Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Windrider]

Nine and ten years old are respectable ages.
When I started out with chickens healthy free rangers were expected to live to ten to twelve years for full sized and 12 to 14 years for bantams.

Thanks, but now I'm feeling I didn't do as well as I thought taking care of those hens.

I just used this site for research in those days (only started socializing here during the pandemic), and respected longtime members were talking about nursing along 8-10 year old hens that had trouble seeing or walking or were always getting egg bound. I had none of those troubles so I thought I must be doing something right.

Granted, bantam cochins are pretty far from a wild-type or game-type free ranger. They were very short and round, though I don't think they were obese. I sometimes wonder if the air quality here was a problem, though I paid special attention to their breathing on smoggy days (canary in the gold mine deal). But we did have a bad fire season that year the two died at 10. They might have had even longer lives otherwise.

 

[Shadrach]

So are you saying that all chickens react the same way in that all-female flock in a run, or are you saying that breed differences do exist?

Because if consistent breed differences exist, they are almost certainly based on SOMETHING genetic, no matter what mechanism we may think is involved.

I think breed differences exist. I'm not sure what is responsible for them or how set the differences are.

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks, but now I'm feeling I didn't do as well as I thought taking care of those hens.

I just used this site for research in those days (only started socializing here during the pandemic), and respected longtime members were talking about nursing along 8-10 year old hens that had trouble seeing or walking or were always getting egg bound. I had none of those troubles so I thought I must be doing something right.

Granted, bantam cochins are pretty far from a wild-type or game-type free ranger. They were very short and round, though I don't think they were obese. I sometimes wonder if the air quality here was a problem, though I paid special attention to their breathing on smoggy days (canary in the gold mine deal). But we did have a bad fire season that year the two died at 10. They might have had even longer lives otherwise.

Don't put yourself down. You may not have had the best genes to start with and you may well have extended their normal life expectation by your care.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thanks, but now I'm feeling I didn't do as well as I thought taking care of those hens.

I just used this site for research in those days (only started socializing here during the pandemic), and respected longtime members were talking about nursing along 8-10 year old hens that had trouble seeing or walking or were always getting egg bound. I had none of those troubles so I thought I must be doing something right.

Granted, bantam cochins are pretty far from a wild-type or game-type free ranger. They were very short and round, though I don't think they were obese. I sometimes wonder if the air quality here was a problem, though I paid special attention to their breathing on smoggy days (canary in the gold mine deal). But we did have a bad fire season that year the two died at 10. They might have had even longer lives otherwise.

Still, consider how many don't make it to 9 or 10. You did a great job keeping them that long

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I knew I had a paper on thermal imaging somewhere with a picture. I found it but it's a PDF so here's a link to the paper on the internet.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938415301293
View attachment 2920908

Beautiful!

 

[Shadrach]

This is Lima. On her way somewhere at a trot as usual. She's still having problems feathering the front of her neck but everywhere else is coming along well.

 

[Shadrach]

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So as you know, my lot were mail order hatchling (don't scold...I know how you feel about it,and it was a rookie mistake)

Wait, what? I get chicks from a hatchery practically every year? How is this wrong? Someday I do hope to get either hatchlings or (gulp!) eggs from a good breeder of Pia Pintas, but until then ... mail order eill have to do.

 

[Shadrach]

Going back a few pages there are a couple of pictures of thermal imaging. With the picture I posted was a link to a study. The study was about determining the stress level in hens by thermal imaging.
The stressor used was picking the hen up. Stress levels were reported as high.
I know people say my hen loves me and likes beinng picked up and cuddled.
Really? I've never met a hen that liked being picked up. Some get used to it but that doesn't mean they don't find it stressfull.
When a chicken decides that you make a fine perch is rather different. What also makes a difference is how one picks the hen up. Anything that confines a chickens wings is instant high stress. Not having their feet on a surface is instant stress as well
Yet, we are told that chickens make wonderful pets and love to be cuddled.

I'll leave you with that thought....

 

[Shadrach]

Another article I link to when an opportunity arises. There are quite a few others now. People will read this article and forget the information it contains because people don't want their chickens/pets/livestock/food to have any of the qualities such studies suggest chickens have.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4