Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

5C with occasional drizzle and a moderate wind.
Feed in both trays. There was still some of the feed I left overnight in one tray.
Looks like there was a bit of a spill. I brushed it up leaving a bit for the chickens.

Let them out.
After letting them out I put feed down in the allotment run with some water. Cleaned the coop poop out. Changed the water in the coop run and by that time, they had all come back to the chair near the gate and were standing around preening.
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Standing around preening in the allotment run is not what I go there for them to do. They've got the rest of the day in the coop run to do that. I opened the gate to the allotment and out we went.
Ella doesn't dig. I have explained to her that she isn't a cow and can't just graze on bits of grass.
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On the other hand this pair these days are digging machines.
Even Henry had a go just to show willing like. I have to be honest and say Henry isn't the hardest working rooster I've known. Of course, I don't have a lot to say when he points out he's had over 20 hens for the last couple of years.:p

This digging pair is a relatively new thing. Lima has always dug rather than graze. Fret does dig but she's been watching Lima and follows her. I've seen a lot of Lima digging at the front with Fret behind Lima going through what Lima has thrown behind her. Fret picked a few excavations next to Lima rather tha being behind her today. This is excellent for Fret. She's a young hen with an expected life span of twice that of the Ex Battery hens. Any extra excercise she can get now will help her later should circumstances change.
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The first couple of times I've let them on to the allotments I've had to pick Lima up to get her back to the coop. Recently she's happy to trot back given a gentle push at her rear end once pointing in the right direction. Henry, Ella and Carbon had gone to roost. Fret and Lima were still digging. I had just leaned over to give Lima a tap on the bum when Fret immediately set of for the coop hoping she would escape a similar indignity.

Henry did a flat out run today. I don't know why. He just ran from the covered pond at one end to the food tray by the gate.
Train time.
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Based on the OTHER toes, I think my chickens’ claws are way too long. The litter in their run is rather soft and deep. It has pine shavings, rice hulls, broken down leaves and a few small sticks. Maybe I should dig that all out so they can dig down in the earth better and wear down their claws? As they days get longer, they’ll get more free range time, but I still don’t know how much they will wear down their claws. Can some of you post pics of chicken feet? Every once in awhile I’ll notice a claw has broken off.
Even though my chickens are on really rocky and abrasive land not all of them manage to keep their toe nails at a decent length. Vanille † and now Chipie have nails that are too long. It's not just about the soil I think. I don't trim them as long as they don't split and anyway I could'nt do it with Chipie, she's far too wild.
Ella doesn't dig. I have explained to her that she isn't a cow and can't just graze on bits of grass.
🤣How humiliating !
It's one of those behaviour that I thought was common to all chickens ?
All my ex-batts dig vigorously, but I can't remember if they did it from the start.
Also, from my single experience with chicks, it's one of the first thing the momma teaches them with great enthusiasm!

Henry and his hens in this post make me think of children that get kicked their butt outside by their parents because they want to stay in watch TV and then they have such a great day they don't want to come back in.
 
I have been leaving feed in the tray overnight for a while now. I haven't seen a rat for some time. I've started to look at treadle feeders. Not entirely sure if they would solve the problem. Have you tried any?
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A treadle feeder seems a perfect solution with the unreliable behaviour of C. The chickens will learn how to use very quickly it if you teach them how (so I’ve been reading).
I have no experience with it, but have been told it works nicely to keep the rats and mice away.
I never needed any because I have several hunting cats that like to stay near/in the chicken run.
Another reason not to buy one is that I need to build my own with small bantams. The weight of my tiny chickens is not sufficient to open the lid of treadle feeder.

Edit:
Next project?
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https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/building-a-treadle-chicken-feeder.47900/
 
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