Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Marie2020]

See further on.

I did thanks.

It's a shame because I have lots of pallets

 

[Marie2020]

It's going to be better weather here for a few days apparently.

Roll on, it's been so awful here.

 

[Marie2020]

This one was perched on the allotment run gate when I arrived complaining that she was hungry.

View attachment 3317781
It stayed dry this afternoon and evening.
Had a Kite floating around for a few moments. Chickens went quiet and still and tracked the Kite,
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/red-kite/

View attachment 3317769View attachment 3317766View attachment 3317767

Lima out foraging as the light goes.
View attachment 3317770

One of the Ex Battery hens went and roosted with Henry this evening. The rest in the new coop.
View attachment 3317765

The allotments are very quiet.
View attachment 3317764

Major improvements there Shad, I could never have achieved all you have

 

[Marie2020]

This one was perched on the allotment run gate when I arrived complaining that she was hungry.

They have their confidence now. Care shadrach they'll have a union next

View attachment 3317781
It stayed dry this afternoon and evening.
Had a Kite floating around for a few moments. Chickens went quiet and still and tracked the Kite,
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/red-kite/

View attachment 3317769View attachment 3317766View attachment 3317767

Lima out foraging as the light goes.
View attachment 3317770

One of the Ex Battery hens went and roosted with Henry this evening. The rest in the new coop.
View attachment 3317765

The allotments are very quiet.
View attachment 3317764

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I have a question regarding roosters behaviour. Is it possible that they act "jealous" with their hens or is this a human notion ?

I've had the same question, but from the flip side. This summer, there was some totally unexpected behavior between our rooster Stilton and his best girl Ashley, who he's been tight with since the brooder.

They spend a lot of time together, roost together at night, and Ashley preens Stilton daily. They're quite bonded. Although, interestingly, Stilton doesn't tread Ashley very often.

Anyway, this summer, Ashley started a fling with Merle Hagbird through the fence, and Stilton didn't care! She'd find any reason to be by the fence so Merle could dance for her. Merle's hens were also neutral about it, but that wasn't as surprising as Stilton's acceptance of their relationship. Stilton, who plots the deaths of other male chickens.

By comparison, when Merle had the audacity to dance for any of Stilton's Langshans, Stilty would stomp over and place himself in the middle, hackles up, daring Merle to get close enough to peck through the fence. But all the hours Ashley spent gazing lovingly at Merle through the fence, Stilton barely gave them a side-eye.

It gets more sordid: while we're careful to keep Stilton and Merle separate (they seem secretly glad for that), the ladies sometimes sneak into each other's yards while I'm with them. Over the summer, Ashley took every opportunity to dart through the gate to Merle's yard. The first time he raced over and tread her, Stilton noticed, and I thought it would surely kick off a war through the fence. I also worried that Stiltz might punish Ashley.

Nope. It happened a few times, and each time, when Ashley trotted back through the gate to Stilton, the 2 toddled off to forage together like normal. There's been no additional hostility between the roosters. The flirting has stopped, possibly for the cold months, or maybe it was just a summer fling. Ashley and Stilton are as close as ever, leaving my human brain to riddle over Stilton's lack of jealousy.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Ex Batts good afternoon one and all!

65 cloudy 89% humidity feels like 64 rain 81%.

NICOLE tropical storm max wind 70 mph max gust 86 mph storm surge warning.

Have a great day!

Sending good thoughts down to Florida. Hope you're battened down and safe!

 

[ManueB]

I've had the same question, but from the flip side. This summer, there was some totally unexpected behavior between our rooster Stilton and his best girl Ashley, who he's been tight with since the brooder.

They spend a lot of time together, roost together at night, and Ashley preens Stilton daily. They're quite bonded. Although, interestingly, Stilton doesn't tread Ashley very often.

Anyway, this summer, Ashley started a fling with Merle Hagbird through the fence, and Stilton didn't care! She'd find any reason to be by the fence so Merle could dance for her. Merle's hens were also neutral about it, but that wasn't as surprising as Stilton's acceptance of their relationship. Stilton, who plots the deaths of other male chickens.

View attachment 3317942
By comparison, when Merle had the audacity to dance for any of Stilton's Langshans, Stilty would stomp over and place himself in the middle, hackles up, daring Merle to get close enough to peck through the fence. But all the hours Ashley spent gazing lovingly at Merle through the fence, Stilton barely gave them a side-eye.

