Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Temperature is in the 60s.

Have a great day!

 

[Shadrach]

Wow. Reading this makes me realize how fortunate I've been. I've introduced new pullets (just two or three at a time) into my flock twice in the past year and had very little friction. I didn't even bother with the separate but visible part. I just would let the new pullets go to the coop first and get settled in. Then I'd keep my others busy until it was nearly dark before letting them in. Because the light was falling, they didn't even see or ignored the new ones, and in the morning, no big deal. The new ones would generally stay very close to the coop area the first two days, then slowly integrate themselves, getting a little closer to the general "hang out" area each day.

I attribute my luck with integrating new members to my senior hen Cleo. She's my rock. Totally bombproof, this hen. She has this nonchalant authority about her, total confidence, like she knows that she's the boss, so no need to bully. She gives a little peck here and there to put everyone in their place, but that's it. She tolerates everyone, but takes no shit. And I guess she sets the tone for everyone else to follow. I doubt I would have had it so good without her.

Cleo, the naked neck on the left, keeping everyone in line.
View attachment 3487472

A confident senior hen is the most important aspect when it comes to so many things involved with chickens. I've been lucky and had mostly great senior hens.
Sometimes I've had a few problems with second in commands and the more junior hens.

 

[Shadrach]

yes I do too, though I've not had problems with chicks joining, whoever brooded them. But I obviously didn't make it clear, this broody is sitting on fake eggs; I thought I might just let her go through the motions until she gives up, rather than speed it up by breaking her. Did you break broodies in Catalonia?

It seemed like every day at times. Every hen there went broody at least once a year; even the ones that had never laid an egg in their lives.

I've never done all that broody breaking stuff I read about using cages. I let them sit on their eggs for a few days to ensure the egg laying cycle switches off, confiscate the eggs, destroy/strip out the nest and with the overwhelmiing majority that does the job. They usually go and sit in the now empty nest site for a few hours and then give up and rejoin the tribe.
Fat Bird was one exception. I had to confine her to my house for a couple of days. Cold concrete floors help.

 

[Shadrach]

This suggests you believe in breed characteristics... didn't we have a discussion about that back near the beginning? Maybe time to revisit it now that you have so much more experience with rescue hens?

It's an incredibly complex debate. Just trying to split up what is genetic and what is due to keeping conditions and other outside influences is almost impossible.
There are some characteristics that could mistakenly be considered behavioural that are in fact knock ons from the birds physical charactersitics; flightiness, foraging ability for examples and these do infuence behaviour.

The subject is a tinderbox if dealt with at any depth on this forum because of the parallels one would have to make to clarify ones position.

 

[Shadrach]

is that white dead nettle (no sting) - lucky you! all the benefits of nettles with none of the pain!

Because it's his job silly

Got both types of nettles.

 

[Molpet]

If I take broodies eggs and strip the nest box, they just move to another spot.
I have had chickens stay broody for months if their eggs failed.

I had a turkey this week that I took her egg and moved her to a crate with her egg.. she had been laying eggs next to the fence where a predator could just reach in.. after a couple days I let her out and she went back to the old spot.... she had a walnut under her. I took her walnut , tore it up and later she was back in the crate.

 

[bruceha2000]

The bees are busy getting the sugar from the nettle flowers.
Anybody else pick these and suck the ends?

Hell no! Nettle is not welcome here and I don't touch any part of it without gloves.

Thanks for sharing that info about the hatchery. And I think you're right, if meat were more expensive, many people would decide to eat less of it.

My meat is more expensive because I buy it from the producers, not the mass market stuff from the grocery store. I still eat a lot of it, one needs to eat what their body wants.

I thought I might just let her go through the motions until she gives up, rather than speed it up by breaking her.

I once let a girl sit (no eggs) for 6 weeks. She didn't show any hint she was going to give up. Without a fertile egg to start developing they don't get off the nest to eat or drink after the first couple of days like a hen with viable eggs does. I took her outside twice a day so she could eat and drink.

I think they can tell when the development has started and they can take a short break a couple of times a day. No fertile egg, no development so no getting off the nest. The first thing these girls do when I put them in the buster is dive straight into the pellet food.

BTW, I've never had a rooster so no suggesting I let them hatch their eggs .... or the fake eggs or golf balls either

 

[TropicalChickies]

She's doing remarkably well considering. She's super fit generally by contained chicken standards and I'm hoping her drive will keep her going until she just drops dead one day.

That is the best way. I had another four year old named Cherie who was totally driven to brood chicks. She was the least amiable and most feral of my hens. I knew she was not well because she had been laying thin shelled and banded eggs for awhile. I tried giving her extra calcium but I think she had an infection setting in her reproductive system.

She hatched and mothered 2 chicks (from another hens eggs who wasn't broody) for about 12 weeks. She was finally content. A week after she stopped mothering them, she went back to laying weak eggs. Her abdomen and back end were feeling a bit jiggly. I was half-heartedly stalking her, trying to catch her to give her an antibiotic, but I was feeling in her resistance and running away that she really didn't want my "help". I even went to the coop at night to catch her but she was awake and watchful and caused a ruckus when I tried to catch her. The next morning, she came out of the coop, running for food, staggered two steps, flopped over and died. Happened in about four seconds. I was glad she didn't suffer and got her wish before she died.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Also good to keep in mind, thanks. I'm also more inclined towards "nature knows best" but in this case there's a possibility it could have just been bad timing for this chick.


When the hen --Tina -- went broody I really wanted to let her try to set some eggs because she's gone broody several times already and I didn't have any fertile eggs to let her set. But the only hen who was letting the inexperienced 4 mos old rooster mount her was another hen named Patucha. So I gathered up some of Patucha's eggs laid over a week or so that had a chance of being fertile -- but given the inexperience of the rooster, could be hit or miss. (I saved a few in case Patucha went broody so she could have some for herself. Patucha is sitting on those now). But I didn't mark them according to when they were laid. I was taking a chance and hoping the rooster had "hit" on at least a few.

I told this to my neighbor who has helped rear hundreds of chicks from broodies and she said it's possible that Tina wouldn't care for this chick because he hatched two whole days before any other eggs started pipping yet. And that hens can't do both at the same time -- sit and rear -- so Tina ignored the one chick for the sake of the three other eggs.

This neighbor is a tough old farm woman -- not a softie like me -- who eats or sells her hens after 2 laying seasons and wouldn't hesitate to toss a weak chick. She said this one seems perfectly fine so far, it was probably bad timing.

We'll see.

Two more eggs are pipped now, so I'm really curious to see what Tina does if they hatch.

Here's the little one today.
View attachment 3487200

Patucha and Tina with their little clutches.

View attachment 3487202

Ok folks, two more chicks are hatched! They are healthy and alert and Tina is caring for them.

My neighbor Maribel is going to bring the chick who hatched two days ago and we'll see if Tina accepts it. Maribel says the chick is still healthy, eating, drinking, and put-putting around. Hopefully, they will integrate smoothly!

 

[TropicalChickies]

A confident senior hen is the most important aspect when it comes to so many things involved with chickens. I've been lucky and had mostly great senior hens.
Sometimes I've had a few problems with second in commands and the more junior hens.

I think it also helps that the only time they spend in or around the coop is to sleep or lay eggs. I think having access to a big natural space with different areas (garden, orchard, around the house, etc) makes them less territorial. Just my theory