Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ManueB]

I'm happy to report Vanille secured an overwhelming victory yesterday in the Cherry war and a step back toward her jungle fowl ancestry.

 

[Perris]

Of course it rained today. If I believed in such things I would put it down to divine intervention showing disaproval of the queens celebration party.

It was glorious here! Perhaps it only rained on you cos you're a queen's party pooper

 

[pennyJo1960]

Rained here in sheets

Then watching the other chicks closely will let you know. Also, I seem to remember they don't free range ? It would make a virus less probable unless it was already in your flock.

I also find it quite nice to see so many together! Love all the black birds!

What did you use to cut the holes to make the feeder ? We've got some gutter pipe left from the new roof and I'd like to try make feeders like your. Our grinder is way too big though.

Beautiful roosters ! Are red and cholo still living their best separate lives ?

Feeders are of PVC 3 inch Dad called them keyhole saws HB says round hole saw take your pick goes on drill
I cut hardware cloth over like a drape and 4 inch PVC cut in half to lay over to keep the blasted rats out.

 

[Shadrach]

I really believe it to be the better choice in your circumstances. Having it done fast was important, for one thing, to relieve the chickens from that dreary housing situation. And to show the people from the allotments that it wasn't such a terrible and complicated endeavour should a second new coop be thought of.
It has been mentioned before, bluntly if ever something happened that meant you had to stop taking care of the chickens, it's better having an actual new coop in place than a work in progress.



Beautiful pictures! Now I'm really wondering what could have happened that got you to name a hen "where".

Where was one of four that Mini Minx hatched. The other three kept their eyes on mum (Mini Minx) but Where had the habit of not paying attention and when the others moved off, would be left on her own. At some point she would realise that everyone else had moved away and would stick her head up as if to say where did everyone go. Hence Where.

 

[Perris]

Shad, on the 'birds of a feather flock together' theme, I'm reading Storey's Guide to raising chickens 4th ed by Gail Damerow, and she reports (p 37) a study by Collias at UCLA that suggests it's the colour of the feathers (rather than the breed per se) at work here.

 

[Shadrach]

Shad, on the 'birds of a feather flock together' theme, I'm reading Storey's Guide to raising chickens 4th ed by Gail Damerow, and she reports (p 37) a study by Collias at UCLA that suggests it's the colour of the feathers (rather than the breed per se) at work here.

She is correct but only has one part of the equation.
1) breed identity, colour and shape.
2) Relatedness, brothers and sisters may look different to their parents and/or their siblings but they are still accepted as one of the tribe.
3) Status, if there is a different breed with different looks established in a tribe then any newcomers will accept that chicken as part of the tribe.

If you have a group where there is no common breed and/or features then they tend to relate best to those that look most similar. Such is the case with Ribh's group. This is particularly relevant in larger groups.

 

[Shadrach]

There is a further factor which I don't quite understand yet and that is the role the rooster plays in tribe identity.
The inter group relationships are different when a rooster is established in a group.
All the above is of course dependent on the chickens being able to carry out their natural behaviour.

 

[Shadrach]

There is and has been for a long time a major error in social policy in the belief that breeds in species will integrate. There is absolutely no evidence that this is so and a great deal of evidence against.
What happens over time is breeds/groups/tribes whatever get assimilated through breeding and social pressures.

 

[Perris]

This is particularly relevant in larger groups.

do you have a number for this? I think I read somewhere about 20 is the limit for a coherent flock, and I am reluctant to grow my flock beyond that partly for that reason, because as yet they clearly identify as a single flock, despite the presence of several males (who think they are related but some aren't, but they were all raised within) and multiple breeds with varied appearances.

 

[Perris]

1) breed identity, colour and shape.
2) Relatedness, brothers and sisters may look different to their parents and/or their siblings but they are still accepted as one of the tribe.
3) Status, if there is a different breed with different looks established in a tribe then any newcomers will accept that chicken as part of the tribe.

that covers my situation pretty comprehensively. But I wonder also if having Swedish Flowers as foundation stock and dominant roos has something to do with it, as that breed lacks a standard: they are intrinsically variable in appearance, in colour and crest, and they can be more or less mottled. It's quite different from having a flock of say, all black, or all white, or all mahogany birds.