Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Sally PB]

One more bit about whey...

If you end up with more than you can use for chickens, it is great to put on any acid loving plant, like blueberries or azaleas. I also use it in place of water when I bake bread.

Tax:

 

[Shadrach]

Right. I've had a word with Henry about taking more time in his courtship and mating so I could take some pictures. He wasn't impressed. He did point out that he had quite a few hens requiring his attentions and if he took any longer his recovery time would be reduced. Was I trying to kill him off he asked.
I took his point to heart and so far he's been quicker than I have, so no pictures yet.

 

[Shadrach]

Apparently C couldn't struggle out of bed this morning in time to feed the chickens and break the ice on their water. Fortunately the day was sunny and I imagine the water thawed reasonably quickly.
Normally they are not even remotely interested in pellets when I let them out. Today was different and it's safe to say they were hungry. The feed hopper was empty when I arrived. So here they are in the coop run eating pellets rather than foraging outside.
No, they won't fall over dead from lack of water or food. There was food in the hopper first thing this morning. I know because there was food in it last night once they had gone to roost. I know because I poured in a kilo just before I left.

 

[MaryJanet]

Apparently C couldn't struggle out of bed this morning in time to feed the chickens and break the ice on their water. Fortunately the day was sunny and I imagine the water thawed reasonably quickly.
Normally they are not even remotely interested in pellets when I let them out. Today was different and it's safe to say they were hungry. The feed hopper was empty when I arrived. So here they are in the coop run eating pellets rather than foraging outside.
No, they won't fall over dead from lack of water or food. There was food in the hopper first thing this morning. I know because there was food in it last night once they had gone to roost. I know because I poured in a kilo just before I left.
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She's really starting to get on my nerves. You must be fuming.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes I know I keep doing this. That's the trouble with chicken foot adhesive though. Once you've opened the tub you have to use it quickly or it goes off.
You can the glue is starting to fail in the second picture where Similie, I think, has broken free and headed off to join the red chickens which of course doesn't support the point I'm trying to make.
Don't worry though, I've got a new tub on order and plan to regale you all with yet more tight knit, breed prefering breed pictures in the very near future.

 

[Shadrach]

Despite the lack of feed they were all keen on getting out to do some foraging in the sunshine. I'm quite busy this week and probably next so I'm only getting them out for an hour and a half instead of the two to two and a half.

Canned water tastes better than the water in the coop water trough.

Matilda after a some more cabbage.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Smart girl cabbage fresh is good stuff

 

[micstrachan]

Despite the lack of feed they were all keen on getting out to do some foraging in the sunshine. I'm quite busy this week and probably next so I'm only getting them out for an hour and a half instead of the two to two and a half.
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Canned water tastes better than the water in the coop water trough.

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Matilda after a some more cabbage.
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Do you chop it? I have hung green cabbage, and they picked at it. Today I hung purple cabbage and they ignored it. They did eat all the little bits from coring out a hole to hang it. I think I’ll bring a grater out there in the morning and see if they enjoy some cabbage shreds. I’ll be doing the same to carrot, which Cashew is crazy for.

Also, I am making a small batch of overnight oats for the birds. I used cow milk kefir for the liquid, organic oats, chia seeds and ground flax. The flax and chia may not be necessary, but that’s how I make mine and figured it might be good for them, too.

 

[micstrachan]

Shad, I’ll have you know my flock just got three full days of (supervised) free ranging and I could see them getting more active and adventurous as they “practiced.” I think you are right; they don’t lose their instincts, they just get out of practice.

At one point, all ten of them put themselves back in the run. Sure enough, the hawk started screaming its head off. Then suddenly the girls decided it was time to come back out, and even ventured into open space. I have no idea how they knew the hawk wasn’t returning, but they were right.

I was too STUPID to get more photos today, but I did get this video.

 

[ManueB]

Hello and good day to all.
I am a late eager follower to this thread and still have a dozen page to catch up.
I have learned much, and am really interested to learn more. I have been sharing my six ex-batts life for two years now and still feel very ignorant and sometimes helpless.

Through unusual circumstances in January 2020 we got six pullets directly from a battery when they were only about ten weeks old. They had grown up in the most artificial conditions but were not yet physically damaged. We knew absolutely nothing about chickens when we got them, so it is difficult for me to say how much their behavior differed from that of a "proper" chicken. I must specify that they are not free ranging but they are kept in 300m2 outside all day, in very steep land with a few trees and bushes, and a lot of flying predators.
What I can say is that they took about two weeks getting out of the coop and they were both very curious and afraid (just like my kittens were). They took to dustbathing and scratching very quickly after coming out, maybe a week or ten days after. In the coop, it took them about a week to figure out how to roost, the first night they just huddled in the straw, then just above the floor, then one hen got the idea of sleeping on the perch and the others followed.
I remember we were surprised how quick they figured out the predator from the sky situation, although they had never seen anything like it from their cages. Not only did they immediately sought to seek shelter but they also made the special cooing sound "predator in the sky alert" : we thought this was instinct as there vas no way they could have learned this. On the other side they took a very long time to start eating things they were not used to, apart from grass. I think it took them almost a month to start eating corn we gave them. 5 to 6 months onwards they eat very different kind of things dead or alive, they happily chase mice and snakes. They do seem to have individual preferences and also seasonal (they only eat kale and cabbage in winter when greens are sparse).

I'm ashamed to say we knew nothing about what we were getting into when we got them and ran into the usual health problems, and unfortunately also made mistakes. I'm afraid we still do even though we try our best. There is much information to be found online but it is often conflicting and we have no vet anywhere near. I dread the day we will have to put one of our girls down.

Latest development was that we were "gifted" at the end of November a cockerel and a pullet of a mongrel farm specie by a very old-school farmer from our village. They were raised the traditional way and let's just say cohabitation with our ex-batts has been complicated.

We will not be getting ex batts again because even though I do think they lead a happy life here, I am now convinced that this rescue thing is part of the battery system. I don't know how it is in your countries but here in France an ex-batt is sold one euro for rescue, which is two or three times what the battery would sell them to the slaughterhouses. One unkept promise of our president was to put an end to cage poultry in 2021. Let's just say I will never buy eggs from a store again even organics.

And now tax to excuse myself
for such long rambling.
The hen as pullets in February 2020
The hens as adults dustbathing
Vanille, our alpha hen that nearly died in September, playing with food when she healed
The bantams thingies.