Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[no fly zone]

is she broody?

Yes. She's been sitting on the eggs for several days now.

 

[no fly zone]

Yay! Skeksis kiddos! We will see how many have naked necks and cravats . Is Mr bumble the daddy?

Yes, he is the only rooster.

 

[no fly zone]

Bonus pic: Florida swamp kitty

 

[Perris]

Yes. She's been sitting on the eggs for several days now.

That would explain it then! Moody broody

 

[no fly zone]

Here's the back up plan: the 9 eggs that didn't fit under Sky are now in the incubator, roughly 72 hrs behind the others.

 

[Shadrach]

So "C" is becoming more and more responsible at the allotments?

C has always been responsible at the allotments. That isn't the problem. C has the ability to rub people up the wrong way at lightning speed and not realise they're doing it. C is much like me in this respect. This could account for some of the friction.

I'm prepared to tone it down a bit...a lot in fact. C on the other hand isn't turning it down enough imo. C is was brought up on a farm which was still using "techniques" used 100 years earlier. A lot has moved on in those 150 years.
C will tell you their father used to feed his hens scraps and a few handfulls of grains each day. Further into the childhood tales comes the revelation that there were hens in the cowshed, in the outside part of the kitchen; in fact one finds out the chickens were to all intents and purposes completely free range.
Also one needs to consider the state of the breeds 150 years ago. Backyard chicken keeping, such as it was, and chicken farming in general was not much like the type of affair one finds on say BYC and many other forums.

C's knowledge and experience hasn't moved on much since thier childhood. It was C's partner who dealt with the majority of the other creatures that have lived there. C's partner spent most afternoons and some at the allotments.
When C's partner died it all fell on C to keep it all going. C has kept it going somehow. The creatures have not been dying of malnutrition directly and each year most of the allotment plots show some degree of activity. Then C has to work full time. 9 to 10 hours a day when one includes travel. For much of the year it's dark when C leaves and returns from work. The chickens and geese aren't even up mid winter and have gone to bed by the time C gets home.
It's almost impossible to check over 20+ chickens, 5+ geese in the dark, in the winter etc etc.
So, through circumstances, despite C's best intentions the creatures got neglected and any more then the bare necessities to keep the place going didn't get done.
I know, I've covered most of this in earlier posts but it bears pointing out again that there is no malice in C's "neglect".

There has been others who have helped care for the chickens and geese before me. I know a couple of them. In the end they just couldn't work with C. Add to this these people were well intentioned but knew very little about farming and even less about chickens and geese. There were some terrible disasters. Lost all but two chickens in one of them. Losts 5 or 6 goslings in another. They fed the chickens and geese what C gave them from what I can gather.

Now I've shown up. Not only have I shown up for six months now and I have not missed a single afternoon, unless booked at least two days ahead, for the entiresix months.
To make matters worse, I've come equiped with Flubendazole wormer, Coxiod, Ivermectin, Metacam, headtorch quite a few other bits and pieces C not only doesn't have, but doesn't know about and without wanting to sound conceited, a lot of hands on chicken knowledge, including much more up to date science to draw from.
It gets worse. I bring food, over a third of the chickens entire food consumption. That would be a considerable monthly money saving if that actually got spent on feeding the chickens.
Lastly I can make stuff and repair stuff. It doesn't matter much what it is, I usually lash up something that will work.

C is very independantly minded if that's the right expression. The simple truth is C just doesn't have the skill set needed to maintain and/or improve things.
I can and have. Nothing major yet but if you were watching you would think I looked promising.

Underlying all of this is the view of the entire allotment/smallholding. It's something C can't let go of but can't keep a grip on either. It's the whole growing food/farming ideal and the fact that C's partner loved the place and died in it that drives C.
I don't care a lot about the allotment. Wile it's there it will thrive with or without people. What I care about is the chickens and geese and the other creatures that live and use the place. These two views should be compatible given their interdependance but in reality it's not that simple.

The main problem in my eyes is that C can't or won't accept that while feeding free range chicken like her father did might be okay, it isn't okay for 1) mostly confined chickens 2) completely unsuitable for Ex Battery hens.
There is so much research on how much of what at the most basic level laying hens need in the way of nutrition it's irritating that any one should still be debating this. How one makes up these basic nutrients isn't really important.
The stuff C seems to want to feed the chickens and geese contians far too much fat, not nearly enough calcium and is missing the usaul additives fond in pellets. For example C buys bird seed for the chickens. It's 40% fat with less than 1% calcium! Yes the chickens like it. Chickens are much like humans in this respect; they like a lot of foodstuffs that are not particulary good for them as a major part of a diet.

There is a rat problem. C's solution, don't leave food in the run. That's fine if you can feed them three or four times a day when we're talking about confined chickens. C can't do this so feeds them in the morning and sometimes that's been it. You can't get all the chickens to come off their roosts two hours after dark to eat!
I want to build a new coop away from where it is on the higher ground at the other end of the allotment run. I don't mind doing the work but I don't really want to be paying for it when C says they have money put by for yet another shed on the allotment for storing tools.

The final problem for C when it comes to me is lots of people have commented on how much better the chickens look these days and how it's lovely to see them running around etc. Even C has siad this on a number of occasions now.
And there you have it. C may wish I had never turned up at times but I've delivered as they say and that probably pisses C off the most.

 

[Shadrach]

I think I caught up again. How is the sick hen, Shad?

Thought you’d appreciate nine arses in the air. The tenth, Bridge, is in the dust bowl she created.
View attachment 3042074

She's not doing well. She's probably dying. I gave her low dose pain killers today. I haven't seen her eat. She didn't eat with the rest and wasn't interested in the haddock and oats I brought.
She was marked to die at the Battery. She's had a result in her life. Millions don't.
I've examined her again and there is nothing to be seen that I can act on. Even if she went to a vet I know what any honest knowledgable vet would say.
Yes vets make mistakes but with Ex Battery hens the inevitable is backed up with a vast amount of experience. This is the age most die at.

 

[Shadrach]

So yesterday the girls had a grand time digging furiously for worms after the rain and I noticed something. My top ranked birds (Bridge the alpha, Buttercup the enforcer, and even Flo, very assertive junior hen who may be an alpha someday) were all superb diggers and found a huge fill of worms.

Some of the lower ranked birds were a little more timid in their digging, or just didn’t seem to know where to look. For example, Flash and Sunshine seemed to be pushing leaves around more than digging.

Good for small grit as well.

 

[Shadrach]

So Sky was out of the nesting box when I last checked on the chickens, apparently to get some food. She was raising her hackles and growling at Mr. Bumble. He'd chase after her, but she'd easily get away, as she's the fastest and most maneuverable when it comes to aerial moves. She's never been anything other than super sweet. Any idea why she might be acting aggressively towards him?

Is she laying? Some hens when they are not laying get very aggresive towards unwanted rooster attention. As far as the hen is concerned it's feed me or bugger off.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes it will; I'm hoping Chirk will take his demotion with as much good grace as his dad has, and just run henceforth, after the necessary fight is over. It's not a bad life as an ex-dom; although Sven spends much of most days on his tod, it is noticeable that many of the senior hens and one of the pullets usually choose to roost with him, and not with Chirk or the young pretenders. In fact, whichever coop he's in on any given night is usually the fullest.

I hope the retirement is gracefull and not to uncomfortable when it happens. I had to build Cillin another coop when Treacle took over.