Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[EmmaDonovan]

I currently have 27 birds in my flock (including 3 males) and I'm averaging about an egg a day. I have heated nest boxes that I have yet to bother turning on.

How do you heat your nest boxes?

 

[AnnaWolf]

To reply on cold hardiness.
I have Dutch bantams. It is believed we brought them back with the VOC. Established as Dutch bantams around 1850.
Could we say they are cold hardy for here and equal circumstances?

Tax for derailing

 

[Shadrach]

I’ve now caught up to page 20. The 19th page contains the informative post regarding the history behind the tax system. I am most definitely in arrears, as I’m 1/3 of the way to caught up on this journey. However, I didn’t want to pay until I understood why I was paying. I shall now stop evading and pay up. Sammy here is the love of my life, even though he’s only 4 months old.

Quite right to. One should always know why one is paying tax and for what purpose. I, like many revenue organisations, may have bent the truth a bit about how the tax gets spent.

 

[MaryJanet]

Caged hens were made illegal in the UK a few years ago. These are probably from intensive barns and they are probably responsible for what gets labeled as free range eggs. The whole egg classification business is very misleading.
The whole Ex Batt chickens thing poses a bit of a problem these days.
For example, these chickens are still classified as battery chickens.
Okay, just from this picture there doesn't seem to be much of interest on the landscape, but if you take a look at many backyard setups the lot in the picture would be taking a backward step in environment and maybe care if they were "rescued".
Places like this are increasing in number thanks to consumer pressure and the top standard is now called Pasture Raised.
View attachment 2920286

I get what you're saying about the landscape. There's no cover at all. But, yes, compared to backyards, there's loads more room to move and a huge group of friends to talk to, with enough space to get away.

 

[Shadrach]

Thank you! He follows me around like a dog and he’s just the sweetest. Fingers crossed that the teenage hormones don’t turn him into a nightmare!

Forewarned is forearmed as they say. This article might help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[Shadrach]

I currently have 27 birds in my flock (including 3 males) and I'm averaging about an egg a day. I have heated nest boxes that I have yet to bother turning on.
But the girls are looking lovely with their new feathers! I am down to three girls that have yet to start their molt. The brown hen, Olivia, looking at the pumpkin and one of Fabio's daughters, Mackenzie (the black hen behind his tail) are two that haven't molted yet.

I hope he doesn't turn into the holy terror mine did.View attachment 2920096
We get along fine now but wow, did we have a wild ride for about a year when I was building their new coop and run!

Love the sign on your side coop door.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes! I would love to hear what behavior you experienced and how you dealt with it. I’m fine if he doesn’t stay snuggly, but I’m not sure I can do mean.

I suppose I should pay some more tax for going off topic.

This is Boots, also around 3/4 months old. He’s definitely the leader and very bossy!

Nope, your okay. Roosters are never off topic here.
I'll take the tax though.

 

[Ribh]

I currently have 27 birds in my flock (including 3 males) and I'm averaging about an egg a day.

About 1/3 of my tribe is bantams & seeing it's summer here broody is the name of the game. Tsura[front] & Ceres fought like blazes over this box & are still disputing eggs.

 

[629864]

As I was driving through the countryside to a doctor appointment this morning, I drove past 2 hens and a rooster that could be Henry's twin. If I were of the thieving sort, I may have considered nabbing him . He was gorgeous. But instead, I will pay some coveting tax with another photo of one of my (as recently dubbed) rainbow roosters. Actually, this is a two for the price of one photo. Oh, how they do gleam and glimmer in the sunshine!

 

[Shadrach]

I get what you're saying about the landscape. There's no cover at all. But, yes, compared to backyards, there's loads more room to move and a huge group of friends to talk to, with enough space to get away.

This is better still.