Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

" the action of laying one egg was in itself a difficult or painful thing for a hen, regardless of the hen's type and the number of times she will lay in a year"
It is interesting you should raise this @ManueB , because my top hen, 5 yrs old and a decent layer of good eggs over all those years, produced an egg with a significant blood streak of the sort I normally only see from pullets laying their first. And it was not her first egg this season, but her fourth or fifth. Nor was it unusually large (about 55g if I remember aright). Her vent seemed fine, and the next egg had a little blood smear. Her behaviour is normal, so I'm inclined to not worry about it. But I did wonder if it hurt laying them. Maybe she is losing some elasticity in the oviduct...unless anyone else knows what it's likely to be?

 

[Solanacae]

" the action of laying one egg was in itself a difficult or painful thing for a hen, regardless of the hen's type and the number of times she will lay in a year"
It is interesting you should raise this @ManueB , because my top hen, 5 yrs old and a decent layer of good eggs over all those years, produced an egg with a significant blood streak of the sort I normally only see from pullets laying their first. And it was not her first egg this season, but her fourth or fifth. Nor was it unusually large (about 55g if I remember aright). Her vent seemed fine, and the next egg had a little blood smear. Her behaviour is normal, so I'm inclined to not worry about it. But I did wonder if it hurt laying them. Maybe she is losing some elasticity in the oviduct...unless anyone else knows what it's likely to be?

Were the eggs prior to that bloody one unusual in any way? I wonder if chickens can get hemorrhoids . . .

 

[Shadrach]

Sorry for making you repeat this, as my question wasn't clear. I had read your explanations, and the discussions in this thread.
When I wondered why you prefered less eggs at the end of the day, I wasn't thinking of the whole process of laying almost every day, and the way humans have turned hens into egg factories. I was wondering if you thought the action of laying one egg was in itself a difficult or painful thing for a hen, regardless of the hen's type and the number of times she will lay in a year.

3 of my ex batts seem to pass off the egg in less than 10 minutes (not counting the time to make up their mind choosing where to lay). 3 take 30 minutes to an hour and sometimes makes noises as if they were in pain, or struggling. Sometimes, one will act as if she is going to lay and then leave the nest for say 45 mn later with nothing in it ; and those times get me worried.

I have the exact opposite reaction to yours and tend to feel reassured when my hens have laid, because I know two of them are prone to being egg bound and laying soft shells, so when I find their healthy egg I feel like they've made it through the difficulty of the day.

That's why I found surprising that you prefered when you didn't find too many eggs . I guess you have a long term perspective , when I see day to day.

I do understand the reassurance of hens that have had, or are having problems delivering a fully formed egg, delivering a good one. It is after all one of the signs of health.

No need to apologise on this thread.

 

[Shadrach]

Then there are those of us who grow vegetables for our chickens. That 'big marrow' Shad referred to sounds like days of chicken fun to me!

I dare say a fair proportion of what I grow the chickens will get.

 

[Shadrach]

" the action of laying one egg was in itself a difficult or painful thing for a hen, regardless of the hen's type and the number of times she will lay in a year"
It is interesting you should raise this @ManueB , because my top hen, 5 yrs old and a decent layer of good eggs over all those years, produced an egg with a significant blood streak of the sort I normally only see from pullets laying their first. And it was not her first egg this season, but her fourth or fifth. Nor was it unusually large (about 55g if I remember aright). Her vent seemed fine, and the next egg had a little blood smear. Her behaviour is normal, so I'm inclined to not worry about it. But I did wonder if it hurt laying them. Maybe she is losing some elasticity in the oviduct...unless anyone else knows what it's likely to be?

Some hens spit them out without even noticing it seems while others can take hours. I don't think making an egg is a comfortable business for any of them. They are after all giving birth after a fashion. I think for the hen, every egg is a potential chick.

 

[Shadrach]

I actually didn’t know that the scales stay up, thanks for teaching me!

I don't think many people do. Chickens shed their scales and after a bout of SLM their legs wont look normal until they've shed the old scales.
Some chickens seem to be more prone to SLM than others.

 

[Shadrach]

Another sunny day.

Henry getting ready for bed.

You would not believe the fuss the hens make over who gets to roost next to Henry. Matilda gets one side almost without fail. The strange one is Fret. She's the youngest hen here, yet she often gets to roost next to Henry and has this habit of getting right under one of his wings.

 

[MaryJanet]

Another sunny day.
View attachment 3035302View attachment 3035303
Henry getting ready for bed.
View attachment 3035305
You would not believe the fuss the hens make over who gets to roost next to Henry. Matilda gets one side almost without fail. The strange one is Fret. She's the youngest hen here, yet she often gets to roost next to Henry and has this habit of getting right under one of his wings.
View attachment 3035306

Is Henry coping any better with the large number of hens?

 

[Perris]

Were the eggs prior to that bloody one unusual in any way? I wonder if chickens can get hemorrhoids . . .

No, they were normal.

 

[Shadrach]

Is Henry coping any better with the large number of hens?

Not really. He tries but the Ex Battery hens only listen to the food calls and not much else.