Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

It does.
I thought about a lantern battery but it would mean wires and something built in which to put it.

 

[BDutch]

Good Morning X Batts.
I was at the hospital in the morning yesterday.
Cleared since 1985, I have been cancer free.
View attachment 3456643

Great news! Congrats .

Thank you very much for your advice and taking the time to explain. I'll do all I can to have my partner take her to a vet but since he's working in the next three days and he has to take his mother to the hospital it won't be for a while. We have a safe place to put her in the wood shed now, it's just not on grass but on dirt. We could also separate her in the actual coop's run. But if I get the seriousness of it we should not let her in the dirt now to dustbathe.

We have checked all the hens and there is no other injury. We have also began filing Gaston's nail. They are not very long or pointed compared to the other roo, so I thing the weight was the main issue. We did only a little thinking to do it progressively, would it be better to do more and do it all at once ?

Edited to add that vets won't see chickens here unless they have a new company animals or an avian specialty, even for elementary care.

I really hope Piou-Piou is going to be okay.

Does it use four 1.5V batteries? You could use a single 6V lantern battery, they have a LOT more capacity than AAA, AA, C, D batteries.

Shadrach has a good point pont IMO. Why bother if the 4 AA batteries last over a year? They really do in my chicken guard. I thought it was enough work to get the chicken guard installed and have the time/lumen adjusted.

 

[bruceha2000]

I thought about a lantern battery but it would mean wires and something built in which to put it.

I guess I do have it easier than most with the coop being a converted stall in a barn. No weather and I just set the lantern batteries on the half wall that is the front of the coop.

Why bother if the 4 AA batteries last over a year? They really do in my chicken guard.

Sounds good to me! I bet lithium batteries would last for years.

 

[Molpet]

Shadrach has a good point pont IMO. Why bother if the 4 AA batteries last over a year? They really do in my chicken guard. I thought it was enough work to get the chicken guard installed and have the time/lumen adjusted.

How cold do you get? My weather station goes blank when it's 20 below f

 

[Sequel]

Congratulations on your educator badge @Shadrach!

 

[ManueB]

You know me. I expect the world to stop turning when it comes to chickens.
I would just get in there and get the job done in one hit. It's not a great job to be doing. The roosters usually act up. I've wrapped a couple in a towel when they've been very uncooperative.

It's not a big deal with Gaston. He doesn't have spurs yet so we only have to file his nails and he is so calm I can pick him up during the day while my partner files his nails.
If we do Théo's it will be very different. Do you do the spurs even if there is no sign of injury on the hens to prevent ? It feels a bit... not nice.
Yes, you were very lucky indeed in regard to the vet. Our clinic is a 1h30 at best, usually 1h45 drive. While I was calling around various vets yesterday, one that is much nearer, a 1h drive, said she will be having the NAC specialty in September that will allow her to see chickens, so it will make things a bit easier.

I really hope Piou-Piou is going to be okay.

Thank you for the kind thoughts. I have an appointment for her on wednesday only, it's in a long time, so I will take any good thoughts.

Congratulations on your educator badge @Shadrach!

Indeed, it is more than well deserved. So well in fact that I think they should have made an exception for Shadrach and given him the educator badge before the friend and spirit .

 

[Shadrach]

Congratulations on your educator badge @Shadrach!

Thank you very much. I've got to try and live up to it now.

 

[Shadrach]

Do you do the spurs even if there is no sign of injury on the hens to prevent ? It feels a bit... not nice.

I just round off the points and make sure there are no jagged bits along the length. Most of the roosters I've known fight. Also, despite what some may say I've not found roosters to be outstanding in protecting their hens; most just run for cover and I don't blame them. Their strength in tribe protection is their warning calls and their ability to herd the hens if they feel the situation is unsafe.
What I've found is if a hawk is the predator the rooster wont attack until the hawk is on top of the hen. That's a bit late. I believe they attack more on "what are you doing on top of one of my hens" than a desire to protect the hen. Whatever their motivation they seem to die a lot in the process.
The rooster is equiped to fight other roosters and their fighting/attack style bears this out. Their spurs are often useless for fighting something like a hawk.
What the hawk doesn't like is the rooster jumping up and down on it's back raking the feathers. Hawks, being a predator reliant on first strike disables don't seem to have the stomach for a one to one straight out fight. They don't eat if they get injured so not getting injured is quite a high priority for hawks.
Unfortunatey it's a completely different story when it comes to picking fights with other roosters. I've written this a few times, the roosters in Catalonia and on my Uncles farm fought every day. When 5 or 6 adult males will insist on having a face saving scrap every day, even though it's face saving fights they get injured and I certanly got pissed off with patching the nutters up.
Just filling the point off helps prevent a lot of the damage to other roosters and the hens and means one doesn't feel quite so guilty when one walks away and let them get on with it.

 

[sourland]

Thank you very much. I've got to try and live up to it now.

You have a natural talent. No need to 'try'.

 

[Shadrach]

Sunny and warm. C was at the allotments when I got there. I was later than I expected due to transport issues. Fret was shut in the coop trying to get out and Ella was outside trying to get in. Once the auto closer is working this not fixing the coop door so it doesn't slip down will no longer be a problem. I did get the backing plate for the door control unit fitted. I should have it working tomorrow.
Dust bath was the order of the day.

Ella got thrown out and consoled herself with a snack and a rest under bucket boys chair.