Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[pennyJo1960]

We did get all but two opening with 2 x 4 boards for walls to tie to.
The rest tomorrow two walls. Windows need be re sealed bringing them in to do that.
Have 4 see how many we want put them on hinges hardware cloth the opening.
got too late to take photos

 

[Perris]

Imagine the outcry if one could prove that keeping chickens out of their comfort range amounts to animal cruelty.

Deafening silence more likely than outcry methinx. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-5-freedoms-and-more.1555948/

plus a few more I've got on the back burner

when can we expect to read these?

 

[Solanacae]

Once they get into the allotment run the only reason they go into the coop itself is to lay an egg generally. I think this is common with most chickens.

This was certainly true of mine until we moved and built a Woods-style coop. It is very breezy here and the temperature difference has been noticeable as temperatures have dropped and I’ve closed the monitor windows at the top so the air is more still inside. The favorite place for sunning has become the front ‘sun porch’ area of the coop. It’s a pretty exclusive club - I have not seen junior flock members allowed to sun bathe there. They preferred other shadier areas in the summer, so I think it is likely to be a seasonal preference.

I've been having some discussions with C; reality checks one might call these discussions. There is a general lack of trust in C on the group and the group chat has been for some time now C ranting and getting little or no response.
I have suggested that perhaps C is approaching the communication problems in the wrong manner.
The most recent discussion has been the state of the run. It's going to cost money to sort out and C doesn't want to spend any of their money or even what's in the allotment fund on the chickens. Apparently the allotment holders are in part responsible for the general upkeep and that includes the chickens and the geese. C says they won't contribute.
A couple of days ago desperately needing woodchip which it looked like I was going to have to pay for, I said to see get some donations from the allotment holders and if you can't do it then let me have a go. To reach the allotment holders I need to be in the Whatsapp group. I joined yesterday. I wrote a post explaning a bit about the situation and asked for donations saying I would match whatever anyone cared to donate. I have £40.00 of donations given to me at the allotments and a further £160.00 promised from groups members in the chat group. It's amazing what a few heart tugging chicken pictures can do.

I see a few things that worked in your favor to make this happen. First of all, you approached the allotment holders pleasantly, which is opposite of what C seems to have been doing. People generally respond more positively to pleasantness. Second, people have seen that you’re invested in the chickens’ well-being. I’d be much more inclined to trust someone with my money that’s obviously dedicated to the cause and consistently shows up. C may show up, but the consistency seems suspect. She certainly hasn’t been pushing for a better situation for the chickens, and I’d be skeptical about giving her money for improving the chicken situation if she was the one doing the asking. Finally, a play to peoples’ sympathy for the horrible living situation doesn’t hurt either, but it’s not just hyped up emotions you’re playing on - your pictures of horrible living conditions were showing the unfortunate truth of the situation.

Guilt doesn’t need to be viewed as a bad thing, because it can be used as a catalyst for improvement. I don’t think shaming people accomplishes much, but the application of positive reinforcement after allowing guilt to motivate change is an excellent behavioral strategy.

 

[ManueB]

I’ve only seen my chickens in the coop for a few minutes here & there. I have an 8x8 coop for 10 birds, so plenty of space.

Once they get into the allotment run the only reason they go into the coop itself is to lay an egg generally. I think this is common with most chickens. They shelter under the coop and in the new extension now in bad weather but not in the coop.

This was certainly true of mine until we moved and built a Woods-style coop. It is very breezy here and the temperature difference has been noticeable as temperatures have dropped and I’ve closed the monitor windows at the top so the air is more still inside. The favorite place for sunning has become the front ‘sun porch’ area of the coop. It’s a pretty exclusive club - I have not seen junior flock members allowed to sun bathe there. They preferred other shadier areas in the summer, so I think it is likely to be a seasonal preference.


