Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ManueB]

There is a bit of a debate about whether chickens should be eating rubbarb. From what I've read it is in fact toxic but to reach a level of toxicity to be life threatening they need to eat an awful lot. I haven't managed to find out exactly what an awful lot is. I know some chicken keepers use it to combat internal parasites. Other keepers report no ill effects apart from a runny bum if the chickens have eaten a lot. In the past, some days they've eaten a bit and moved on to other things. Two in particular have been doing some very watery poops and are eating more than the rest. I'm going to err on the side of caution.

When my chicks gobbled up my baby rhubarb I did some search on this. It's the oxalic acid that could potentially be toxic at a very high dose. With a normal dose the main problem is that it blocks calcium absorption. It's also contained in chards, beet leaves and spinach and orach, and of course oxalis, all of which my chickens loved.
Apparently in eastern country they make sure to eat yogurt if they eat rhubarb? Maybe it's an old wife's tale.
At the time Gaston's team was not laying so I worried more about my rhubarb than about them. It did them no harm that I could see.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Sorry to hear about Henry's leg mites.

Have a great day!

 

[bruceha2000]

There is a bit of a debate about whether chickens should be eating rubbarb. From what I've read it is in fact toxic but to reach a level of toxicity to be life threatening they need to eat an awful lot.

The oxalic acid is in the leaves which is why humans are supposed to eat only the stalks. I assume we could handle a small amount and the chickens can as well. Interesting that they eat the leaves though, near as I can tell chickens are pretty good about knowing what they shouldn't eat.

 

[lightm]

I feel dumb asking, but how do you know they're live? Are the mites actually visible, or is it just the raised scales, inflammation, etc.?

SLM are still a mystery to me. Stilton has had slightly raised scales since he's had visible scales, even before he left the brooder (which was a sterilized plastic tub in a clean home, so parasites seemed unlikely to be the culprit). But the internet has had me side-eyeing his legs for years because everything says chicken leg scales should be perfectly smooth.

He was treated with Ivermectin in the Great Mitesplosion of 2020, and the scales didn't change appearance. Nor do his legs look much different years later.

Tax: Merle flexing. With pecs like this, we should've called him Arnold Schwarzen-egger.

View attachment 3431931

This is a stunning photo! Are you a photographer? Have you submitted it to POW?

 

[Shadrach]

Rain most of the day. The only good news is the ground is draining where it's been dug over properly.
Cleaned them out. Fed them. Sat with them for an hour. Henry went to roost early as did Carbon and Lima.
I left early and went round to supper at the eldests.

I've learnt a lot since I've been taking care of the allotment chickens. It's been interesting to see how they define safe territory and their altered behaviour when theoretically free to go where they will.
Fret is the most alert in the allotments. Henry isn't bad at watching, but he isn't that great at keeping the hens in a bunch. He does have a major problem with Lima; she does as she please but not in a bratty way. Henry is left with the choice of following Lima and bringing the other hens with him or going to get her. Most of the roosters I've known would be hackle flashing Lima by now as well as trying to herd her. I've seen Henry hackel flash quite a few times but he doesn't to Lima. He stands there keeping guard. Usaully the other hens wander over; usually Ella is left behind. Henry will go and find Ella and then stand watch there.
Harold from Tribe 2 had herding from the back down to a fine art and that is what I think Henry would need to learn if they were properly free ranged.
Carbon has gone from a rather miserable looking hen with poor feather growth and a reticent attitude to quite a confident and healthy looking hen.
Lima hasn't changed much in looks or attitude and neither has Ella. She reminds me of a combination of Barking Bracket and Dink from the tribes in Catalonia.

I've found keeping chickens in a coop and run environment more labour intensive than free ranging form dawn till dusk.I don't know if it's because everything was in such a bad state of repair, including the chickens, or if that is the way it is.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

This is a stunning photo! Are you a photographer? Have you submitted it to POW?

Thanks so much. I've somehow become a landscape and real estate photographer on the side of my day job, but portrait/wildlife has always been challenging and intimidating, so I sincerely appreciate kind words. I think we all know how hard won a good picture of a chicken is!

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

The temperature has dropped into the 30s.

Have a great day!

 

[Shadrach]

Wet falling downwards and yesterdays wet deposits going upwards in part due to the rise in temperature, 11C at one point. Damp.
Cleaned, fed and watered plus a few quiz games sitting on the roost bar out of the weather.
Fret did quite well in the quiz. One of the qestions was "what's the weather going to be like tomorrow?" Fret looked up, strained a bit and there was the answer on the floor.

We are all pissed off with the weather.

You can see one of the patches that feathers don't grow on lIma in the picture below.

Her head feathers will grow back given the chance.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Hi I love Henry reminds me of my sweet rooster I had to rehome! I miss him but I didn't have enough hens and since he was like ten pounds he was hurting them I got him his own coop but he wasn't happy by himself also he wasn't good with little kids but was sweet with me I miss him

 

[lightm]

Thanks so much. I've somehow become a landscape and real estate photographer on the side of my day job, but portrait/wildlife has always been challenging and intimidating, so I sincerely appreciate kind words. I think we all know how hard won a good picture of a chicken is!

If somebody put this photo up as part of their real estate profile, I'd buy that house right away.