Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

…..
On genes v diet, I'm sure I've seen posts by people who have production breeds but have had them since chicks (not as spent rescues), and have treated them like backyard chickens not industrial production units, and they lived normal length lives (at least, more than 4 years). Anyone here experienced that?

My Dutch (heritage breed) are 7 and 8 years old, healthy and still lay eggs. And I never heard people say they had laying hybrids that old and certainly not > 12 years old as some heritage breeds in the list below.

This list is from a Dutch forum (hopefully translated enough to understand ) :

Ages of chickens that died/ leeftijd overleden kippen (kriel = bantam):

Mixes/ mengelmoezen (hennen) : leeftijden tussen 11 en 18 jaar.(11,12,18,18)
Mix/ mengelmoes??? zwart goudhalzig (hen) : 9 jaar
wyandottekrielen witzwart Colombia : 12 jaar
Other colours/ andere kleurslagen wyandotte : 8 jaar
wyandotte krielhaan : 10 jaar
barneveld kriel haan : 9 jaar
barneveld kriel hen : 10 jaar
Dutch/ hollandse kriel hen : 12 jaar
sebright hennetje zilver zwart gezoomd : 13 jaar
Silkie/ zijdehoenhen : 9 jaar
orpington krielhaan zwart : 15 jaar
Bearded bantam/ antwerpse baardkrielhen kwartelkleur : 8 jaar
NHB hen : 9 jaar
Watermaalse Baardkriel hen (goudpatrijs) : 8 jaar
brahmahen : 10 jaar
zijdehoenhen : 9 jaar
lakenvelder hen : 12
welsumer hen : 12
brahmahen groot ( Frankip) : 10 jaar.
antwerps baardkrieltje zilverkwartel hen (isabel) : 7 jaar.
sebright goud zwart gezoomde hen (isabel) : 7 jaar.
zijdehoenhaan zilverpatrijs (daniel B) : 5 jaar en 142 dagen.
Barnevelder hen (dubbel gezoomd), Sas (Isabel): 6 jaar.
zijdehoenhaan zwart goudhalzig (Daniel B) : 7 jaar,5 maanden en 25 dagen.(overleden op 13/05/21)
hollands krieltje (hen) (hannah) zilverpatrijs : 12 jaar.
krulchabo hen : 9 jaar.
brahma krielhen meerzomig patrijs (Pearlsofpassion) : 11,5 jaar.
zijdehoenhen zilverpatrijs (moorkopje) (Daniel B) : 5 jaar,5 maanden en 26 dagen.
hollandse kriel patrijs (isabel) : 8 jaar.
lakenvelder hen (Truus) (van Vivian) : 14 jaar.

Chickens alive/ leeftijd kippen nog in leven :

zijdehoenhen patrijs (Daniel b) : 11 jaar (geboren 15 september 2010)
Red Silkie/ rode zijdehoen (Vivian) : 7 jaar.
1 witte zijdehoenhen (Daniel B) : 8 jaar (geboren 1 maart 2014)
1 witte zijdehoenhen (Daniel B) : 7 jaar (geboren 30 augustus 2014)
zijdehoen goud patrijs : 4 jaar.
mengelmoes krielhen/boskrieltje (Daniel B) : 7 jaar (geboren eind 2014)
antwerps baardkrieltje : 5 jaar.
antwerpse baardkrielhen kwartelkleur (Muppet) : 7 jaar.
mengelmoezen (Jantien) : 10 jaar.
wyandotte krielhen goud zwart gezoomd (Roan) : dit jaar 5.
hen uit kruising lakenvelderhaan x welsummerhen (Joke brasser) : 13 jaar.
wyandotte krielhen buff Colombia (Ernstdina) : 15 jaar (geboren op 4 april 2004)
sebright hennetje zilver zwart gezoomd (Jetje) : 17 jaar
witte krielwyandotte hen (Inge) : 7 jaar.
Cross / kruisinghen (barnevelder??? x leghen???) (Inge) : 8 jaar.
noord hollandse blauwe hen (Eefje 73) : 10 jaar.
Marans hen (Eefje) : 13 jaar.
wyandotte krielhen buff zwart colombia (Zaza) : 12 jaar.
mix hen (Loustalet) : 8 jaar.
chabo hen wit (dragon) : 9 jaar.
chabo haan krulvederig (dragon) : 8 jaar.
hollandse krielhen patrijs (van isabel) : 12 jaar.

The names of the owners are there to make it possible to check / ik heb de namen van de baasjes erbij gezet om later updates te kunnen volgen.