I see a few things that worked in your favor to make this happen. First of all, you approached the allotment holders pleasantly, which is opposite of what C seems to have been doing. People generally respond more positively to pleasantness. Second, people have seen that you’re invested in the chickens’ well-being. I’d be much more inclined to trust someone with my money that’s obviously dedicated to the cause and consistently shows up. C may show up, but the consistency seems suspect. She certainly hasn’t been pushing for a better situation for the chickens, and I’d be skeptical about giving her money for improving the chicken situation if she was the one doing the asking. Finally, a play to peoples’ sympathy for the horrible living situation doesn’t hurt either, but it’s not just hyped up emotions you’re playing on - your pictures of horrible living conditions were showing the unfortunate truth of the situation.

Guilt doesn’t need to be viewed as a bad thing, because it can be used as a catalyst for improvement. I don’t think shaming people accomplishes much, but the application of positive reinforcement after allowing guilt to motivate change is an excellent behavioral strategy.

This was certainly true of mine until we moved and built a Woods-style coop. It is very breezy here and the temperature difference has been noticeable as temperatures have dropped and I’ve closed the monitor windows at the top so the air is more still inside

I am really wondering about this (in the context of thinking about building another coop). Last year I would have said as you do, Shadrach, but now I notice my birds are often in their coop. @Solanacae I've noticed on the other threads I follow that people who live in the colder US states and in Canada say their birds don't come out at all some of the days ! So of course it would have to do with climate when temperatures are in the teen f or minus 10c.
But it's not cold where I am, just that the chickens are stressed by the raptors. If we had a small coop type, they would probably be under it or under the trees, but the fact is that they are spending a lot of time (maybe three hours out of the eight of daylight we have) inside the coop. I wonder if age has triggered their change in behaviour, or just stress, but I 'm beginning to think it's nice that they have the choice to be inside if they chose.

Also, I think we made a mistake to cover the run with clear polycarbonate. We thought it would be nice to have more light in there as it's a shady zone, but I believe the chickens don't feel as safe- they can't understand that it's clear only for them and that they are no seen from above.

There is as I have written before a Whatsapp allotment group. I have been very reluctant to join. I have never been invited to join.
I've been having some discussions with C; reality checks one might call these discussions. There is a general lack of trust in C on the group and the group chat has been for some time now C ranting and getting little or no response.
I have suggested that perhaps C is approaching the communication problems in the wrong manner.
The most recent discussion has been the state of the run. It's going to cost money to sort out and C doesn't want to spend any of their money or even what's in the allotment fund on the chickens. Apparently the allotment holders are in part responsible for the general upkeep and that includes the chickens and the geese. C says they won't contribute.
A couple of days ago desperately needing woodchip which it looked like I was going to have to pay for, I said to see get some donations from the allotment holders and if you can't do it then let me have a go. To reach the allotment holders I need to be in the Whatsapp group. I joined yesterday. I wrote a post explaning a bit about the situation and asked for donations saying I would match whatever anyone cared to donate. I have £40.00 of donations given to me at the allotments and a further £160.00 promised from groups members in the chat group. It's amazing what a few heart tugging chicken pictures can do.

I completely agree with @Solanacae. I'm very pessimistic usually about human nature, but I have been quite a few times in my professional life amazed to see that colleagues volunteered to help me on projects when I asked, just because they saw I was really implicated and because they truly had the choice to or not. Also, it always surprised me that some changed their mind- sometimes they decided to help months, or a year after saying no. This made me think that when you give people a choice, try to set an example and show that you will be there whatever happens in the long term, you can be surprised very positively.
I'm very glad it's working out for you and the chickens because you have been really showing dedication and getting results.
What I would be careful about, is that C. doesn't see this as a breach of power and start to work against you.

 

[ManueB]

Deafening silence more likely than outcry methinx. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-5-freedoms-and-more.1555948/

I have began to read the article / review but it is not an easy read for me. First, I'm not familiar at all with those five freedoms so I had to look up where they come from and what exactly they are. And some of the notions are pretty thought provoking, but because it's a review, one has to look up the original articles to get the full explanation. I think this may be part of the reason why you are not getting a heated debate about this.
What I've understood for now is something like "a reasonable amount of stress and hunger is necessary to keep chickens biologically fit, and social activities and environmental challenges are just as necessary to their well being than getting fed and housed properly". But I would withhold any comments until I've finished reading and am sure I've gotten the meaning right !

