Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

So you're still on talking terms with C. . If she and others acknowledge the chickens improvement hopefully she may be open to understand that what she has been doing with them was not sufficient for their well being?
At the beginning of the thread you mentioned several times that she didn't have sufficient time to take care properly of the chickens. How does she feel about your involvement, relieved that you are helping, or angry because she feels you're giving her lessons?

Not that I'm interested in her psychology but since she has the poultry keeping licence much seems to depend on her regarding the evolution of the ex-batts fate.

Well, it's interesting. I'm not that great at the tact and diplomacy bit. I've got opinions and I'm not shy about letting them be known. Fortunately I think C understands this. Yep, we clash. But, C does understand that my interest is in the chickens welfare and what's more I am as reliable as they come. I do what I say I will and now that I've moved and travel eight miles a day to get there it would be hard to fault my commitment.
Given it is supposed to be a community concern with community decision taking and given that the majority of those involved live withing easy walking distance and can't be bothered to make time to take care of either the plots or the creatures they've all agreed to, I am led to believe, then it's pretty difficult to find fault with me.
The answer is pretty simple. If anyone doesn't like what I do then come and do something about it. Of course, it's one thing bitching on the social media they frequent, but altogether another matter getting off their arses and actually doing something to change things.
Much like here on BYC, I'm not there to make friends. I'm there because I'm interested in chickens.
What is slowly being accepted is I know what I'm doing and it's hard not to acknowleadge that the chickens are better off from it.

 

[Perris]

Here's my hedgerow tax: Llyn

 

[Shadrach]

Hedgerow tax...Ooops, wrong chicken.​

View attachment 3005754

I meant this chicken. ​

View attachment 3005755

Ooops! I know bait when I see it.

 

[Shadrach]

I appreciate your educational (and they are) posts on chicken keeping. I don’t take it personal because I happen to keep my chickens in what has become the usual model for modern small flocks. Even though I am limited in what I can do, it is always useful to know what the ideal would be. It is always possible to implement to even a small degree, changes that enhance life for a chicken.
And as for commercial egg production, the more we consumers know, the better the pressure we can put on them to treat chickens better.

Thank you.

 

[no fly zone]

Set out a rat trap in the coop after dark. The world now has one less rat as of this morning. I also set up my trail cam to get an idea of how big a problem I am dealing with.

 

[GregnLety]

My hens strongly disagree with me having brought in a cockerel !

I think it's very much a cultural thing, this dislike of crowing. Here people love roosters crow. There's at least 30 rooster in a village of 100 people. The old timer farmer that gave us the cockerel kept asking us every day if he had started crowing and even offered to give us another one in case he didn't. Which he did in time, of course!

I must admit if he hadn't dropped Théo on us, we wouldn't have taken a rooster, even though we have enough space. We were hesitant because of all the stories of mean roosters, either with their hens or the humans, and I was scared of having to eventually need to cull a rooster because of his temperament.

We keep a lot of roosters and have had only one that needed culling and a dog eventually got him. Currently have 8 roosters and about 2 dozen hens.

 

[micstrachan]

I have to address this.
This is a thread on a chicken site on the internet. None of what I write is a pesonal criticism. I am critical of a particular model of chicken keeping. If the reader sees elements of their chicken keeping arrangements in the content I write that is critical of a particular model then I can't be held responsible for that.
Here on BYC I am one of a very very small minority with relatively extreme views amoung a huge population of supporters of the chicken keeping model I have deep reservations about.
It makes it very difficult if people take my views as a personal criticism for me to write anything in case I upset someone.

I don’t take it personally, Shad. It’s just you. I’m not offended. I am perfectly comfortable with our differences and very much appreciate your viewpoint.

 

[micstrachan]

It doesn't make me cringe. As Ribh has pointed out and as should be apparent from my obvious delight when a chicken chooses to sit on my lap.
The difference if there is in one is I don't see any of the chickens I have known as pets, or livestock or anything that is mine.

Got it! So maybe your least favorite word in there was “mine.” I am good with that. Mine are just that, as much as my family is. I think if it as closeness rather than ownership. My friends are mine, too. I just can’t think of a better word.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

How does Little Big Shot get on with being on a lead?

I let him go where he pleases. The first day I put it on I brought him inside and put the harness on one step at a time. Put his head through the front, piece of bread. Clip it, piece of bread. Attach leash, piece of bread. I brought him outside and got him to walk around with a piece of bread. He still backs out of it, but with correction he rights himself and keeps on eating. It is kind of like his free range time, because where we are I do not let them out, all of my chickens would be gone in a day.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

The temperature is 78 and sunny.

Have a great day!