Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[micstrachan]

Shad, Little Mill is broody again. I seem to recall you are against breaking them? When you don’t let a hen hatch eggs, you just remove the eggs, right? As you know, there are no roosters here (yet.) Little Mill is a persistent broody (third year in a row), but giving her chicks two years ago was a fail. Plus, I have two long weekend trips planned in August for milestone birthdays. Point being, getting chicks isn’t really an option right now, since I won’t be around to intervene and raise them, if needed. The ladt couple days, I have taken her off the nest a couple times snd brought sustensnce to the nest. I’ve broken her before, but hate doing that. I also don’t want her getting weak for no good reason. Thoughts?

 

[Shadrach]

I don't know yet; I let the others out and have now netted that coop so the new family will be undisturbed today, and it should be easier to get the littles back in if they do come out, but throughout Paprika sat tight on whatever's underneath her. Interestingly Venka, whose temporary disappearance prompted this brood and whose eggs constitute most of the clutch, hung about in there after everyone else left for breakfast. She can't know they're her chicks biologically, can she?

I'm far from certain but I think they can.

 

[Shadrach]

I looked up my records for last year, and Maria stayed with the Pennies until 21 October, after hatching on June 30th, so that was almost 4 months!

That beats my record by a long way which was Ruffles who did three months and didn't return to the tribe coop for over two months.
BlueSpot (Bantam and mum with most chicks surviving to adulthood) used to stop mothering at 5 to 6 weeks. But, she had full tribe support being the senior hen.

 

[Shadrach]

finally got a look at the new brood: View attachment 3171389
7 of 8 out, and the last (whole egg, bottom of picture) is alive and cheeping and still working on it. I shall check in again later and hope it makes it.
I'm so glad Venka's eggs were fertile and most (hopefully all) of her chicks healthy, and that Paprika did such a good job incubating them! She's a star . One of those chicks is Maria's - the little one with the very obvious crest, top left I'm guessing - and one is Neath's - the brown one with chipmunk stripes I guess - because the one struggling is one of Venka's.

Congratulations Paprika. Stirling performance.

 

[Shadrach]

Shad, Little Mill is broody again. I seem to recall you are against breaking them? When you don’t let a hen hatch eggs, you just remove the eggs, right? As you know, there are no roosters here (yet.) Little Mill is a persistent broody (third year in a row), but giving her chicks two years ago was a fail. Plus, I have two long weekend trips planned in August for milestone birthdays. Point being, getting chicks isn’t really an option right now, since I won’t be around to intervene and raise them, if needed. The ladt couple days, I have taken her off the nest a couple times snd brought sustensnce to the nest. I’ve broken her before, but hate doing that. I also don’t want her getting weak for no good reason. Thoughts?

I used to prevent them from sitting for longer than three days if I didn't want them to hatch chicks. Beat in mind that the majority of the eggs were fertile.
I've read with interest Ribh's experiences with her broodies and she's had quite a lot now. Ribh lets them sit from what I can gather. She's heaves them off their nests to make sure they eat etc but after it's down to them.

I've learned something here and if there was no rooster I would have a few goes at Ribh's approach and see what sorts of results I got.
It's always the same things that are important and they are really improtant.
Get them up and awake every day if they don't do it on their own.
Make sure they eat, drink and bath away from the nest.
Make sure the nest stays clean.

Yup, it's quite a lot of work, but chickens are.

 

[Shadrach]

It's still raining, usually just as I get to the allotments.
Out between the showers.

Speaking of broodies. Yes she is pecking me in the second picture.

On roost inspections. That last picture is Fret! She doesn't even stand up and swear at me anymore.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm dog sitting and chicken sitting this weekend so I'm not coming home in the evenings. By the time I've finished the allotmant lot and gone and locked up the other chickens it's just too late so I stay at my daughters.

 

[Shadrach]

This is the water that the geese are supposed to drink. The tubs are way too big and this means C can't carry and refill them. There is a rather sad human side story to this which I'll write about some time.

 

[Perris]

I am dying to see Venka's chicks growing up. Hope you will share pictures!

me too! I will, don't worry. The last chick didn't make it, but the rest have been out today and there was no drama at all over getting up the ramp when it came time for bed - that's a first!

 

[Perris]

I'm dog sitting and chicken sitting this weekend so I'm not coming home in the evenings. By the time I've finished the allotmant lot and gone and locked up the other chickens it's just too late so I stay at my daughters.

that sounds like a very good idea. What sort of dog? Can you combine walking it with a spell in the allotments, or is it unreliable with poultry?