 

[Perris]

I have began to read the article / review but it is not an easy read for me. First, I'm not familiar at all with those five freedoms so I had to look up where they come from and what exactly they are. And some of the notions are pretty thought provoking, but because it's a review, one has to look up the original articles to get the full explanation. I think this may be part of the reason why you are not getting a heated debate about this.
What I've understood for now is something like "a reasonable amount of stress and hunger is necessary to keep chickens biologically fit, and social activities and environmental challenges are just as necessary to their well being than getting fed and housed properly". But I would withhold any comments until I've finished reading and am sure I've gotten the meaning right !

it's not an easy read for quite a few reasons, and kudos to you for wading through it in a second language!

But I'm surprised you didn't know of the 5 freedoms already; I thought that was common knowledge now. On the other hand, it not being common knowledge may explain the AI restrictions, which when imposed on backyard flocks usually create a conflict with several of those freedoms. If you ever get in an argument with someone about not applying headline AI measures (i.e. lock every bird up inside; the rules beyond the headline are quite nuanced), it's useful to be able to quote it and point out this is a legal requirement too; the rules are in conflict.

 

[Shadrach]

 

[RoyalChick]

it's not an easy read for quite a few reasons, and kudos to you for wading through it in a second language!

But I'm surprised you didn't know of the 5 freedoms already; I thought that was common knowledge now. On the other hand, it not being common knowledge may explain the AI restrictions, which when imposed on backyard flocks usually create a conflict with several of those freedoms. If you ever get in an argument with someone about not applying headline AI measures (i.e. lock every bird up inside; the rules beyond the headline are quite nuanced), it's useful to be able to quote it and point out this is a legal requirement too; the rules are in conflict.

I am familiar with the five freedoms. I just haven’t had the time to dig in to read it yet @Perris. I have bookmarked it to read later.

 

[RoyalChick]

I am really wondering about this (in the context of thinking about building another coop). Last year I would have said as you do, Shadrach, but now I notice my birds are often in their coop. @Solanacae I've noticed on the other threads I follow that people who live in the colder US states and in Canada say their birds don't come out at all some of the days ! So of course it would have to do with climate when temperatures are in the teen f or minus 10c.
But it's not cold where I am, just that the chickens are stressed by the raptors. If we had a small coop type, they would probably be under it or under the trees, but the fact is that they are spending a lot of time (maybe three hours out of the eight of daylight we have) inside the coop. I wonder if age has triggered their change in behaviour, or just stress, but I 'm beginning to think it's nice that they have the choice to be inside if they chose.

Also, I think we made a mistake to cover the run with clear polycarbonate. We thought it would be nice to have more light in there as it's a shady zone, but I believe the chickens don't feel as safe- they can't understand that it's clear only for them and that they are no seen from above.

I completely agree with @Solanacae. I'm very pessimistic usually about human nature, but I have been quite a few times in my professional life amazed to see that colleagues volunteered to help me on projects when I asked, just because they saw I was really implicated and because they truly had the choice to or not. Also, it always surprised me that some changed their mind- sometimes they decided to help months, or a year after saying no. This made me think that when you give people a choice, try to set an example and show that you will be there whatever happens in the long term, you can be surprised very positively.
I'm very glad it's working out for you and the chickens because you have been really showing dedication and getting results.
What I would be careful about, is that C. doesn't see this as a breach of power and start to work against you.

FWIW @ManueB mi e go into their house when it is very cold and windy. Otherwise they stay outside either really outside inside the perimeter of the electric fence which gives them a lot of space, or in their covered run.
The one exception has always been for a short period after breakfast when they go inside where the sun shines in their window and they preen.
I am sure if the house was tiny they would I ly go in to sleep and would be fine with that - but as it is there they do use it.

 

[Marie2020]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

78 cloudy 81% humidity feels like 80 rain 30%.

In the run I have a branch out of a tree planted like a tree and they love it.

I also have two perches about 2 1/2 feet high.

There are cinderblocks standing on end they like to perch on.

There are some pallets leaning against the coop they like to perch on and they lay behind the pallet for the shade.

That's a wonderful idea. I never thought of that

That's an excellent idea

It is indeed

Have a great day!