Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

Théo took your hint and flew at me this morning while I was bringing the chickens water, or more exactly flew at the water pot.
I was so angry I had a stupid reflex and threw the water at him shouting some ugly names. Doing so I made a wrong move and hurt my hand - now it's has swollen to twice it's size, I'm really hoping I didn't sprain it as it's my working hand . Talk about being terrible with chickens.
Luckily I can manage some things with my left hand like cleaning the coop or typing on the phone .

Throwing things at roosters is quite normal behaviour I can assure you. Best if one doesn't injure oneself in the process though.
Flogging roosters are a pain in the arse, except in your case where it's a pain in the wrist. I just wanted to grab the roosters, and there have been a few, by the neck, give them a shake and say "there is no way your're going to win this so back up." I doubt they would have listened though.
The good news is they either grow up, or get bored of being swatted away. It can take some time, months usually.
Boots, heavy trousers and leather rigger gloves, always, when dealing with livestock has been my approach.

 

[pennyJo1960]

And carry big stick if you have shrunk to under 5 ft to due older age
Tax Two doing their dirt bathing.

 

[Shadrach]

A quiet evening at the allotments.
Fret and Matilda checking over a piece of recently weede ground.

Yhis is one of the hens involved in a couple of the recent scraps.

I was watching a couple of the runs running down the path. A couple can do wing assisted running from the far end of the allotment run and the coop gate.

I've been putting the hens reluctant to use the roost bars on a bar at night. My hope is they'll take a hint.

I had 12 on just before I opened the door to take the picture so some are adapting.

 

[BDutch]

Is you’re hand or wrist getting any better @ManueB ?

This evening I went out around sunset (still light) to lock up and feed a little scratch before the end of the day. Two chickens already roosted outside above the run door.
I suspected Janice might be in the pear again, but I didn’t see her. Throwing the scratch only Katrientje and Pearl came from the coop. The others decided this was good enough to come down for. Janice was the first, then Ini mini and Black came down by themselves. Kraai was still missing so I decided to check the coop. Gladly she flew down too just before I would get nervous. Strange that the chickens suddenly want to sleep outside.

I checked the roost area for red mites. But couldn’t find any.
So I wonder; Why do 4 out 6 suddenly want to sleep outside?

 

[ManueB]

Throwing things at roosters is quite normal behaviour I can assure you. Best if one doesn't injure oneself in the process though.
Flogging roosters are a pain in the arse, except in your case where it's a pain in the wrist. I just wanted to grab the roosters, and there have been a few, by the neck, give them a shake and say "there is no way your're going to win this so back up." I doubt they would have listened though.
The good news is they either grow up, or get bored of being swatted away. It can take some time, months usually.
Boots, heavy trousers and leather rigger gloves, always, when dealing with livestock has been my approach.

And carry big stick if you have shrunk to under 5 ft to due older age

I'm usually all dressed up and though I haven't started shrinking yet quite small by today's standards .
I will go back to having the food outside the coop so I can set feeders and waterers for them before opening the coop as it seems to be the main trigger for Théo 's hormones.
But I've identified another problem - little Chipie is wreaking havoc! She's started flirting with Gaston, and even roosting next to him every two nights . Théo is very angry about this!

couple can do wing assisted running from the far end of the allotment run and the coop gate.

Wow, that's pretty good , they're not flighty breeds and not that light. I'm sure exercise is doing them a lot of good!

Is you’re hand or wrist getting any better @ManueB ?

Thanks for asking ! My hand is much better after putting an ice pack and resting tonight (my ego still hurts more!) .
It better be, we're raking and shovelling two trailers of sheep manure this afternoon .
Jealous guy ;

 

[ManueB]

A new episode of AI in France also this weekend and 36000 poultry slaughtered. An article about this via Google translate.
This concerns one of the major breeder of various poultry in France, the Ferme de Beaumont, that I already mentioned before for deciding to end shipping live animals. It's terrible news.

I know so little about biology and the spreading of disease that even if I was terrified by the numbers of poultry put down, I didn't have sufficient information to question the systematic eradication in our country in a 3 km zone and testing in 10kl. But now that the flu is turning endemic I don't see what use this massacre is - we're not containing an outbreak of epidemy anymore.

 

[Perris]

Fret and Matilda checking over a piece of recently weede ground.

are they allowed to glean the plots once allotment holders have gathered in their harvests?

Yhis is one of the hens involved in a couple of the recent scraps.

she is clearly saying 'who me? butter wouldn't melt in my mouth'

A couple can do wing assisted running

instinctively, or did you help them along, like with the roost bars?

 

[Perris]

Strange that the chickens suddenly want to sleep outside.

I checked the roost area for red mites. But couldn’t find any.
So I wonder; Why do 4 out 6 suddenly want to sleep outside?

Usually in such cases it is something new in the coop they don't like. I'd check everywhere for mites.

 

[fuentemoon]

Crew working hard on turning the massive wood chip pile:
View attachment 3264436View attachment 3264434View attachment 3264432View attachment 3264431View attachment 3264430

Tina's specialty is compost though
View attachment 3264437

I love those bin! The hen is cute too

 

[fuentemoon]

Been ages since I posted a pic so here you are
Everyone enjoying some egg yolks

Rosie