Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[pennyJo1960]

Your a downright funny guy there I get a big giggle from allot of your talk.

 

[BDutch]

I've finally caught up! And I have to apologize because I realise I have been repeating things that you already went through in the parts I had not read yet. I should have been more patient and refrain from posting before finishing to read.

I was really interested about the discussion on how people view chickens, ranging from dumb livestock to beloved pets. And what to do with ex-battery hens. I must admit I've been racking my small brain about these questions a lot, about domestic animals in general and how it is so difficult to see them as they are for themselves and not through the relationship we human have with them- whether it's love, food, or utilitarian.

I wonder what would become of chickens, cattle, pigs if everyone stopped eating meat, or drastically reduced their comsumption. I don't think it's idealistic, because I am kind of convinced that in a relatively near future we simply won't have the choice.

I suppose one of the reason we don't use battery hens for human consumption is that the scope of medication and antibiotics they are legally allowed is wider than that of meat chickens, in the EU at least. Otherwise they could be made into sausages and the taste and toughness would not be a problem.

P..s/Edited: You’re assumption that the meat of laying hens is not used for human consumption is not correct. Medication for laying hens is very restricted too. Because it ends up in the eggs too.

And laying hens are slaughtered for their meat too. Sorry to tell you all how harsh this world is for many laying hens. :
Translation from part of this article from the Dutch animal protection foundation. https://www.dierenbescherming.nl/leghennen :
If hens start laying fewer eggs, they end up in the slaughterhouse. When caught, they often suffer fractures and injuries, as it is fast and rough. Because they have little meat on their bones, they yield very little. Therefore, hens are often slaughtered in countries such as Poland, where slaughter is less expensive. This means that they have to undergo a long transport where they are close together without water and food.

 

[Shadrach]

This is great! Proves what we've been talking about, that broodiness can't really be bred out.

Will C let her brood or will you come to the allotment one day and find all the eggs collected?

C has already taken the eggs away. I wouldn't want a broody until other things are sorted out

 

[pennyJo1960]

C has already taken the eggs away. I wouldn't want a broody until other things are sorted out

You are moving can you have a flock there ?

 

[Ribh]

You are moving can you have a flock there ?

I think it's just a flat. Can't keep chickens there.

 

[ManueB]

What are their symptoms?

They will lay a calcium coated egg after one or two day trying to lay without success, followed a couple hours later by one or two soft shell egg. The first egg is retained for too long so it touches the second egg. It makes them very unwell, and they don't do it just once but for days in a row, sometimes a week, once even up to a month. I tried all the usual advice (warm bath with Epsom salts, calcium in different forms, D3, changing feed).

And @Marie2020 I have used flubenvet on my hen that was very ill, in a liquid form. It only treats worm and not mites but it has the advantage of also treating gapeworms which not all dewormer do. However I'm not sure you should be using it more than 15 days in a row : what does it say on the bag ?
Also, regarding your mice problems we solved it by getting kittens that were allowed in the coop, do you have a cat?

 

[ManueB]

Laying hens are slaughtered for their meat too.
Translation from part of this article from the Dutch animal protection foundation. https://www.dierenbescherming.nl/leghennen :
If hens start laying fewer eggs, they end up in the slaughterhouse. When caught, they often suffer fractures and injuries, as it is fast and rough. Because they have little meat on their bones, they yield very little. Therefore, hens are often slaughtered in countries such as Poland, where slaughter is less expensive. This means that they have to undergo a long transport where they are close together without water and food.

Thank you, I didn't know that! I was convinced they were only used for animal meat. I googled it and it seems in my country (France) most of the meat is sent frozen to the African continent. Conforts me in thinking human kind is walking on it's head .

 

[ManueB]

C has already taken the eggs away. I wouldn't want a broody until other things are sorted out

Whaow. Do you think it's the 4 months having a few hours of daily free range, that made her go broody? Or it's Henry wonderful services ?

 

[Marie2020]

They will lay a calcium coated egg after one or two day trying to lay without success, followed a couple hours later by one or two soft shell egg. The first egg is retained for too long so it touches the second egg. It makes them very unwell, and they don't do it just once but for days in a row, sometimes a week, once even up to a month. I tried all the usual advice (warm bath with Epsom salts, calcium in different forms, D3, changing feed).

And @Marie2020 I have used flubenvet on my hen that was very ill, in a liquid form. It only treats worm and not mites but it has the advantage of also treating gapeworms which not all dewormer do. However I'm not sure you should be using it more than 15 days in a row : what does it say on the bag ?
Also, regarding your mice problems we solved it by getting kittens that were allowed in the coop, do you have a cat?

15 days, thanks for that. They have been on this feed for a week now. I must say they are really enjoying it.

Yes I have a cat but I only one. I will let him into the coop later. I have to be careful because he is afraid of Agatha, he hid behind princess the other day before escaping too the the coop roof

Agatha ordering the cat too leave, he soon scarpered

 

[no fly zone]

Usually Mr. Bumble is the first one out of the coop, but this morning he was well behind all the girls coming out, and was moving slowly. I figured maybe he wasn't feeling the weather, as it was colder this morning than usual. Decided to check up on him after my first cup of coffee. He was unusually quiet and definitely not his usual energentic self.

I picked him up to give him a quick glance over, and saw he had some unpleasantness by his vent. Brought him inside for a bath and removed a good golf ball sized of hard nasty stuff from his vent area.

Bumble burrito!

If you told me 5 years ago that I wouldbe giving tiny roosters baths and a blow dry, I would have called you crazy.