Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[micstrachan]

I don't need to write any more about the weather do I.
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I could write a bit about C's cooking though and not just about the illegality of feeding kitchen scraps to chickens. A couple of things are quite apparent though, C can't cook rice and the chickens didn't like it either.
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After a wash out they were all pleased to have pellets and the tuna which didn't go anywhere near my kitchen.View attachment 3441637
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They didn't come out for more than a few minutes. We sat on the roost bar playing I spy for a bit and in a lull in the downpour I got them cleaned out while Henry stood on the ramp waiting for me to finish cleaning so he could go to roost.
Chickens on roost bars are an invitation for inspection. I do a crop and rear end check most evenings. Checking Fret's crop.
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Mite check for Henry.
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Almost forgot. A double rainbow when I was waiting at the bus stop.
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Wow, you can really tell what a BIG boy Henry is in the mite check photo with your hand for size reference.

 

[micstrachan]

I try to wear similar clothing, usually overalls and/or waterproofs. The allotment chickens are fairly imprevious to changes in my appearance but the tribes...
I was going out to watch some modern dance one evening and it ran very close to roost time. I got changed into going out clothes and went to check everyone was there. I walked up to Tribe 2 and they ran away.
I tried changing my hat one day from a bush hat to something with a wider brim; they ran away from that as well.
Some of it no doubt was my own doing by being dressed in the same stuff year in year out. I'm sure some people thought I never changed my clothes but the truth was I bought 3 or 4 of the same item.

Good work cloths are hard to find. Most of the weather resistant stuff is faishionable here in the UK. A lot of it doesn't in fact work. They leak, they rip easily, wrong pockets in the wrong places and of course, being fashionable the price trebles.

I’m always wearing different things, but my chickens definitely have favorites. They like my plush blue robe and my teal Señor Lopez style (that’s a brand, but I don’t know what else to call it) hoodie.

 

[micstrachan]

Three hours today. We went out under close supervision. You know what they're like.
Oh cool, someones been digging. Next it's "guys, come and check this out. We're okay here, the humans have been digging here."
Luckily they spend twenty minutes at the compost here, five minutes kick stuff around on my plot and then headed for their favourite bush. They all sunbathed. Even Henry got a wing out. I sat on the bench there for the next hour watching them soak up a few rays.

Henry took Lima and Carbon, I escorted Ella. Fret was fretting in one of the nest boxes.
Once everyone was back in the allotment run I hacked out the ground at the back of the coop.

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Fret was fretting!

 

[micstrachan]

We got 20 minutes out and then it pissed down for the duration. It was still raining when I got home. Chickens were dry. I was dripping and had a numb arse from sitting on the roost bar.
One of the people who lives in one of the houses that back onto the allotment stopped by for a chat. We've exchanged greetings a few times. It was interesting to hear yet another version of what has gone on here at the allotments. They said they were going to bring me out a cup of tea next time they see me out there in bad weather. Apparently all the houses on that stretch have seen what they call the chicken man.
I was hoping to get all the rubble and wood I've dug out from the side I've just finished out of the run today.
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Chicken man! Love it!

 

[micstrachan]

No rain! 8C with a moderate South Westerly.

People from the houses that back on to the allotment have back gates that lead directly onto the allotments. Some of these people use the allotment as a short cut to the housing development a bit further towards the river. Most of the people seem pretty decent. One house has a dog they take for a walk through the allotments and on to the lane that runs past the allotments. With the dog come children. They are rather a nice bunch. The young boy is a bit excitable but the rest and their friends are talkative and considerate. I have asked those who do use the allotment as a short cut to be mindful if they see the chickens are out.
This evening the children and the dog came by. The eldest was in control of the dog and put it on the lead as soon as they saw the chickens out and walked up the path, past where I and the chickens were. They stopped to saw hello. Unfortunately Henry had a raised bed behind him and his hens on seeing the dog slipped around the corner. Double unfortunate was the dog, who is elderly and not remotely interest in the chickens lurched forward in the direction of home and Henry went for it.View attachment 3453012
Fortunately I had seen Henry's body language and it was obvious he wasn't happy and I placed myself between Henry and the dog/children. I just got my leg out in time to block him. I have a nice rip in my waterproof trousers for my troubles.
Everybody learnt something except perhaps the dog. The children saw that Henry was a creature to be taken seriously; I showed them Henry's spurs after the excitement. The young boy know knows the difference between a hen and a rooster and knows roosters don't lay eggs.
I learnt a bit. I had assumed that given these people have had chickens a rock throw from their house for the past five years and through education they would know something about chickens. It seems not. What's odd is they do know a bit about cows and dogs.
I also saw for myself that Henry will attempt to protect his hens.
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Ya gotta love that Henry.

 

[Shadrach]

Dry and sunny but it got quite cold once the sun went down.
Social stuff yesterday evening so these picture are those I didn't post yesterday.

 

[BDutch]

Sunny with cold nights here too.

 

[bruceha2000]

Seriously unimpressed with the weather.

No doubt! But it is spring and rain is to be expected, no?
And time to spring for new waterproof pants!

Happy belated birthday

Bought a third light to add light up the coop in all areas all of the switch operated.

I'm curious why you put in corded work lights rather than permanent fixtures since you have wired outlets already.

I love this mill. It’s really a wonderful National trust.

It is beautiful, "typical" Dutch style that we don't see here.

Strange that so many English people drink so much that they don’t even remember parts of it the next day.

Agreed, I don't know how prevalent it really is but drinking to get drunk seems to be more common in England. I see no reason to do that. If you can't remember if you had fun, you didn't

Dog owners that tell me "oh don't worry, he's just afraid, or he just wants to play"

That "just afraid" is what you NEED to worry about. Dogs that are afraid are more likely to bite.

 

[Shadrach]

A lovely dry sunny day.
There were a couple of friendlies at the allotment who had no objections to the chickens wandering around. They are pretty good considering. They mostly stay at the top of the field and near me.

They do like this spot.

A first today. Henry let me check him over in daylight as he stood on the ground. He wasn't delighted by it but he put up with it. I half expected him to be a bit standoffish afterwards but he was fine; maybe even more relaxed than usual.

I captured Fret on the roost bar under the coop extension. She wasn't terribly happy about it. She's the least trusting of them all. I needed to do a daylight mite check and have a look at a bare patch at her rear end.
She wasn't standoffish after either. In fact, she jumped on to the roost bar and sat next to me.

The Chicken Guard door control unit arrived today. I wont get it fitted tomorrow because it's going to rain.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts and Shad good morning one and all!

@Shadrach Belated Happy Birthday.

Temperature is in the 70s.

Have a great day!