my feeders empty like this, they always leave a bit of the stuff they don't like. The chickens you are taking care of must know what real hunger is.

I can imagine the human situation is difficult to bear... but I hate to think that because of it you would be led to stop caring for them.
If you brave the bristol weather you probably have the strength to endure the bristolians?!

The Bristolians come in a variety of flavours. Most of the allotment plot holders are from other countries as far as I can tell. C, well I don't know. I've heard so much crap I wouldn't like to hazzard a guess.

 

[Shadrach]

We had 10 cm of snow yesterday after more than two months of sunshine, we needed the water so badly. It did feel strange to spend the day inside, I am sorry for all of you that are having months of dismal days in winter!
The weather has become so important to me .

The hens are eating the snow like crazy this morning because in a few hours there will be none left, the sun is back!

View attachment 2994511View attachment 2994512

View attachment 2994513

That's a lovely spot. How high up are you?

 

[Shadrach]

The next day. Yesterday I think. Same empty feeder and trays.

I had trouble getting the pellets into the trays they were that hungry. The gate is open and normally they would be out, or waiting to see what treats I had. This time even humble pellets were fought over for a few minutes.

They did go out even though the weather was pretty foul.

 

[Shadrach]

Not a pleasant afternoon but they're out. Not for as long as I would like but out none the less.

This is an example of the odd bags of out of date snack food for humans i find here from time to time. If this stuff is bought, even at reduced prices, it would still cost less to buy a kilo of pellets.