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks for making that call @Shad. I'm learning lots. I have 2 RSL that DH (the man who disapproves of my chooks) brought home as chicks. I cringed with open arms and heart.
Lady Ruby and Ginger Mint
View attachment 3200898
Started laying at 20 weeks and have only taken one day off so far in the 5-6+ months they have been laying. They are machines. It scares the heck out of me and I dread their fate. They are hard working foragers and first in line for food. I do 24/7 available feed + + + and just bought the $$ stuff for my flock but still worry I may not be meeting their nutritional needs. They live in the same environment as my other girls but lay fantastically and horrifyingly better.
I don't think there is any slowing these girls down so we are going for quality of life and I will/have hatched their barnyard babies in hopes the burden stops with them. Really terrific gals, very lovable.View attachment 3200891

They are very loveable.

 

[microchick]

This is one of my Fayoumi/Amish barnyard cross roosters Pepper Corn. Sweet and gentle with humans and great with the girls, he's pretty tough on other roosters though. I had hoped that crossing the EFs with the Amish Barnyard crosses would mellow out some of the Game bird genes that I knew were in the Amish birds and the roosters would have some of the more mellow characteristics of the EF roosters.

Nope. I'm still trying though and to get meatier breast and better muscle mass on potential duo purpose birds, cross breeding is the way to go since EFs do not have that duo purpose muscling that a lot of folks look for.

I actually suspect that Pepper is a cross between an EF hen and one of my OEGB SDW roosters due to his coloring and his party colored feet and legs.

This is King Tut my EF flock master. Love him to pieces. He's sweet, great with the hens, protective but definitely not a lap bird. Like my other EFs he will take treats from my hands but don't touch without expecting an explosion in response.

I love their raptor like heads.

Hatched three cockerels and three pullets this spring in my Brinsea. DH named the three boys, Curly Larry and Moe. This is Larry. Surprisingly enough they WILL let me pick them up which won't last forever I suspect but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Two of my mature EF girls I have two that are 3 and one that is 2. I think this is Cleo and Brigid.

The three yet unnamed pullets from this spring.

One of the pullets close up.

The lighting wasn't the best. We got 2 inches of rain overnight and everything is pretty cloudy still and soggy. Better than poor St. Louis made out though.

I'm still trying to hatch some EF/Amish cross hens. Been trying for two years now and boys keep popping out of those eggs, drats! Since most of my Amish cross girls are getting long in the tooth, I'm thinking about picking up a few Orscheln chicks next year, pullets and try from them. I'm hoping that the genetic resistance of the EFs will cross over and enhance non EF birds' resistance to MD.

 

[RoyalChick]

View attachment 3201112
This is one of my Fayoumi/Amish barnyard cross roosters Pepper Corn. Sweet and gentle with humans and great with the girls, he's pretty tough on other roosters though. I had hoped that crossing the EFs with the Amish Barnyard crosses would mellow out some of the Game bird genes that I knew were in the Amish birds and the roosters would have some of the more mellow characteristics of the EF roosters.

Nope. I'm still trying though and to get meatier breast and better muscle mass on potential duo purpose birds, cross breeding is the way to go since EFs do not have that duo purpose muscling that a lot of folks look for.

I actually suspect that Pepper is a cross between an EF hen and one of my OEGB SDW roosters due to his coloring and his party colored feet and legs.
View attachment 3201108
This is King Tut my EF flock master. Love him to pieces. He's sweet, great with the hens, protective but definitely not a lap bird. Like my other EFs he will take treats from my hands but don't touch without expecting an explosion in response.

I love their raptor like heads.
View attachment 3201098
Hatched three cockerels and three pullets this spring in my Brinsea. DH named the three boys, Curly Larry and Moe. This is Larry. Surprisingly enough they WILL let me pick them up which won't last forever I suspect but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
View attachment 3201107
Two of my mature EF girls I have two that are 3 and one that is 2. I think this is Cleo and Brigid.
View attachment 3201103
The three yet unnamed pullets from this spring.
View attachment 3201102
One of the pullets close up.

The lighting wasn't the best. We got 2 inches of rain overnight and everything is pretty cloudy still and soggy. Better than poor St. Louis made out though.

I'm still trying to hatch some EF/Amish cross hens. Been trying for two years now and boys keep popping out of those eggs, drats! Since most of my Amish cross girls are getting long in the tooth, I'm thinking about picking up a few Orscheln chicks next year, pullets and try from them. I'm hoping that the genetic resistance of the EFs will cross over and enhance non EF birds' resistance to MD.

They are very good looking birds. Thanks for sharing.

