Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ChicoryBlue]

Here's a fellow that wandered onto our property a few years ago. He came from a group about 2 miles away, over two hills. We heard crowing for a few days coming from the woods, getting closer and closer, and then he appeared. I had no chickens at the time, knowing no better I gave him some kitchen cornmeal and water. With help we eventually got him home later that afternoon. He was gorgeous. We were watching Breaking Bad at the time so I named him Hermanos.

 

[micstrachan]

A bit colder today, 3C to 4C.
No feed in tray. It didn't look like anyone had fed either the geese or the chickens.
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There would have been food in the feeder this morning that I left after they had gone to roost, maybe 250 grams. They were hungry.
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I love Fret’s eye contact!

 

[micstrachan]

6C and dry with a light wind.
There was food left over from what I put in the tray last night. There was also food in the other tray so C had been at some point.
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Did the chores. Scraped a bit more much off the ground around the new coop and inside the new coop extension. I've found more paving slabs under the muck.
Fret went to lay an egg as I was cleaning out the coop. She has waited on one of the perches in the past but these days she comes in and heads straight for the nest box. She came out after and joined the others on the allotment and then went back to the nest box and was looking broody when I left. She's only got one egg and watching her and Henry recently I doubt it's fertile.

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I don't know what it is Lima is finding in that bushes roots but she's digging from the other side as well now.
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Fret is in the nest box.
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Oh, is Fret not the Legbar in the other photo looking at the camera?

 

[micstrachan]

Chippy had a bit of bumblefoot. I think anyway. When i pulled away the scab, there was nothing to dig out. I plan to redo their roosting bars in case that is the source of it. Although this is only the 2nd case in my flock in the almost 4 yrs of raising chickens.
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I don’t understand this contraption Chippy is in.

 

[no fly zone]

I don’t understand this contraption Chippy is in.

It is a small plastic container with a hole cut into the lid. It contains a warm epsom salt bath.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

74 mostly sunny 87% humidity feels like 71 rain 1%.

Have a great day!

 

[BDutch]

I've been told that the Red Kites here are much like the buzzards we had in Catalonia. While high up in the air they can move very quickly on thermal currents, but when they get close to the ground they are not very agile, or particulalry fast.
The real danger from the sky are the falcons and harriers. The chickens just don't see them in time. They'll fly at 200mph a foot off the ground. Most won't bother with full sized chickens but I know people who have lost chicks and juveniles to them.

There have been a few sightings of a Goshawk in the woods on the other side of the river Avon a couple of miles away.

At the Rhine river, which is just 1 km away from my house (through the air) people often see goshawks. We have 2 kind of hawks here.
I have seen a sparrow hawk once (years ago). Sitting and lurking in the pear tree. The same tree were my Janice and kraai slept last summer.

Luckily I have a special net above the run, strong enough for birds of prey.

I probably lost my Pino 2 years ago to a buzzard. One day she vanished. The other chickens behaved very sad and scared afterwards. I confined them to the run for some time. After a week I saw a buzzard circling above our garden. A few days later again. She/He gave up after two weeks. And I was confident enough to let my chickens free range again (first week only supervised).

Last year my husband saw a bird of prey again, diving to run. He might have seen the netting, which made him take off again. Or my husband scared him of? He wasn’t sure what it was. But most chance it was a buzzard.
Most buzzard are mainly scavengers an mice hunters, but some hunt down birds like pigeons and bantams too.

I never saw falcons and harriers near to where we live. But not sure. I’m no expert and the differences are not very clear to see.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Good morning X Batts.
I am still among the living beat the cold.
36 out dry.

 

[Perris]

Most buzzard are mainly scavengers an mice hunters, but some hunt down birds like pigeons and bantams too.

The buzzard was responsible for most predation by raptors in that thesis you linked to, if I remember aright. I was surprised, because before reading it I too thought they were mainly scavengers and went for smaller prey than a lf chicken.

 

[BDutch]

The buzzard was responsible for most predation by raptors in that thesis you linked to, if I remember aright. I was surprised, because before reading it I too thought they were mainly scavengers and went for smaller prey than a lf chicken.

What thesis do you mean? the picture? That are silhouettes of the 2 types of hawk we have in NL.. Not buzzards