Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BY Bob]

It's not going well, 68 pages this morning.

 

[micstrachan]

You're on that mobile phone again aren't you.

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

Thanks! Yep, always on the phone. At the moment, I don’t own a proper computer. DH and the kids have them and I have a work computer that isn’t mine. I want a macbook pro with lots of processing power, memory and a decent sized screen, which is not in the budget right now. I might have to break down and buy a cheapie like the kids have for school.

 

[micstrachan]

Don't be. We're not.
I'm to old and he doesn't have hands.

I meant the task of watching them.

 

[Shadrach]

were we talking here earlier about whether or not rescues can learn to forage and do other things non-rescue chickens do? (or have I got my threads confused?) If so, this suggests not, or not much at any rate
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv177

I read it. It kinda falls apart with the methodology.
The behavioural studies are improving and finally some of the scientists have come to relaise that what might happen in a controlled experiment in a lab may have little relevance to what happens in the subjects "natural" environment.

 

[BY Bob]

Sadly not true. I started having a full on asthma attack while in a dermatologist’s office. I had left my inhaler at home. She refused to prescribe me an inhaler which is a very standard treatment. I walked out and went to the emergency room where the first nurse who saw me at the entrance handed me one.

I guess I would be in trouble all the time I could not leave someone in a situation like that.

Chicken Tax

 

[RoyalChick]

@RoyalChick I'm glad you liked it - I suspect the results may be a bit different with chicks raised by a broody. Lab conditions are not really ideal for exploring natural behaviours. The bit I thought relevant was the tendency to do less exploring as they got older, and become more passive. Doesn't really go with being a late developer in my mind. The relevant bit is "Exploration decreased with age and stabilized after sexual maturation. The decrease in exploration might be due to habituation to the test situation. However, we believe this is unlikely considering the variation in design and alteration of the test arenas, which should elicit explorative behavior."

Yes good point. Expecting an increase in exploration post rescue would be going against a natural tendency for it to reduce. But what is not included in the study is any outside influences like being restricted and then released, or being exposed to much more active hens etc.
Maybe I could still get a job as a chicken personality research assistant as there is still so much research to be done!

Edited to add: Or as @Shadrach more succinctly put it, the study doesn't take into account their environment

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

The temperature is 63 and cloudy.

Have a great day!

 

[DobieLover]

The hen I want to have a look at is behind the highest Legbar.
I need to give her some eye drops.
View attachment 2927066

They look like chicken sardines in there!

Utterly wasting it on nonsense like Kardashians.

I have never and would never even consider watching such trash.

Impressive!

That boy is an enigma.
He is over 18 weeks old and hasn't jumped any of his sisters or had a go for any of the older hens (good luck there, boy). All other cockerels that have come and gone from this flock would have already made their first move by now.
He was the first of his hatch to come to me for raisins. He learned to love raisins from his mother.
He just seems to be watching very intently to all the goings on in the flock. Studying.
Fabio has never made a move on him as he does Napoleon. But then, Ace has given him no reason.
We had a hawk sighting this morning in the oak at the neighbor's house and Fabio sent up the alarm and stood his ground as always while the flock all ran for the nearest cover. Ace ran too. But his sister was killed by a hawk and he likely saw it so I can't blame the boy.
Tax.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

TAX.
A feather duster...​

View attachment 2922889

& 2 Japanese bantams facing off.
View attachment 2922890​

Beautiful birds!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

My apologies to everyone who is caught up on this thread. I fell 5 pages further behind while trying to catch up. I am now 50 pages behind. I will try to stop posting responses as I will never catch up otherwise.

Well, I am in the same predicament.
I only found this thread a week ago! Where the heck was I all that time???