 

[microchick]

They are very good looking birds. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, Royal.

I especially love that they haven't keeled over on me from Marek's....yet. But I have a really nice flock of Bantams, Fayoumis and Amish cross birds. A vast contrast from 6+ years ago when I was losing one to two birds per week to Marek's disease. The fact that Tut has lived to see three, 6 OEGB SDW roosters who are 4 and I have two surviving Amish cross roosters who are 5 now is encouraging to me as until now I haven't had a rooster live past 2 years of age.

The vet I talked to at MIZZOU's animal lab told me not to consider any bird resistant until it made it to 3-4 years of age. The older the better.

 

[no fly zone]

 

[no fly zone]

 

[MaryJanet]

My Dutch (heritage breed) are 7 and 8 years old, healthy and still lay eggs. And I never heard people say they had laying hybrids that old and certainly not > 12 years old as some heritage breeds in the list below.

This list is from a Dutch forum (hopefully translated enough to understand ) :

Ages of chickens that died/ leeftijd overleden kippen (kriel = bantam):

Mixes/ mengelmoezen (hennen) : leeftijden tussen 11 en 18 jaar.(11,12,18,18)
Mix/ mengelmoes??? zwart goudhalzig (hen) : 9 jaar
wyandottekrielen witzwart Colombia : 12 jaar
Other colours/ andere kleurslagen wyandotte : 8 jaar
wyandotte krielhaan : 10 jaar
barneveld kriel haan : 9 jaar
barneveld kriel hen : 10 jaar
Dutch/ hollandse kriel hen : 12 jaar
sebright hennetje zilver zwart gezoomd : 13 jaar
Silkie/ zijdehoenhen : 9 jaar
orpington krielhaan zwart : 15 jaar
Bearded bantam/ antwerpse baardkrielhen kwartelkleur : 8 jaar
NHB hen : 9 jaar
Watermaalse Baardkriel hen (goudpatrijs) : 8 jaar
brahmahen : 10 jaar
zijdehoenhen : 9 jaar
lakenvelder hen : 12
welsumer hen : 12
brahmahen groot ( Frankip) : 10 jaar.
antwerps baardkrieltje zilverkwartel hen (isabel) : 7 jaar.
sebright goud zwart gezoomde hen (isabel) : 7 jaar.
zijdehoenhaan zilverpatrijs (daniel B) : 5 jaar en 142 dagen.
Barnevelder hen (dubbel gezoomd), Sas (Isabel): 6 jaar.
zijdehoenhaan zwart goudhalzig (Daniel B) : 7 jaar,5 maanden en 25 dagen.(overleden op 13/05/21)
hollands krieltje (hen) (hannah) zilverpatrijs : 12 jaar.
krulchabo hen : 9 jaar.
brahma krielhen meerzomig patrijs (Pearlsofpassion) : 11,5 jaar.
zijdehoenhen zilverpatrijs (moorkopje) (Daniel B) : 5 jaar,5 maanden en 26 dagen.
hollandse kriel patrijs (isabel) : 8 jaar.
lakenvelder hen (Truus) (van Vivian) : 14 jaar.

Chickens alive/ leeftijd kippen nog in leven :

zijdehoenhen patrijs (Daniel b) : 11 jaar (geboren 15 september 2010)
Red Silkie/ rode zijdehoen (Vivian) : 7 jaar.
1 witte zijdehoenhen (Daniel B) : 8 jaar (geboren 1 maart 2014)
1 witte zijdehoenhen (Daniel B) : 7 jaar (geboren 30 augustus 2014)
zijdehoen goud patrijs : 4 jaar.
mengelmoes krielhen/boskrieltje (Daniel B) : 7 jaar (geboren eind 2014)
antwerps baardkrieltje : 5 jaar.
antwerpse baardkrielhen kwartelkleur (Muppet) : 7 jaar.
mengelmoezen (Jantien) : 10 jaar.
wyandotte krielhen goud zwart gezoomd (Roan) : dit jaar 5.
hen uit kruising lakenvelderhaan x welsummerhen (Joke brasser) : 13 jaar.
wyandotte krielhen buff Colombia (Ernstdina) : 15 jaar (geboren op 4 april 2004)
sebright hennetje zilver zwart gezoomd (Jetje) : 17 jaar
witte krielwyandotte hen (Inge) : 7 jaar.
Cross / kruisinghen (barnevelder??? x leghen???) (Inge) : 8 jaar.
noord hollandse blauwe hen (Eefje 73) : 10 jaar.
Marans hen (Eefje) : 13 jaar.
wyandotte krielhen buff zwart colombia (Zaza) : 12 jaar.
mix hen (Loustalet) : 8 jaar.
chabo hen wit (dragon) : 9 jaar.
chabo haan krulvederig (dragon) : 8 jaar.
hollandse krielhen patrijs (van isabel) : 12 jaar.

