Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[GregnLety]

Sill is so desolate. I started out as a 13F.

Very true, I was a 13B.

 

[no fly zone]

Very true, I was a 13B.

King of Battle

 

[GregnLety]

King of Battle

I loved it but couldn't do 20. I got out after 8 years and used my gi bill to get my electrical degree.

 

[no fly zone]

I loved it but couldn't do 20. I got out after 8 years and used my gi bill to get my electrical degree.

I retired as a 35F. Used the GI bill to get an HVAC degree that I do not use.

 

[ManueB]

We've had two days worrying about Brune, the hen that was attacked by the hawk. She seemed to be more often in pain, and it turned out she had difficulty laying. The egg took 24 hours to come out but now she looks a lot better and even went out foraging today (under close supervision by us and Théo!).

I'm hoping it was just an effect of processing the stress.

 

[Shadrach]

And a little tax. I haven’t paid up in awhile. The girls were enjoying a dry run & 45 degree day yesterday!
View attachment 3015596

It's drying out here as well. It makes such a difference.

 

[Shadrach]

@micstrachan
I didn't forget. Maybe this will give you an idea about quantities I give as treats. This is for 19 chickens. There is a tin of haddock in there as well as chopped curly kale and cabbage and one slice of home baked wholemeal bread.

 

[Shadrach]

On the bus.
This is the second part of my journey to the allotments. The first part takes me into the city center and this part takes me out the other side. I'm travelling East to West essentially for both parts of the trip.
That's Avon Gorge in the pictures. The river Avon is tidal.

 

[Ribh]

On the bus.
This is the second part of my journey to the allotments. The first part takes me into the city center and this part takes me out the other side. I'm travelling East to West essentially for both parts of the trip.
That's Avon Gorge in the pictures. The river Avon is tidal.View attachment 3017591View attachment 3017592View attachment 3017593

Yes. Have travelled through here. Lovely so long as you stay out of the cities. Not sure why but the Brits have some of the ugliest cities I've ever been in. Perhaps because so many of them are so old & designed before aesthetics were really considered. Or perhaps I just don't like cities.

 

[Shadrach]

Eight miles later...
Sunday is my "official" day off. C doesn't work on Sunday so nipping out to do the chickens shouldn't be any major inconvenience especially as C lives right next to the allotments.
When I got there today the feed trays were empty, the water was filthy and under half full. The chickens were hungry.
There is a view I've heard and read that chickens will carry on eating as long as there is food in front of them.
This is in fact incorrect. A chicken will eat until their crop is full.
Yes but they are always snacking I hear people say. Not so, and one has to consider how chickens eat.
For feral chickens and jungle fowl and even free range chickens fed a couple of times a day on limited rations it is a rare occasion they will find as much food in one go as humans supply.
If one watches chickens forage they eat what they find and move on to the next promising spot. One could be forgiven for thinking they are always eating but trying to fill a crop on forage can be a full time occupation. In places where forage is good they'll forage in the morning for a couple of hours and then look for cover and rest, making occasional trips out to find a bit more. Then in the late afternoon they'll attempt to fill their crops for the night.
The chickens digestive system doesn't stop; it works day and night, the crop drip feeding the gizzard and on the the rest of the digestive tract. It works at night while they are roosting. Here's an interesting question. Does a chicken have to be awake to poop? If so, judging by some of the piles I've seen they must have a very interrupted sleep.

The advice to always have feed available comes from an understanding of a chickens digestive system but ignores the keeping circumstances. So yes, for chickens confined in a coop and run having feed constantly available is necessary but for free range chickens it's often not necessary; they will forage enough to keep food in their digestive system.

In picture 2, that's Henry bringing his hens over when I got up and opened my rucksack.