Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[no fly zone]

Whose eggs are left?

2 Skeksis and 4 bantams

 

[Shadrach]

Red's eye has healed completely. I think we'll keep Cholo but will avoid letting them range together.

Excellent. Eye injuries always look dreadfull.

 

[Shadrach]

I read the other stories and I wish there were more, I am curious to know about Cheepy's descendants. You certainly have a knack for storytelling.

Thank you.
Two of the cockerels and three hens got given away as a group. One cockerel wandered off never to be seen again. The two other cockerels grew up to be roosters, one of whome was still living when I left. One pullet got killed by a Goshawk. That left a hen called Dink. This was Dink recovering from a Goshawk strike; 9 stitches if my memory serves me.

Dink was a very stubborn and determined hen.
Dink hatched two daughters after one of her sits and they became Donk and Dent.
Donk sat and hatched and produced a daughter called Knock who sat and hatched. Knock's two chicks didn't survive very long.

 

[Shadrach]

C found Cloud dead on the coop run floor this morning. We think a stoat get her.
17.
Sad. I liked Cloud even though she wasn't too keen on me.
It's happened before; it will probably happen again. My main concern is it's a mum with young to feed and she'll come back.
There is currently nothing to keep her out. I did two sections of the fence but the rest still needs doing and at my age it's going to take a while.
I watched to see if I could see any signs of distress or nervousness in the rest but I saw nothing that was obvious enough for me to notice and be sure.
They all came out and were out for a two and a half hours.
I've got a hen that roosts late. Often she is still out foraging when the others are at the coop or already in it. I go and stand with her and whinge about how my hands are cold and couldn't she manage to walk back to the coop without diving under ever clump of weeds she finds.
It's not a problem. I'm already too late for the 8.15pm train and the next one isn't until 8.50 pm.
I picked her up off the ground tonight. She made a couple of halfhearted attampts to avoid me and then just sat in my hand looking irritated. I put her in the coop tonight through the main door. I brushed past Major, Matilda and a couple of Legbars opening the coop door. They didn't budge. Put Miss Stopout in the coop. Not even a flap on ground contact.

The grooming hudle around Bucket Boys chair.

I'm a concerend about Matilda. She's laying every day. The eggs are a good shape and weight. The shell thickness is better than most. From what I've seen some stage of making the egg is causing her some discomfort.

 

[MaryJanet]

C found Cloud dead on the coop run floor this morning. We think a stoat get her.
17.
Sad. I liked Cloud even though she wasn't too keen on me.
It's happened before; it will probably happen again. My main concern is it's a mum with young to feed and she'll come back.
There is currently nothing to keep her out. I did two sections of the fence but the rest still needs doing and at my age it's going to take a while.
I watched to see if I could see any signs of distress or nervousness in the rest but I saw nothing that was obvious enough for me to notice and be sure.
They all came out and were out for a two and a half hours.
I've got a hen that roosts late. Often she is still out foraging when the others are at the coop or already in it. I go and stand with her and whinge about how my hands are cold and couldn't she manage to walk back to the coop without diving under ever clump of weeds she finds.
It's not a problem. I'm already too late for the 8.15pm train and the next one isn't until 8.50 pm.
I picked her up off the ground tonight. She made a couple of halfhearted attampts to avoid me and then just sat in my hand looking irritated. I put her in the coop tonight through the main door. I brushed past Major, Matilda and a couple of Legbars opening the coop door. They didn't budge. Put Miss Stopout in the coop. Not even a flap on ground contact.
View attachment 3053694View attachment 3053695View attachment 3053696
The grooming hudle around Bucket Boys chair.
View attachment 3053697View attachment 3053698
I'm a concerend about Matilda. She's laying every day. The eggs are a good shape and weight. The shell thickness is better than most. From what I've seen some stage of making the egg is causing her some discomfort.
View attachment 3053699

Sorry Cloud met such an end

 

[Ribh]

C found Cloud dead on the coop run floor this morning. We think a stoat get her.
17.
Sad. I liked Cloud even though she wasn't too keen on me.
It's happened before; it will probably happen again. My main concern is it's a mum with young to feed and she'll come back.
There is currently nothing to keep her out. I did two sections of the fence but the rest still needs doing and at my age it's going to take a while.
I watched to see if I could see any signs of distress or nervousness in the rest but I saw nothing that was obvious enough for me to notice and be sure.
They all came out and were out for a two and a half hours.
I've got a hen that roosts late. Often she is still out foraging when the others are at the coop or already in it. I go and stand with her and whinge about how my hands are cold and couldn't she manage to walk back to the coop without diving under ever clump of weeds she finds.
It's not a problem. I'm already too late for the 8.15pm train and the next one isn't until 8.50 pm.
I picked her up off the ground tonight. She made a couple of halfhearted attampts to avoid me and then just sat in my hand looking irritated. I put her in the coop tonight through the main door. I brushed past Major, Matilda and a couple of Legbars opening the coop door. They didn't budge. Put Miss Stopout in the coop. Not even a flap on ground contact.
View attachment 3053694View attachment 3053695View attachment 3053696
The grooming hudle around Bucket Boys chair.
View attachment 3053697View attachment 3053698
I'm a concerend about Matilda. She's laying every day. The eggs are a good shape and weight. The shell thickness is better than most. From what I've seen some stage of making the egg is causing her some discomfort.
View attachment 3053699

I liked Cloud too.

 

[Shadrach]

Sorry Cloud met such an end

I liked Cloud too.

There are things we can do hopefully to help prevent such attacks, but they all take time and more to the point energy.
The simple fact is the coop has had it and so has the run. What repairs that have been done were done badly. The undergrowth around the outside of the fenceline is dense. The ground is exhausted.

It would make more sense, if one intended to carry on keeping chickens to build a new coop and run.

 

[MaryJanet]

There are things we can do hopefully to help prevent such attacks, but they all take time and more to the point energy.
The simple fact is the coop has had it and so has the run. What repairs that have been done were done badly. The undergrowth around the outside of the fenceline is dense. The ground is exhausted.

It would make more sense, if one intended to carry on keeping chickens to build a new coop and run.

I agree. The patch they've been on would benefit from gardening now and the chooks would enjoy a weedier patch.

Would a tractor be a better option than a fixed coop? It would mean future moves from patch to patch are easier

 

[Shadrach]

I agree. The patch they've been on would benefit from gardening now and the chooks would enjoy a weedier patch.

Would a tractor be a better option than a fixed coop? It would mean future moves from patch to patch are easier

It's not really suitable terrain for a tractor for 17.
I would like to build another one of these.

They are still portable. Ideally one needs a machine but I've moved them with 3 other people.
Building two would make long term sense.
They are relatively cheap to build. Once built they are easy to maintain. Making something wondeful looking may not be the best policy when it comes to keeping it clean at bug level and security maintainance.
The Ex Battery hens will keep dying. The chicken total will go down maybe one or two a month. A coop for 10/12 is a realistic proposition.

 

[townchicks]

So sorry about Cloud.We are expecting death announcements for the exbatts but not by predators. It must be so frustrating for you.