Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ManueB]

This is a very hard message to get accross to people and even more difficult on a largely American forum where many have the expecation that we can fix things and are relatively new to chicken keeping. I mean no disrespect, but after a few years of struggling to keep a sick chicken alive, only to have it die a few weeks after you think you've dealt with the problem your attitude is likely to change.

I have found that with cats too. If I don't know what is wrong with it neither does the vet

I have to admit I have absolutely no experience myself. I only have had chicken for 25 months now and I can't take them to the vet because it's a two hour drive, I don't drive and my partner wouldn't agree to it. I get the impression from internet that in some places in the world (Australia for example) there are more specialized avian vets.

Even if I know you can't cure everything and I'm aware if you keep animals you will necessarily see them die at some point, it's still hard. Maybe you do get used to it when you have lost and euthanized many or at least you make your peace with it.

The advice I got very early on was if you take a rooster out of a tribe for bad behaviour he doesn't go back. It isn't like removing a hen.

Last evening I had to remove two hens from him. I did gave him some treat like Perris suggested first. Vanille (my hen that has been unwell on and off) was eggbound and doing very poorly. He jumped on her and tried to mate her three times in a row. Normally she puts him in his place but she was so ill she didn't move. So I got her and Cannelle separated in the pen. Théo was extremely upset about that and he did all he could to force his way in. I got exactly that impression that he wanted to be able to watch and check on all of the hens.

Vanille slept in a dog crate and this morning she is so weak I get the feeling it's the end. Then again I have thought she would die at least 20 times and she always made it.

Vanille yesterday

Three days ago

Cannelle, Théo's crush, with the pecks on her comb

 

[micstrachan]

Not exactly a peer reviewed source but poultry DVM has
5-10 mg/kg PO q8-12h

See more at: http://www.poultrydvm.com/drugs/ibuprofen

My avian vet prescribes 5mg/kg for three days.

 

[micstrachan]

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More dust bathing today.
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Henry, much like every other rooster I've known knows there is a difference between treat food and the usual chicken feed. Seems obvious but it's the value he attatches to the two types that I find interesting. He gets hen points for finding food they like. If he turns up with say a beakfull of scrambled egg he's going to be mister poplular in seconds. Offer a layers pellet or two and he'll be sent to a corner somewhere.
So, when I offer Henry treat food before the hens, that's if I can prevent them from stealing it out of my hand, he used to take a bit first every time. If I'm walking past him with a food containor and there are quite a few shapes and sizes in use, he want's to see what's in it. I show him. If it's pellets he looks and walks away. If it's seed he'll look and walk away. Something more interesting and he'll take a bit and drop it for the hens. So, he's graded food by how many hen points he'll get for providing it. He caught a spider the other day. This must have been a spider on the tested and approved list because Henry did the full on head bob and call, he even started hopping about when the hens ignored him.
Anyway, got Henry set up and posing and look who stuck their beak in the lens.View attachment 3071701

Who is that with her beak in the lens? Is that Lima??? Feathers look too red to be Lima, but I haven’t been on your thread in weeks.

 

[micstrachan]

Lovely day. It got up to 18C!
The newcomers came out without any encouragement eventually.
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Henry wasted no time in telling the newcomers what a great providor he is while I distributed what he had found.
They didn't seem to be impressed. They knew exactly who the food was coming from.
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Dust bathing broke out. The newcomers know all about dust bathing. They've bathed both days they've been out. Two of the Ex Battery hens stood in the holes with the bathers and pecked the ground. One even half crouched but then gave up on the idea.
What did surprise me is the senior hen from the newcomers got in the dust bath with Matilda! Matilda gave her one peck and then the pair got on with their bathing.View attachment 3064584View attachment 3064585View attachment 3064586View attachment 3064587View attachment 3064588View attachment 3064589View attachment 3064590View attachment 3064591View attachment 3064592
The Legbars are showing the most hostility to the newcomers. Carbon drove two of the junior hens from the newcomers out of their bath more than once.
Everybody knew where and about when to go back to the coop run this evening. One of the newcomers got into the small coop wthout encouragement. The other three seemed intent on a night on the ground.
I put them on the ramp this evening and once there they made their own way in.
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NEWCOMERS? Oh my gosh, I’ve missed something big.

