Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BY Bob]

Shad, I haven't been posting on this thread much lately, but I read everything. You have given me much to think about. Instead of just replacing my hens in the old set up, you have made me reconsider how I can give the new pullets a richer environment even on my small property. Looking at Ribh's set up (in a similar climate) has also helped.

I used to only let them have free run of my yard when I was there to supervise. They most often hung out in the bed along the back fence, though. I am thinking of netting this off and letting them have it all day, even unsupervised. I think there is enough overhead cover from the fruit trees and camellias that the cooper's hawks would go for easier picking in the feral pigeons.

Here's a partial pic of the area. There are five mature fruit trees (only two shown) and some big camellias, azaleas, and ferns with lots of space under them. It is only 4' wide but 40' long for 3-4 bantams. The 3'x 12' coop was in my shade house to the left, under the plant benches, which I will rebuild roomier.

After learning from you, I think I am willing to risk the hawks to give them a more interesting environment. Thanks.

View attachment 3000909

If you have Cooper's Hawks you need to watch this video. I lost a pullet to a Cooper's Hawk when she was "safely" under a tree. Well not really. They are very fast and very agile and no place even in a bush, is safe.

 

[Windrider]

Even bantams will dig holes in those beautiful flower beds. Also I can do what I do because I have almost no predators. My biggest concern is neighbourhood dogs getting in.

Heh, those only LOOK like beautifully manicured flower beds because it is spring. I'll have to get another pic from ground level. All plants along that wall are old, tough shrubs or 10"+ diameter fruit trees trimmed fairly high with just dirt and weeds underneath. When I had chickens, I left a lot of leaf litter, wood chips, dropped fruit, and interesting logs under there for them and would do so again. The bantam cochins didn't dig it up too much (as far as chickens go), just a few dust baths.

I am beach-city urban. 1/4 acre lots with 6' privacy fences are the norm. The 12' x 3' predator proof, open air coop/run combo is in the shade house for nighttime predator protection. I was just wanting an unsupervised daytime foraging area instead of only giving them the whole yard for a few hours per day.

The hawks are my only worry during the day. I know where their nest is, about 1/2 mile away. There are scores of pigeons around and I've seen the hawks drop out of the sky onto the pigeon flocks. I was thinking the bantams under cover would be so much less obvious a target, but yes, it is riskier than what I was doing with my past hens.

Shad's philosophy seems to be to let chickens be chickens and forage, and learn to be predator savvy.

 

[GregnLety]

I saw wild boars enjoying human waste while I was abroad a very long time ago

I don't want too put you off

They do eat everything. First one I killed wondered Into a thicket and didn't die as soon as I prefer so I backed out and came back the next morning to find that his comrades devoured him during the night.

 

[ManueB]

Lima now a pro digger and forager.
View attachment 3000872
Henry, "I just can't cope with them all."
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Lima. On the go as usual.View attachment 3000877
Cloud.
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Matilda. There is something under there and later Cloud came along and dug it out.
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The Legbars.
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It's a pleasure to see them like this. I hope it makes you feel like all this is worth it.

 

[ManueB]

Whatever happened to being on good terms with your neighbors and asking them to help out when you’re gone? I guess it’s different if you’ve got a big farm, but even then, if you’ve got enough land for a large farm you’ve probably got neighbors that do too. I’ve got at least three different neighbors I can ask if I’m going to be gone, they’re more than happy to help out in exchange for fresh eggs. If I’m going to be gone for an extended vacation, I’ll pay them because I’ll need them to water the garden as well, but it doesn’t seem like it should be that hard to figure something out.

We moved away from the city in the summer of 2019, pre-pandemic (turned out a wonderful timing). We had been coming for 8 years at the place we moved in , the old house of my step father's family.

