Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[no fly zone]

The back of the comb in this picture. Is it attached all along the base, or is the back bit an over hang of the comb shape,
I hope that makes sense.

All attached at base

 

[Solanacae]

The allotments are very quiet currently.
I know a couple who are dissapointed in what grew; a lot didn't.
Perhaps some will have learn't that even a small allotment needs quite a lot of care and that means time. Spending an hour or so once a week isn't going to hack it.

My husband and I did community gardens for several years before we had our own space to garden in. If anything, those places have MORE weeds than your average garden. Probably because the people who gave up in the garden stopped weeding and the weeds went to seed in such favorable conditions. I live in a very dry place so if I want something to grow, it’s got to be watered a couple times a week. I use soaker hoses to cut down on evaporation, which also cuts down on weeds. I’ve just gotten in the habit of hooking up the hose and then weeding the spot I watered previously since it’s much easier to weed moist soil than dry soil. It’s a small amount of maintenance weeding at this point but it’s a daily occurrence. Having to travel to an allotment for a 10 minute weeding session probably doesn’t seem worth it to most folks.

I just got some sad news
The local breeder who I get my hatching eggs from for my plymouth rocks has passed away. He was a true gem and a great asset to the breeds he was committed to. We have such a small pool of truly great breeders in the country, his loss will be felt profoundly.
One day I hope to contribute as much to the community as he did.

The rooster in your avatar is gorgeous. His barring in particular is stunning. That speaks volumes to the quality of work of the breeder. My condolences.

 

[ManueB]

Back home! Three days in the mountains is enough to empty your head, fill up your eyes and soul, and kill your back and quads. We played around the Italian frontier leaving our van at the col de Larches (la maddalena for the italians) staying above 2300m.

My favorite author as a teenager : "I just lay on the mountain meadow side in the moonlight, head to grass, and heard the silent recognition of my temporary woes. "

Our friend keeping our home fell head over heels for the chickens and chicks and spoiled them to death! He didn't do so well with the garden so we have to catch up three days of no watering, no harvesting (zucchinis) and no weeding... but it was worth it.

I skimmed through what I missed on the thread and I am very keen on doing a real catching up once we're
settled.

 

[no fly zone]

Chippy!

 

[Shadrach]

Tell Ya the birds here are so happy it has cooled off .. They are all over their yard dust bathing nice to see them relaxed and happy again.
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My sisters hens struggled with the heat last week apparently. I think the wind at the allotments helps keep the discomfort down and of course it's usually a few degrees cooler near the sea.

 

[Shadrach]

the conservatives have that effect on me too, but I think in this context you mean the preservatives

Depressing isn't it.

 

[Shadrach]

It's been a challenging year weather-wise; not nearly as bad here as poor Penny has had to endure, but excess rain, or heat, or both at different times, have not been ideal growing conditions for annual crops methinx. But maybe some of the allotment holders are just using it as therapy rather than a serious attempt to supplement their diet...?

Yep, it's definitely therapy for some if not most. It's therapy/hobby (with a lot of righteous indignation) for me to.

 

[Shadrach]

Having to travel to an allotment for a 10 minute weeding session probably doesn’t seem worth it to most folks.

Apparently not.

 

[Shadrach]

I found one of the geese dead when I got to the allotments. She had been dead a few hours. C lets the geese out in the morning and I put them in when I arrive to let the chickens out. So the geese are out in the allotment run during the day.

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I sent C a text, they weren't working and arrived 15 minutes later. We think fox.
It's happened before.

 

[Molpet]

I found one of the geese dead when I got to the allotments. She had been dead a few hours. C lets the geese out in the morning and I put them in when I arrive to let the chickens out. So the geese are out in the allotment run during the day.

Spoiler

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I sent C a text, they weren't working and arrived 15 minutes later. We think fox.
It's happened before.

So much for guard geese