 

[micstrachan]

Well, some sad news here. Apparently Sky spending so much time off the nest allowed Skeksis the opportunity to go in there and lay an egg. Only with her big old feet stomping around, she broke an egg open. I checked the nest right after work and found it swarming with fire ants. I quickly ran in the house and grabbed some gloves and a sandwich bag. Came back out and scooped out the broken egg and moved the remaining eggs to the other side of the nesting box. Then i took out all the straw covered in yolk. I rinsed the baby off and sadly found it looked like a perfect amalgamation of Skeksis & Mr. Bumble. Poor thing was only a few days away from hatching. I am deeply disappointed.
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I moved the intact eggs to the incubator with the other 6, as I believe they are about the same on their timeline. The nesting box now contains 6 ceramic eggs.

Oh, how very sad!

 

[micstrachan]

Guess who's not in the nesting box?View attachment 3061203

Ok, that is an extremely cute chicken!!!

 

[Molpet]

Even if I know you can't cure everything and I'm aware if you keep animals you will necessarily see them die at some point, it's still hard. Maybe you do get used to it when you have lost and euthanized many or at least you make your peace with it.

Always difficult, but everything dies sooner or later

 

[ManueB]

Won't be today again for Vanille. After 3 hours trying she laid a soft shell egg stuck to another little egg in formation and some nasty gory stuff. I took out what hadn't come out and cleaned her up and now she's scratching around with her wet bum toward the sky like nothing happened. She hasn't eaten any chicken food though.
I guess it's only a matter of time.

 

[RoyalChick]

Won't be today again for Vanille. After 3 hours trying she laid a soft shell egg stuck to another little egg in formation and some nasty gory stuff. I took out what hadn't come out and cleaned her up and now she's scratching around with her wet bum toward the sky like nothing happened. She hasn't eaten any chicken food though.
I guess it's only a matter of time.

Poor Vanille. My Diana only ever lays eggs with no shell or a paper thin shell.
I just hope her egg laying machine closes down before that kills her.
Meanwhile she is a perky friendly little soul.

 

[ManueB]

We had the well run dry on a few occasions. Fortunately I didn't wash much so it wasn't a big deal.
We only had to get water delivered by tanker once.
Water waste was one of my pet hates.

The village I live in has more water than the others in the valley and my partner's family's house happens to be near to the overflow of the village water coming down from the mountain, so we are less impacted. It is getting a problem for the local sheep and cows owners.

Whoever's in charge of the weather doesn't like us because forecast has changed from heavy rain to risk of hail .

So do I. It just makes me grin. Henry all stood up properly. head on, trying to look regal, the two hens on the left casually ignoring the whole performance and young whatitsface does a lovely photo bomb.

I disagree, Henry isn't trying to look regal, he just is. Nothing disturbs him. What we french call "le flegme britannique".

I am a licensed captain (and female, I might add), but since boats are very expensive and I am poor, I mostly act as first mate on wealthier friends' boats

Well that's interesting I was convinced you were a man when you said you were involved in training dogs to mountain hike . I was imagining some longhair surfboarder. I fell for the cliché !! All my respect to you and Rhib for the sailing, from what I've seen it is a difficult sport, and indeed one where not having money means you have to do quite a few ridiculous things.

My avian vet prescribes 5mg/kg for three days.

That's a very good reminder. I now have both metacam and ibuprofen, which would be the better choice to use as a painkiller?

Poor Vanille. My Diana only ever lays eggs with no shell or a paper thin shell.
I just hope her egg laying machine closes down before that kills her.
Meanwhile she is a perky friendly little soul.

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She is beautiful! The picture makes it look like she has kohl eyeliner around her eye!
Yep, we've been around that a lot. Hybrids were bred to be laying machine culled at 18 months, not pets or friends.