The names of the owners are there to make it possible to check / ik heb de namen van de baasjes erbij gezet om later updates te kunnen volgen.

A 17 year old Sebright!! Wow. I was not expecting any older than 12.

 

[Ribh]

View attachment 3201112
This is one of my Fayoumi/Amish barnyard cross roosters Pepper Corn. Sweet and gentle with humans and great with the girls, he's pretty tough on other roosters though. I had hoped that crossing the EFs with the Amish Barnyard crosses would mellow out some of the Game bird genes that I knew were in the Amish birds and the roosters would have some of the more mellow characteristics of the EF roosters.

Nope. I'm still trying though and to get meatier breast and better muscle mass on potential duo purpose birds, cross breeding is the way to go since EFs do not have that duo purpose muscling that a lot of folks look for.

I actually suspect that Pepper is a cross between an EF hen and one of my OEGB SDW roosters due to his coloring and his party colored feet and legs.
View attachment 3201108
This is King Tut my EF flock master. Love him to pieces. He's sweet, great with the hens, protective but definitely not a lap bird. Like my other EFs he will take treats from my hands but don't touch without expecting an explosion in response.

I love their raptor like heads.
View attachment 3201098
Hatched three cockerels and three pullets this spring in my Brinsea. DH named the three boys, Curly Larry and Moe. This is Larry. Surprisingly enough they WILL let me pick them up which won't last forever I suspect but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
View attachment 3201107
Two of my mature EF girls I have two that are 3 and one that is 2. I think this is Cleo and Brigid.
View attachment 3201103
The three yet unnamed pullets from this spring.
View attachment 3201102
One of the pullets close up.

The lighting wasn't the best. We got 2 inches of rain overnight and everything is pretty cloudy still and soggy. Better than poor St. Louis made out though.

I'm still trying to hatch some EF/Amish cross hens. Been trying for two years now and boys keep popping out of those eggs, drats! Since most of my Amish cross girls are getting long in the tooth, I'm thinking about picking up a few Orscheln chicks next year, pullets and try from them. I'm hoping that the genetic resistance of the EFs will cross over and enhance non EF birds' resistance to MD.

*Swoon* I love Fayoumis. I have Campines, which are related & my absolute favourites!

 

[Perris]

View attachment 3201112
This is one of my Fayoumi/Amish barnyard cross roosters Pepper Corn. Sweet and gentle with humans and great with the girls, he's pretty tough on other roosters though. I had hoped that crossing the EFs with the Amish Barnyard crosses would mellow out some of the Game bird genes that I knew were in the Amish birds and the roosters would have some of the more mellow characteristics of the EF roosters.

Nope. I'm still trying though and to get meatier breast and better muscle mass on potential duo purpose birds, cross breeding is the way to go since EFs do not have that duo purpose muscling that a lot of folks look for.

I actually suspect that Pepper is a cross between an EF hen and one of my OEGB SDW roosters due to his coloring and his party colored feet and legs.
View attachment 3201108
This is King Tut my EF flock master. Love him to pieces. He's sweet, great with the hens, protective but definitely not a lap bird. Like my other EFs he will take treats from my hands but don't touch without expecting an explosion in response.

I love their raptor like heads.
View attachment 3201098
Hatched three cockerels and three pullets this spring in my Brinsea. DH named the three boys, Curly Larry and Moe. This is Larry. Surprisingly enough they WILL let me pick them up which won't last forever I suspect but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
View attachment 3201107
Two of my mature EF girls I have two that are 3 and one that is 2. I think this is Cleo and Brigid.
View attachment 3201103
The three yet unnamed pullets from this spring.
View attachment 3201102
One of the pullets close up.

The lighting wasn't the best. We got 2 inches of rain overnight and everything is pretty cloudy still and soggy. Better than poor St. Louis made out though.

I'm still trying to hatch some EF/Amish cross hens. Been trying for two years now and boys keep popping out of those eggs, drats! Since most of my Amish cross girls are getting long in the tooth, I'm thinking about picking up a few Orscheln chicks next year, pullets and try from them. I'm hoping that the genetic resistance of the EFs will cross over and enhance non EF birds' resistance to MD.

They are fab; if Campines are related (thanks Ribh), Brakels must be too, which would explain why my young Ida looks so similar.