Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[JacinLarkwell]

what a wuss!

Yeah, but he's good alerting to predators and as far as chicks go, he gets the job done

 

[Pippin quail]

Yep, hence them earning another 3 months or so of life. At least they're nice males and don't give me problems

I have the same issue right now, only I have 7 extra boys and the temps right now are -30's!! I actually feel bad that we didn't butcher them earlier as most of the cockerels have frostbitten combs and just sit in a huddle most of the day to keep warm under the heat lamps. I hate winter!!

Here's one of my poor boys with frostbite.


And now that we have a couple heat lamps all my extra cockerels are just hogging the heat and leaving my little pullets to get all frosty. Not very gentlemanly.

 

[DobieLover]

2.5 ( see BYC Cafe) years old is an unfortunately young age to be terminally sick

It is young but she lived a year longer than her mother. Remember her mother was a hatchery White Leghorn. I believe they both succumbed to reproductive cancer and that this cancer has a high hereditary factor. I was hoping diluting the WLH genes with SF would help. It didn't.

 

[Shadrach]

I see a book in your future. Or at least a research paper.
You are correct in that your point of view is different from the usual, and therein lies the value in it.

Thank you. I have written a book. I just haven't published it yet. Initiallly I intended to tack a bit about Ex Battery hens and rescue chickens on the end but I already have so much to say on the subject perhaps another book is on the horizon.
I better pay a bit of tax for that.
A rather lovely young cockerel called Tarn, son of Ruffles. Unfortunately a weasel got him when he strayed to far from his tribe.

 

[Shadrach]

Yep, hence them earning another 3 months or so of life. At least they're nice males and don't give me problems

I would find that difficult. I used to decide to kill a cockerel or hen and I would do it the night after I made the decision. My concern was, and still is, once I've come to that decision it's easy to slide into the frame of mind that they are no longer as important as those who will live. I tried not to seperate them from their tribe and they got taken off the roost early in the morning, killed and plucked before the others in the tribes got let out.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I would find that difficult. I used to decide to kill a cockerel or hen and I would do it the night after I made the decision. My concern was, and still is, once I've come to that decision it's easy to slide into the frame of mind that they are no longer as important as those who will live. I tried not to seperate them from their tribe and they got taken off the roost early in the morning, killed and plucked before the others in the tribes got let out.

It takes us far longer than most to process as we're still learning, so we start in the morning so we have all day.

It's easier to start not caring about them when they're AHs, but these 4 are sweethearts and I enjoy visiting with them in the mornings when they get fed and watered.

Granted visiting with them makes it harder the day of, but imo, it should always be a little hard (unless again, they're AHs).

We also have limited freezer space. We can't process everyone at once even of we were fast enough because there isn't enough room for them to freeze or rest before freezing.

 

[Shadrach]

I have the same issue right now, only I have 7 extra boys and the temps right now are -30's!! I actually feel bad that we didn't butcher them earlier as most of the cockerels have frostbitten combs and just sit in a huddle most of the day to keep warm under the heat lamps. I hate winter!!

Here's one of my poor boys with frostbite.
View attachment 2941918

And now that we have a couple heat lamps all my extra cockerels are just hogging the heat and leaving my little pullets to get all frosty. Not very gentlemanly. View attachment 2941957View attachment 2941956

That doesn't look good to me.

 

[Shadrach]

It is young but she lived a year longer than her mother. Remember her mother was a hatchery White Leghorn. I believe they both succumbed to reproductive cancer and that this cancer has a high hereditary factor. I was hoping diluting the WLH genes with SF would help. It didn't.

Such a shame but at least you were on the ball.

 

[Shadrach]

It takes us far longer than most to process as we're still learning, so we start in the morning so we have all day.

It's easier to start not caring about them when they're AHs, but these 4 are sweethearts and I enjoy visiting with them in the mornings when they get fed and watered.

Granted visiting with them makes it harder the day of, but imo, it should always be a little hard (unless again, they're AHs).

We also have limited freezer space. We can't process everyone at once even of we were fast enough because there isn't enough room for them to freeze or rest before freezing.

We ate them after they spent 3 days or so in the fridge while rigor mortis faded so storage wasn't a problem. We didn't eat many. Quite a few gor taken by predators which strange though it may seem helped manage the tribes. If a hen hatched six usually half of her chicks would die before they became adults. Very hard to deal with initially especially those who the predator didn't kill and just maimed. But, it does allow the hens to do what is the most natural activity and that is sit and hatch their chicks. It also meant with the tribes that the senior hens who had survived passed on their genes rather than some know nothing pullet.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Not allot here. Morning... Need to shovel let chickens out the coop been close to week with the snow and possibly one more before we warm up. 28 and a foot of white stuff.