Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[micstrachan]

Lima damaged her throat when she was at the battery. I mentioned how the feathers were growing back white from her breast to and up her throat. Here she is with a very dirty neck.
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Lima

 

[micstrachan]

Its probably time to pay some tax after reading 7 pages.
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My first rooster. A bossy pyle coloured Dutch that made too much noise early in the morning.
I wonder if I ever catch up.

What a handsome boy!!!

 

[micstrachan]

The hen on the pole is the hen I think is dying. She was having a good day today and made very sure she got her share of the chopped cabbage, oats and walnuts I took them today.
She spent a while foraging with the others and when I sat down in my chair she came over and settled on the pole where she had eventually had a nap.
I flet her crop and it was full. Examined her bum which does need a clean up.
She used to avoid me but recently she has chosen to come right up to the chair and put up with me checking her over as she stands on the ground.
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What a love. I don’t like her body language in the standing photo much, but then the legbar in the foreground is a bit puffed up, too. Is it cold? I hope she isn’t dying, and hope it’s a good thing they found her with a bull crop.

 

[Solanacae]

We're having some feeding problems. C has aquired, for free, some cracked corn and seems to think that this and some seed mix is an adequate contribution to the feed bill. I heard some stuff about the chickens needing carbohydrates for winter. While there is some truth in this and in a fully free range group of healthy chickens who are not production hens it can be adequate. It's not adequate for these chickens though.
Of course, the hens much prefer the what amounts to scratch to the layers pellets. C goes there in the morning and pours the free scratch into the feeder; I get there in the afternoon and take it out and replace it with pellets.
They get a small quantity of healthy treats that I take them most days. Corn and bird seed is not only not necessary but in the case of these chickens it's harmfull particulalry for the hens that are laying.

Where C and, I’m guessing, the other allotment holders value the fresh eggs, might it make a more compelling argument that the hens will lay more eggs if they have a higher quality feed? I know that’s not why you spend time and effort into taking care of these birds, but if you’re trying to change someone else’s mind, appealing to their motives for having chickens may strengthen your argument. If the chickens are healthier because they’re eating a better diet, then you’re happy. If the chickens are laying more eggs because they’re eating a better diet, then C is happy? Just a thought.

 

[micstrachan]

The sick hen is the one on the left of Matilda the Light Sussex.
The Legbars tend to circle around the Ex Battery hens when I spread some treat out. A couple will eat from my hand if Henry lets them.
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This is Henry showing some interest in Lima so I guess she may be planning on laying an egg soon.
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This was interesting. Henry wandered off and I heard him give the I've found food call. Only two of the Ex Battery hens showed any interest but Matilda was over there like a shot.
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The sick hen looks pretty good there. It would be wonderful if Lima were healthy enough to lay! Interesting the Ex-batts ignored Henry, but glad Matilda ran for it!

 

[micstrachan]

Lima doesn't jump onto my lap anymore. I've done my bit for her and she's an independent and rather fiesty hen now far more interested in learning how dig craters like the Legbars and hunting for bugs in the long grass.
One of the wonderful things about chickens is they never say thank you for the things we do for them. This needs a bit of thinking about to understand why it's so wonderful.
Only one other will sit on my lap and that's to give her feet a quick warm up I think; nothing to do with wanting to keep me company.
Two more jump onto my lap but both of those are junior hens hoping that being close to the food source may mean they get an early crack at anything going.
The dying hen won't get buried. There is a small patch in a kind of copice where the dead get left for those that scavenge to eat.

Yes, that is wonderful.

 

[micstrachan]

Getting people to just eat less would be a start! I/we served free range chicken to some people who came to Catalonia a few times and they didn't even recognise it as chicken.

Yes! Eat less!

 

[micstrachan]

Phoenix is growing into a handsome cockerel. I really like the fountain of white fluff where his tail meets his torso; does anyone know, is that normal with partridge plumage?
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Lovely!

 

[micstrachan]

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Wow. That evoked a strong emotional response!

 

[micstrachan]

We're having some feeding problems. C has aquired, for free, some cracked corn and seems to think that this and some seed mix is an adequate contribution to the feed bill. I heard some stuff about the chickens needing carbohydrates for winter. While there is some truth in this and in a fully free range group of healthy chickens who are not production hens it can be adequate. It's not adequate for these chickens though.
Of course, the hens much prefer the what amounts to scratch to the layers pellets. C goes there in the morning and pours the free scratch into the feeder; I get there in the afternoon and take it out and replace it with pellets.
They get a small quantity of healthy treats that I take them most days. Corn and bird seed is not only not necessary but in the case of these chickens it's harmfull particulalry for the hens that are laying.

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I’m sorry about the feed situation, but I love the expression the the red chicken’s face in the last photo.