Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Sally PB]

Two people with poles and straps could do it in seconds.

Pitty you moved to England and not to the centre of the Netherlands.

Or to the greater Grand Rapids area in Michigan. I'd be there in an hour.

 

[no fly zone]

It did okay considering. It looks quite heavy.
Any damage to your house?

There was a fair amount of damage sustained, but still livable. The worst part i believe is the hole that enabled massive amounts of water to enter our attic space. I haven't been up there yet (waiting on appraisers), but i assume all the insulation is thoroughly saturated, as we did have water dripping from the ceiling into our foyer.

 

[kcan2]

Or to the greater Grand Rapids area in Michigan. I'd be there in an hour.

Sally, I'm actually about an hour east of you, so perhaps we could carpool (to England) to assist with these coop moving endeavors!

 

[Perris]

Crisps and cheese biscuits!

do you know what excess salt does to a chicken's system? There's loads of info out there on deficiencies in the diet, but very little I've found as yet on excesses.

 

[ManueB]

There was a fair amount of damage sustained, but still livable. The worst part i believe is the hole that enabled massive amounts of water to enter our attic space. I haven't been up there yet (waiting on appraisers), but i assume all the insulation is thoroughly saturated, as we did have water dripping from the ceiling into our foyer.

Although that is serious damage, I suppose it could have been far worse ! I hope you don't have to wait forever for the appraisers, they must be overwhelmed . Have you put the chickens back in the coop ?

It's definitely making a difference to my hands. It isn't cold yet but the cracks that were appearing just from the damp have almost closed up. If it does okay after 4 hours outside at +2Cto 4C I'll be pleased.

I also get problems from the cold but I think it's mostly due to bad blood circulation. I may give this a try because it's a real pain getting cracks on my hands when it's not even really cold.

Seriously, cam you believe this lot in the chicken feed bin!All past their sale date of course.
View attachment 3281031
View attachment 3281036View attachment 3281037View attachment 3281058
There were 13 on the roost bars for a while. Not sure why the one in the middle of the floor got down.
View attachment 3281033
Lima gets's next ot Henry mosy nights now.
View attachment 3281032

Tarp, washers, sealant and a couple of leangths of timber were all supposed to arrive today. None of them did. I've been cutting EDPM washers out of a sheet to go between the tarp and the mesh where it will fit under the front of the coop overhang. I'm ready to move the coop but can't get any help until the weekend probably. Could be a skids and levers job on my own. It can be done with the right lever. it's just slow with one person and chickens helping. Two people with poles and straps could do it in seconds.

I think you need to put an ad in the local newspaper to find another retired Bristolian interested in chickens. So many things that "can" be done alone, are more easily done with two people!

That bit about the chips and cheese cookies reminded me of some completely forgotten memory. When we were in Nice I used to run almost every morning in a park up the hill, in an area where nature was preserved and there were still a bunch of beautiful old houses. The little unpaved road to get there obviously had become a place where only billionaires lived, except for one house that had stayed in it's original state of rural clutter and was inhabited by a dirty old man , with his rabbits, his dogs and his chickens. It was quite a contrast with the neighborhood ! Every day he walked down to the bakery where they gave him a case full of the pastries that hadn't sold the day before, and when I ran in front of his house he was usually sitting outside in the street giving them out to the chickens, the rabbits, and eating for himself the less stale ones . One day he was hospitalized and the house was closed after that. We never got to know what had happened to him and his animals.

 

[Shadrach]

Although that is serious damage, I suppose it could have been far worse ! I hope you don't have to wait forever for the appraisers, they must be overwhelmed . Have you put the chickens back in the coop ?

I also get problems from the cold but I think it's mostly due to bad blood circulation. I may give this a try because it's a real pain getting cracks on my hands when it's not even really cold.

I think you need to put an ad in the local newspaper to find another retired Bristolian interested in chickens. So many things that "can" be done alone, are more easily done with two people!

That bit about the chips and cheese cookies reminded me of some completely forgotten memory. When we were in Nice I used to run almost every morning in a park up the hill, in an area where nature was preserved and there were still a bunch of beautiful old houses. The little unpaved road to get there obviously had become a place where only billionaires lived, except for one house that had stayed in it's original state of rural clutter and was inhabited by a dirty old man , with his rabbits, his dogs and his chickens. It was quite a contrast with the neighborhood ! Every day he walked down to the bakery where they gave him a case full of the pastries that hadn't sold the day before, and when I ran in front of his house he was usually sitting outside in the street giving them out to the chickens, the rabbits, and eating for himself the less stale ones . One day he was hospitalized and the house was closed after that. We never got to know what had happened to him and his animals.

There used to be a few old men who still kept chickens in the nearby towns I visited when shopping in Catalonia. The towns had grown up around them, mostly nice orderly gardens and modern looking houses. I used to stop and chat to them when I passed by if they were out in their yards.
This man and the rooster had been living together for years. In the early years the man told me the rooster used to attack him every day and he used to swat him away. Eventually he and the rooster came to an arrangement and the rooster would rush up to the man every morning when he came out of the house and swear at him. The old man used to swear at him back and they would go about their business.
People in the town said the old man was crazy but he wasn't. I sat with them both for a while when I could. The old man used to eat his lunch outside and the rooster would stand just out of arms reach crowing at the old man until he gave the rooster a bit of his lunch.
The old man had got the rooster hens in the past but they had all died from one thing and another. It was quite apparent that the old man loved his rooster despite the bad language. The old man would do a bit of weeding and tidying up and there would be the rooster just out of arms reach beside him scratching and pecking alongside the old man.
The vast majority of the chicken keepers I knew in Catalonia were men. They all had roosters and from what I can gather all the roosters were aggressive in the early years. None of them got killed for their behaviour. My uncle was much the same when I was a child and given the job of collecting the free rangers eggs. It was down to me to avoid getting injured as it was with all the farm animals.
I did at some point try to get some of these old school chicken keepers to join BYC. The most telling remark I got from one man who read a bit on BYC was "site is called wrong. It should be Backyard Hens."
So, there you have me. I'm now one of those crazy old men who think there is a world of difference between keeping a few hens locked up for their eggs and keeping chickens.

 

[no fly zone]

@ManueB I put the chickens back out in the coop on Thursday morning after I was able to verify it was still structurally sound and secure.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good afternoon one and all!

80 sunny 44% humidity feels like 80 rain 0%.

Have a great day!

 

[BDutch]

Yesterday was a special day ‘World Animal day’. A day to give you’re pets some extra attention or a treat.
I also want to give my moulting chickens something extra now it’s getting colder and went to the pet shop in town.
Guess what; they sell large buckets with dried mealworms.

Party time . 800 gams for almost 18 euro’s . 4x as much as the bags I bought last years (200g) . Should be enough for 2 winters in a row. Expiring date 2024.

 

[Shadrach]

There was a fair amount of damage sustained, but still livable. The worst part i believe is the hole that enabled massive amounts of water to enter our attic space. I haven't been up there yet (waiting on appraisers), but i assume all the insulation is thoroughly saturated, as we did have water dripping from the ceiling into our foyer.

I hope it dries out without bringing the ceiling down.