View attachment 3317961
It gets more sordid: while we're careful to keep Stilton and Merle separate (they seem secretly glad for that), the ladies sometimes sneak into each other's yards while I'm with them. Over the summer, Ashley took every opportunity to dart through the gate to Merle's yard. The first time he raced over and tread her, Stilton noticed, and I thought it would surely kick off a war through the fence. I also worried that Stiltz might punish Ashley.

Nope. It happened a few times, and each time, when Ashley trotted back through the gate to Stilton, the 2 toddled off to forage together like normal. There's been no additional hostility between the roosters. The flirting has stopped, possibly for the cold months, or maybe it was just a summer fling. Ashley and Stilton are as close as ever, leaving my human brain to riddle over Stilton's lack of jealousy.

Why call it sordid, and not wise ? They seem to have found an arrangement that suit all of them.

 

[Perris]

They spend a lot of time together,

not by choice apparently; you pen them together

Although, interestingly, Stilton doesn't tread Ashley very often.

they might not be buddies if they were free to choose

Ashley took every opportunity to dart through the gate to Merle's yard. The first time he raced over and tread her,

Ashley and Merle might be buddies if free to choose

Stilton's lack of jealousy

Stilton does not possess Ashley, irrespective of how you pen them. Hens choose their mates, not vice versa. They can reject the sperm of a roo that forces himself on them. And both boys have enough sense to know there's no point fighting for dominance through a fence.

I may have misunderstood some or all from your marvellously full description of what goes on there, but that's my reading of the situation.

 

[Iluveggers]

I love this thread and the flock stories that go along with it! Maybe someday I will live somewhere where I can have a rooster or two…having a couple “tribes” will be quite interesting. I can’t wait til the summer when I can be at the farm more & observe the new group. Over 50 in the two flocks (1.5 years old first group all hens, 20-25 weeks second flock, 4 cockerels). One of the boys is starting to get mean with the girls, and he doesn’t appear to be the alpha. If he continues he might be our first soup cockerel. But I think with 2-4 roosters and 50 hens, there should be enough for everyone once we get both groups integrated together. Right now the hens are free range, but we keep the younger birds in a large fenced area. Once they start laying, everyone will be integrated. They have 100 acres there, so definitely enough space. We just want to make sure the layers start in the nest boxes before we set them out. May even keep them penned until most have laid then let them range.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

not by choice apparently; you pen them together

they might not be buddies if they were free to choose

Ashley and Merle might be buddies if free to choose

Stilton does not possess Ashley, irrespective of how you pen them. Hens choose their mates, not vice versa. They can reject the sperm of a roo that forces himself on them. And both boys have enough sense to know there's no point fighting for dominance through a fence.

I may have misunderstood some or all from your marvellously full description of what goes on there, but that's my reading of the situation.

Good points and great food for thought. Not 100% accurate about the penning, but close enough. The way I've kept chickens to date puts me in a puppet-master role I loathe. Stupid human dominion! I think I'll always be looking for ways to keep the birds safe from predators while expanding their agency. But I'm so wordy I'll need to start my own post to discuss that journey

Being wordy, I end up trimming a lot of detail from my posts, like how Ashley and Merle got interested in each other: hens from the different groups range with each other and each other's rooster during supervised times. Or how I was open to Ashley moving in with Merle if she wanted. Many interesting interactions occur during ranging time, but we've never had a self-elected defection from one yard to another.

I'll hypothesize that's because chickens despise change, and being separated by a fence most of the day means they can't audition each other enough to commit to moving. The static-group dynamic may start even before the fences, with each group raised together in a brooder. In my limited experience, groups that brood together stick together.

Back to Ashley and Stilton: to my eyes, they seem connected in more than just a coincidental way. While the broodermates all flock together, the deeper bonds stand out. Those bonds are especially obvious between the Easter Eggers. Maybe EE bonding is more overt, or we somehow picked a few pairs of chicks who ended up adoring each other.

I caught myself wondering if Stilton's lack of jealousy was him loving Ashley enough to let her go have the olive egger babies she was trying to make with Merle...but now I've personified them into a full-on Hallmark movie.