It hasn't been as easy as I thought to ask our neighbours to look for our hens or our garden. It's just not done here. It's the kind of village where you're still a stranger if your grand father arrived in the 30's. There are very old family feuds and loyalties and it seems if you ask someone for help you're entering some kind of contracting association that will bind you for three generations . We're not strangers, because my partner is cousin to some degree with half the village. I have been telling many times some of his relatives that I'd love to help them with their livestock, because I'd like to learn, but they almost never took up on it, even for things that don't require skills.
Anyway, the two times we left for a long week end we ended up asking a city friend to come over. The second time , last September, one of our hen was ill when we came back and we really thought she wouldn't make it. So now I'm just willing to stay here as a permanent vacation . I'm also thinking of putting two ponies in so that I will definitely need to stay here all the time.

Edited: I'm realizing I'm making it sound like our neighbours here are horrid. It's not the case at all, it's just different ways of understanding. On the whole most people were happy to see us coming to live there permanently and tend to the house and land that were falling to abandon.

 

[ManueB]

Heh, those only LOOK like beautifully manicured flower beds because it is spring. I'll have to get another pic from ground level. All plants along that wall are old, tough shrubs or 10"+ diameter fruit trees trimmed fairly high with just dirt and weeds underneath. When I had chickens, I left a lot of leaf litter, wood chips, dropped fruit, and interesting logs under there for them and would do so again. The bantam cochins didn't dig it up too much (as far as chickens go), just a few dust baths.

I am beach-city urban. 1/4 acre lots with 6' privacy fences are the norm. The 12' x 3' predator proof, open air coop/run combo is in the shade house for nighttime predator protection. I was just wanting an unsupervised daytime foraging area instead of only giving them the whole yard for a few hours per day.

The hawks are my only worry during the day. I know where their nest is, about 1/2 mile away. There are scores of pigeons around and I've seen the hawks drop out of the sky onto the pigeon flocks. I was thinking the bantams under cover would be so much less obvious a target, but yes, it is riskier than what I was doing with my past hens.

Shad's philosophy seems to be to let chickens be chickens and forage, and learn to be predator savvy.

I would be willing to give it a try. Is it the whole area you would be able to net ?


That cooper hawk video is scary, but it does seem this is very specific to this hawk specie. The ones we have around here do not behave in this way at all.

 

[Perris]

There are very old family feuds and loyalties and it seems if you ask someone for help you're entering some kind of contracting association that will bind you for three generations .

Sounds like Shad's allotment committee! Laughs apart, I understand entirely what you're saying about local culture; 'tis a powerful thing.

 

[Shadrach]

Shad, I haven't been posting on this thread much lately, but I read everything. You have given me much to think about. Instead of just replacing my hens in the old set up, you have made me reconsider how I can give the new pullets a richer environment even on my small property. Looking at Ribh's set up (in a similar climate) has also helped.

I used to only let them have free run of my yard when I was there to supervise. They most often hung out in the bed along the back fence, though. I am thinking of netting this off and letting them have it all day, even unsupervised. I think there is enough overhead cover from the fruit trees and camellias that the cooper's hawks would go for easier picking in the feral pigeons.

Here's a partial pic of the area. There are five mature fruit trees (only two shown) and some big camellias, azaleas, and ferns with lots of space under them. It is only 4' wide but 40' long for 3-4 bantams. The 3'x 12' coop was in my shade house to the left, under the plant benches, which I will rebuild roomier.

After learning from you, I think I am willing to risk the hawks to give them a more interesting environment. Thanks.

View attachment 3000909

My advice would be don't free range and increase supervised out of run time.
You would needed to have followed my posts from when I first joined BYC to fully appreciate why I write this. If you free range some chickens will die. It's almost unavoidable.
I will try and explain this advice in detail, but it won't be quick. I've been meaning to write perhaps an article on this very subject for some time.
Please, take my advice for the short term at least and wait.

 

[Shadrach]

Bought the chickies an organic apple when I was out. Mr. Bumble decided to attack me once I turned my back, but since he's so tiny, he just bounced off my pants.View attachment 3000792

Of course he attacked you, you're feeding his hens and to him that means you're trying to steal them away from him.

 

[Shadrach]

Poor Henry. I believe you may have said before but I can't remember. Do any of the hens from him?

I think you've missed a word out. I'll assume you mean do are any of the hens his offspring. Yes, Matilda is his daughter.