Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[MaryJanet]

Yes, I agree in general. But I’m afraid these days are over for my chickens. The risk of an attack is tooooooo high with the brutal cat that came into our garden again today.

The second time this cat was around. And again one chicken missing. My beautiful and elegant Janice was missing after seeing this cat. And she didn’t return to the coop. Still hoping she will return tomorrow. But my hopes are not very high after the previous experience.

View attachment 3202102Janice a week ago.

Oh no! I'm so sorry.

 

[MaryJanet]

This is an awesome idea for a chicken foot-bath! I've saved the pic in my med files, in case I need it some time in the future. Thanks!

Isn't it clever! I've kept the photo too.

 

[MaryJanet]

Here's another label. These are the pellets the vet recommended after the FLHS diagnosis. They're supplemented with DMG, choline, biotin, milk thistle, probiotics, and cottage cheese. And daily foraging for a minimum of an hour, usually 2-6 hours.

 

[BDutch]

And we really need to define treats, because what it means seems to vary hugely, even within a single thread. For a start, I think it only makes sense in discussions about flocks fed mostly commercial feed. And then to make progress (because there's a lot of contradictory views on treats), I think we need abstract outlines, such as 'something high in sugar', rather than specific examples such as 'donuts', because we need clarity on what actually is supposed to be bad in said food, to do the research on in what quantity it might be bad. Everything is toxic in excess. Toxins are things that are harmful in tiny quantities.

Good point.
E.g. Some say scratch (mix of differrnt types of grains/sunflower seeds/ split corn) are a treat.
But if you have 100% free range chickens on lots of sqm2 with abundant growth it’s perfectly fine to give no layer feed at all but only oyster shells and scratch at the end of the day.

I would say (personally) , treats are unhealthy snacks or expensive feed the chickens love but don’t need.
Expensive like:

• mealworms in summer when they can gather enough insects by free ranging.

Unhealthy like:

• Salty and fat food like cheese crust.

Lots of food is not unhealthy if you don’t give a lot. Because the chickens love it, and fight or fly for it, I find these are a treat for them too.
Like :

• Boiled rice and spaghetti because it’s not nutritious. The chickens love it, maybe because they look like maggots and worms

And there is ‘treat’ food they find themselves free ranging in summer that's not very healthy too like:

• Yummy fruits containing much sugar. The chickens get diarrhoea if they eat too much.

 

[Shadrach]

10 in the new coop tonight. I had to put one in manually.
Also good for me is I'm away in time to catch the 9.30pm bus into the city which I did tonight. The trains aren't running due to a strike.
Sick note isn't looking any worse; may even be looking a bit better. I fed her some mackerel. Don't worry, it's low fat and has a full complement of amino acids plus some to spare. No vegans in this lot that much I can vouch for.

I've fitted the top vent covers. Just need to drill out 12mm holes around the top edges back and front and block off the old roost bar holes. No it won't be one square foot of ventilation per chicken.

1.2 kilos of commercial feed plus two tins of mackerel, rice and plums later they did that bug hunt thing and ate a bit of grass. Yes I know I'm completely ruining the high quality optimally balanced and rather expensive commercial feed. What can I tell you? They seem to prefer the fish.

Given these are examples of the much healthier, higher production hens than our grandfathers kept and used to eating an optimal diet designed by the egg industries scientist I can't feel guilty about not following the American backyard chicken keepers manual because they are going to die soon and they haven't even got to three years old!

 

[BDutch]

Is 9.30 pm, the last bus you can catch?
Thats just fine for me

Bc it means you are a bit earlier to post you’re flock stories and comments. When its midnight in England, its already 1am at the other side of the North sea.

Great to see the improvement on the ventilation! Hope the chickens will thrive in there.

What are you going to do with the old coop now?

 

[Shadrach]

Is 9.30 pm, the last bus you can catch?
Thats just fine for me

Bc it means you are a bit earlier to post you’re flock stories and comments. When its midnight in England, its already 1am at the other side of the North sea.

Great to see the improvement on the ventilation! Hope the chickens will thrive in there.

What are you going to do with the old coop now?

No, there are two more after. There should be three but the third has a habit of not showing up.

I was going to try and save what I could of the old coop but I think I'm just going to burn it. Some of the run I can save and use as a rain/shade shelter.

 

[Shadrach]

Laserbeak getting another epsom salt soak for her chronic bumblefoot

View attachment 3202116

Is it working?

 

[Shadrach]

Good point.
E.g. Some say scratch (mix of differrnt types of grains/sunflower seeds/ split corn) are a treat.
But if you have 100% free range chickens on lots of sqm2 with abundant growth it’s perfectly fine to give no layer feed at all but only oyster shells and scratch at the end of the day.

I would say (personally) , treats are unhealthy snacks or expensive feed the chickens love but don’t need.
Expensive like:

• mealworms in summer when they can gather enough insects by free ranging.

Unhealthy like:

• Salty and fat food like cheese crust.

Lots of food is not unhealthy if you don’t give a lot. Because the chickens love it, and fight or fly for it, I find these are a treat for them too.
Like :

• Boiled rice and spaghetti because it’s not nutritious. The chickens love it, maybe because they look like maggots and worms

And there is ‘treat’ food they find themselves free ranging in summer that's not very healthy too like:

• Yummy fruits containing much sugar. The chickens get diarrhoea if they eat too much.

Treat: any foodstuffs provided by the keeper that isn't a commercially produced balanced feed.

 

[Ribh]

I generally use Red Hen 17 layer crumble. It's easier to get than what MJ uses & is what my original breeder recommended for high quality eggs. Treats are the vegetable scraps each evening & meal leftovers, if any. Between 16 hens no~one gets a huge amount of anything. Very occasionally I give meal worms & in winter a small handfull of cracked corn before bed.