Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

How often do the chickens use their cement mixer?


Must be she is the cutest

She is pretty cute I must admit. She has all the Legbar colouring but without that ridiculous hairdo, consequently she can see which helps.
She also knows stuff the Ex Battery hens don't like if she sticks her head under Henry's wing when Matilda is pecking at her to move she won't get a sore head.

 

[Shadrach]

My two Sultans are low in the pecking order, but they have an interesting way of coping with it. Also worth noting that Sophia, who is immediately subordinate to Peanut, does this sort of thing more often. If they’re getting pushed away from feeders or off of roosting spots, they’ll sometimes go and hang around with Fuzzy, the flock queen.

No one bothers Fuzzy, and she doesn’t bother to peck anyone but the 2-3 hens immediately below her in the pecking order. She will tolerate the lowest ranking hens to be near her, Sophia and Peanut in particular. She doesn’t intervene if other hens pick on each other, but hanging around her gives the low ranking hens a degree of protection.

A couple weeks ago, I was in the coop watching everyone settle into their spots, which always involves a certain amount of squabbling, despite everyone usually ending up in pretty much the same spot every night. Sophia was getting run off the roosting bars by Saoirse, who seemed to be in a foul mood, and Cordelia (who she often roosts next to) didn’t want her nearby either. So Sophia made her way past a few hens, who all take a swipe at her, and squeezes herself in between Fuzzy and the wall, and halfway under her wing. I expected Fuzzy to be annoyed, but she just shifted over and pecked at Cannonball to tell her to make room. After that everyone settled down and went to sleep.

The attitude of the senior hen is much like I've seen. It's the number two who is the enforcer.
Before the days of Cillin while there was only Fat Bird and Ruffles left of Tribe 1, they were in my house when a hen named Dink made clear her intention to lay an egg in the maternity coop and what's worse, enter my house expecting treats.
Dink was about half the size of Fat Bird and about two thirds the size of Ruffles. I watched Fat Bird send Ruffles out to deal with the intruder Dink.
Dink has fought everybody at one point or another it seems, including a rooster and his cockerel son both at once with occasional forays by the roosters hen. Dink held them all off.
Dink had then already survived one hawk strike and if one wanted to describe her, "as hard as nails" springs to mind.
Luckily it didn't come to a fight. Dink knew she was in another tribes territory and if one hen didn't get her another would and went her way.

 

[Shadrach]

Beautiful sunny day, and it’s finally feeling like spring! These sunbathing beauties felt the same way.

Lovely shot is that second one.

 

[Solanacae]

Lovely shot is that second one.

Thank you!

 

[MaryJanet]

She has such meltingly beautiful eyes. Her little cravat is stunning too.

It is like a cravat!

 

[MaryJanet]

Diana and Maggie were part of a school project. I assume they came from Tractor Supply and are therefore hatchery chicks originally.
Diana is an ISA Brown so the whole reproductive issue is part of her breeding (don't get me started).
Maggie is a Rhode Island Red. In theory, unlike Diana, she has not been bred to be expendable, but when I took her to the vet when she was laying lash eggs the vet told me that RIRs had now been bred the same was as the high production breeds.
It makes me so sad.
Minnie is a Crested Cream Legbar and lays blue eggs. Hopefully she has a better chance at a long life. The fact that her eggs are very small is her own invention, I don't think it is normal and her sister (Dotty) lays much larger eggs.

I wonder how long before people start to breed for longevity as well as the other traits. It'd take a very patient breeder.

 

[Shadrach]

Another sunny day! Positively crowded at the allotments this afternoon. Three people! All at once! I spoke to everyone. When the next allotment meeting is held I want to know a bit about who I'm talking to. I'm going to explain that I want to let the chickens out on the entire allotment and that they should fence off delicate/chicken interest plants. It isn't hard, or expensive to do. I'm doing it on my plot. It just needs to discourage the chickens. It's not like they are trying to keep out wild boar.

Tuna and a small amount of plain pasta.

Matilda in the front of the picture. Next is Henry. That grey hen third in is Fret. How she squeezed in between Cloud and Henry I have no idea. They'll stay there overnight.

The rest making their way to roost. There are only two hens that stand in the doorway and stop some others getting in. Fortunately they get bored quickly or barged out of the way by a more senior hen and the others pile in behind her.
That's Lima looking up at me and you can see that feathers still haven't grown on her throat.

 

[Shadrach]

I wonder how long before people start to breed for longevity as well as the other traits. It'd take a very patient breeder.

There are some breeders trying this. Unfortunately they are a very very small minority. For many breeders if they wanted to go that route, getting chickens with good genetics is a major problem. It's very expensive to import chickens. Ideally one needs to go to that breed's country of origon and find the right chickens if one was planning a long term breeding project.
Some have fertile eggs sent to them having looked at the chickens that laid them.
The probability is the chickens one finds will be free rangers. If the chicken is to live a long and heathy life it needs to be able to survive free ranging. That means to get the best results the breeder would have to free range them as well. That's space and potential losses. It all starts to mount up in cost and difficulty.

 

[GregnLety]

2-503rd, camp casey 1997-98

Camp Pelham 1991, I remember the bars but forgot which unit that was.

 

[GregnLety]

I

2-503rd, camp casey 1997-98

Remember now! 1/4th field artillery B battery. Gunner then crew chief. Loved shooting the m198. It was a beast!