Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[janiedoe]

What Molpet has written below.
I think if I wasn't there the hens while perhaps not going immediately to roost would stay close to the coop. They stay fairly clos when I'm there anyway. Funnily enough tonight Carbon saw the rat again and had a bit of a rant at it and Henry came back out of the coop to investigate.
Henry finds getting on to the coop extension roost bar difficult. For some reason he is reluctant to fly up directly from the ground. Instead he climbs the coop door ladder and makes a rather untidy jump onto the roost bar. I'm going to try to make it easier for him but I'm not sure how yet. There is enough room to jump. There was less room on the outside bar at the old coop and he made that. But, there was a box thing below the bar and he did use that to make the climb.

Maybe Henry's vision is failing? Lucy, my oldest hen (she's a out 8 now) started roosting earlier, and earlier. After a while, I realized she wasn't seeing so well any longer. I think now, about 2 years later, that she is almost completely blind. She lately does this head bobbing thing before she jumps onto the roost. The others lead her to the waterer and feeders. Her rooster, who is her grandson, rounds her up and keeps her close to him. It's sad because she was the top hen for most of her life. No one is mean to her, but she has lost her status.

 

[Shadrach]

Maybe Henry's vision is failing? Lucy, my oldest hen (she's a out 8 now) started roosting earlier, and earlier. After a while, I realized she wasn't seeing so well any longer. I think now, about 2 years later, that she is almost completely blind. She lately does this head bobbing thing before she jumps onto the roost. The others lead her to the waterer and feeders. Her rooster, who is her grandson, rounds her up and keeps her close to him. It's sad because she was the top hen for most of her life. No one is mean to her, but she has lost her status.

It's certainly a possiblilty and I'll bear this in mind. He can still pick a sunflower seed out of my clenched fist and spot the kite that flies over from time to time.
Perhaps his low light vision isn't as good as it was. What is apparent is he isn't as agile as he was.

Isn't it amazing how a tribe takes care of it's injured and elderly. I didn't realise you had a multi generation group. Do post a few pictures if you get the opportunity.

 

[no fly zone]

Is Mr Bumble his father and who's his mom?

Mr. Bumble and Sky are his parents

 

[janiedoe]

It's certainly a possiblilty and I'll bear this in mind. He can still pick a sunflower seed out of my clenched fist and spot the kite that flies over from time to time.
Perhaps his low light vision isn't as good as it was. What is apparent is he isn't as agile as he was.

Isn't it amazing how a tribe takes care of it's injured and elderly. I didn't realise you had a multi generation group. Do post a few pictures if you get the opportunity.

It's like a soap opera here. Everybody is related to somebody.
Here is a sample:

 

[Shadrach]

It's like a soap opera here. Everybody is related to somebody.
Here is a sample:
View attachment 3472879

I bet Lil Beth was surprised when her son grew up.
Do you know how much he weighs?
What happened to Lucy's beak?

 

[janiedoe]

I bet Lil Beth was surprised when her son grew up.
Do you know how much he weighs?
What happened to Lucy's beak?

Goliath weighs 12lbs. Doris weighed 12lbs also, but Goliath is taller. Lil' Beth is my second largest hen, she weighs 9.5lbs.
I lost Doris last summer. He died during our long stretch of 100+ (f) days and drought.
It was a tough loss for me and the hens. He was an wonderful rooster. Goliath has turned out to be the same. He is 2 years old now.
Lucy was grown when I got her, along with 5 other hens. They were all like that, so I'm guessing they were "trimmed" at a hatchery. The guy I bought them from wasn't very knowledgeable about them. He bought them and resold them.

 

[janiedoe]

Doris was from Lucy's first hatch here. He had one brother, who hatched with him, from another mother. Magpie is a good rooster. He lives with one of my friends now, because he and Doris stopped getting along. I have one of his daughters (with Lucy) still. She is around 4 years old now.

 

[Shadrach]

Coop moving day for the new coop is now within sight. My main man who recently had both wrists slashed for carpal tunnel syndrome is almost fully mended. Between him, myself, my eldest and one other the move should be quick and without damage to the bottom section.
I can then put down the nail bars and skirt, fit the door and that should keep everything out bar a pack of dogs. We'll have two lines of defense. The run fence which while a bit of a mess still works surprisingly well and at night the coop and extension which should be pretty difficult to get into.
I'm starting on the nail bars later this week at my eldests.

I'm consdering using the auto door I bought off ebay on the coop extension door when it's fitted. That will kill two rats with one lead shot so to speak.
The rats won't be able to get at the food unless the breach the skirt and nail bars assuming the auto door works okay.

Considering just about anything could have just walked through the run fence a few months ago and then climbed into the old coop as the door was never shut and the run didn't have a door this will be a massive security increase with benefits. As long as the pop door on the coop opens the chickens can get out of the coop and into the coop extension. While not ideal it will provide as much room as many of the almost ten square feet per bird in the run recommendation for what that's worth.

 

[Shadrach]

Goliath weighs 12lbs. Doris weighed 12lbs also, but Goliath is taller. Lil' Beth is my second largest hen, she weighs 9.5lbs.
I lost Doris last summer. He died during our long stretch of 100+ (f) days and drought.
It was a tough loss for me and the hens. He was an wonderful rooster. Goliath has turned out to be the same. He is 2 years old now.
Lucy was grown when I got her, along with 5 other hens. They were all like that, so I'm guessing they were "trimmed" at a hatchery. The guy I bought them from wasn't very knowledgeable about them. He bought them and resold them.

That's almost a kilo (2.2lbs) more than Henry. He does look bigger, Majors sort of size who weighed 5.1Kilo but for some reason doesn't look as big as Henry.
It's a universal pain when the family falls out. I had to build a new coop when Treacle threw his dad Cillin out.

There are more multi generation chicken keepers on BYC than the more vocal would suggest. Years ago when I read the forums but hadn't joined there seemed to be more still. There are a few that knew their chicken stuff that don't post any more which I think is a terrible shame but there you go.

Love the pictures and the stories.

 

[janiedoe]

Coop moving day for the new coop is now within sight. My main man who recently had both wrists slashed for carpal tunnel syndrome is almost fully mended. Between him, myself, my eldest and one other the move should be quick and without damage to the bottom section.
I can then put down the nail bars and skirt, fit the door and that should keep everything out bar a pack of dogs. We'll have two lines of defense. The run fence which while a bit of a mess still works surprisingly well and at night the coop and extension which should be pretty difficult to get into.
I'm starting on the nail bars later this week at my eldests.

I'm consdering using the auto door I bought off ebay on the coop extension door when it's fitted. That will kill two rats with one lead shot so to speak.
The rats won't be able to get at the food unless the breach the skirt and nail bars assuming the auto door works okay.

Considering just about anything could have just walked through the run fence a few months ago and then climbed into the old coop as the door was never shut and the run didn't have a door this will be a massive security increase with benefits. As long as the pop door on the coop opens the chickens can get out of the coop and into the coop extension. While not ideal it will provide as much room as many of the almost ten square feet per bird in the run recommendation for what that's worth.

It must be really hard being so far away from them, when you know there are predators around. I'm sure all this work will bring you peace of mind.
You're doing a great job with Henry's flock!