Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

micromesh "wet it and wear it" around your neck cloths around my neck and it makes a big difference.

What are these?

 

[Shadrach]

Near the top of the South Island, in the Tasman region. It has been getting hotter and more humid over the past few years. Sort of the sub-tropical top of the north pushing its way southward. You haven't asked before

I almost bought a house in Nelson.

 

[Shadrach]

A funny anecdote about Artemisia annua which is cited amongst the useful herb. It's a very invasive weed here but we don't have any at our place. Last year I went to my elderly neighbour to collect some for my own medicinal use. My partner went in a state of emergency I can't describe, like I had brought back some highly dangerous exotic virus. He asked me to make a security perimeter around the wicker basket in which I left the plant to dry . So if you don't have any I would be careful about planting some!

This "chicken self medicate" (or at least find what's good for them) thing is certainly true ( it was also mentioned in the study I cited some time ago). However I still wonder how it works. I have quite a few herbs that are said to be of use to them and they never touch them, like oregano, rosemary, mint.
Also, I'm having fun watching what the "chicks" (how do you call 2 months old chickens by the way ?) chose to eat. My rhubarb plan was eaten up to the ground, but interestingly enough solely by Gaston. Did the younger pullets instinctively know that it stops them from assimilating calcium, being so high in acid oxalic, or did they just not like it ?

They all agreed this was really good for them, @Shadrach this may bring back some memories . I did try to mention it's not ripe yet but they don't seem to agree.
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It does indeed bring back some memories, one being I can't find any grapes here like those in Catalonia which while wine grapes were really tasty. The chickens thought so to.

 

[Shadrach]

Am I understanding correctly that your mind isn't made up yet ?

Thank you, this seems a very likely explanation as we also get blossom end rot, though only in the green house and only on that Specie which I can't find the english name for. I'll try to look up into this. I also got chlorosis this year on my strawberry plant before the roe deers gobbled it up, and I assumed it was because the calcium stopped it from assimilating iron. I usually cover it with pine needles to make the ground more acidic for it, but didn't do it this year.

I also prefer dry heat. In Nice we had a few degrees less but way higher humidity and I found it much harder to sustain a day of work in an office with no kind of heat regulation most of the day.
I also agree that covering up is best for you but unfortunately I didn't have the good sense to do this before coming here. I'm thinking of tuaregs. Then again there are other very warm regions in the world where traditional ways imply being almost naked.

Now, I really want to know how do you manage to trick the hens into thinking the rooster brought the scrambled egg ?

I'm asking seriously everyone who own rooster. Our hens always rush so quickly for special food that Théo is always the late comer and I think it's a huge part of why he doesn't like us, the fact that we bring special stuff to his girls and keep them away from him. I really want to find a way to make him get to the food first and call them.

To missquote Tigger, what roosters like best is to see their hens eating. Not a difficult aspiration given hens are very fond of eating. Of course, the hens and Henry are all quite aware that I bring the food and treats. The balance with some roosters, usually those who may take issue with you feeding his hens, is to not let the hens have any until you've shown what you've got to the rooster and let him, if he wants, take the first few pecks and probably drop a piece or two for his hens. All face is restored.
I've often thought chicken culture much like the Japanese culture. A lot of chicken stuff is about respecting the status of the others and knowing ones place. For roosters it's all about "face" more often than not.
At the begining Henry wanted to inspect everything. I would call him if he wasn't by my feet and open the containor of treats and lean down so he could see and take. Of course a full on crowd surfing mass of feathers arrives if one even whispers food. You may have to swat a few hens away and they'll very indignant but they'll know and Henry will know, no food unless he says its okay. As the rooster gets used to this routine, it didn't take Henry long, you should find you just need to show the rooster the food and then chuck it out for the hens. The crowd surfing mass of feathers will I expect follow the trajectory of the food you've just thrown leaving the rooster. Hand feed him some of the treat food while the hens are food surfing.

Do bear in mind, these things are variable. This works most of the time, but not all.

 

[Ribh]

Tribe/breed question for everyone. We have 10 chicks, of different breeds. Primarily because we wanted a colorful flock and also to experiment and see what breeds we like raising best in our climate and neighborhood. In the future, if we were to add more chicks, after they were fully integrated, would they tend to stick together as a group, or would they gravitate toward an older hen that is the same breed? We are in love with our Welsummer (who I almost didn’t order), and our Faverolles is the smartest in the bunch (if not a bit aloof which is the opposite of what I have read about them). So if our new group included Welsummer & Faverolles, would they split with their older counterpart or stick together? Just curious if any of you have ever experienced that.

@Iluveggers : I find it is a very individual thing & often changes. Like @Perris I have a very mixed flock of both standards & bantams. Even the Vorwerks, who are the largest number of standards presently, don't hang together. The one who was sick for a long time is besties with the black tailed white Jap bantam. My golden Campine usually hanges with my Favorelle X or next door's cochin ~ both mostly white hens. For a while Olivia, a B&W frizzled D'Uccle graviated to my Frizzled SLW, but she gets on with everybody. My Aracauna has always been a bit of a loner. When foraging the smaller birds do tend to stick together ~ but none of them are great foragers. My Wyandotte bantams are foragers & tend to run with the bigger birds. My biggest problem are my Vorwerks, who are the most aggressive breed I own & can be a right royal pain. I have generally stuck with breeds with reputations for being docile & sweet tempered & it seems to work with a very mixed flock. I do seem to gravitate towards birds that are total nutters: the Campines, Wyandottes, Japs & D'Uccles are total nutters but so much fun that outweighs their craziness. The Favorelle X & Aracauna are calm, unflappable hens who act as a calming counterbalance to the flightiness of the Campines & the broodiness of the bantams.

 

[no fly zone]

Skeksis is so smart. She pins the leaves down with her foot so she can peck at it. I saw her do this twice in a row.

 

[Shadrach]

Skeksis is so smart. She pins the leaves down with her foot so she can peck at it. I saw her do this twice in a row.
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That is smart. Most chickens don't do that.

 

[Shadrach]

Too warm for me to have much interest in doing a lot except sit under the tree and watch chickens.
13 in this evening.
This is one of the hens who has lost a lot of feathers through mating. In order for the feathers to fully regrow she would need to be isolated from Henry and therefor the group and the stress would be enormous. I don't have anywhere suitable to put her even if I did think it was a good idea. Not cuts so far thankfully.

 

[MaryJanet]

Too warm for me to have much interest in doing a lot except sit under the tree and watch chickens.
13 in this evening.
This is one of the hens who has lost a lot of feathers through mating. In order for the feathers to fully regrow she would need to be isolated from Henry and therefor the group and the stress would be enormous. I don't have anywhere suitable to put her even if I did think it was a good idea. Not cuts so far thankfully.
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Loads of space in the new coop!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Good morning X Batts cooler morning here.
Have 2 cords of wood coming in today did tables in the coop .. Removed several spider webs from the corners.
Going to use let girls go in as they will.