Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

Eve (my Norfolk Grey) has a fairly impressive one too, but just the one

I've never read anything about why hens sometimes have one or two well developed spurs; anybody know?

 

[Molpet]

Mary the Australorp hen has longer spurs than he does.

View attachment 3514496

Yes I had a barred rock that had long spurs . I didn't notice at first until they were about a half inch away from curving into her leg. Fortunately she was a brooder baby so tamer than the broody babies.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Don't interfere at all. We (humans) do not understand enough about chicken politics and chicken behaviour in general to make the right decisions.

Soooo... Yeah. I think I'm just gonna stop reading all of these other posts about killer roosters and how to build airlocked fortresses to separate broody hens and "look don't touch" etc. Like you said, in a coop/run situation, methods will differ. But reading these alarmist posts is clouding my natural inclination to believe that, given space and a modicum of good sense on my part, the chickens will work it out.

Yesterday, Tina and her brood came out to range as usual and I put Patucha and Solo in a mobile enclosure under the plant nursery roof (it was drizzling). At about 10 am I noticed that one of Tina's chicks was limping a bit. The terrain is really uneven here, there's lots of drainage trenches the chicks have to jump and tree trunks on the ground etc, so I've seen this before. Always with a day or two of more restricted movement, the chick has recovered. Mama has been taking them all over the place every day -- even into the forest, so a little break for them is fine.

So I switched things up and put Tina's three chicks in the enclosure and give Patucha a chance to parade 12 day old Solo around for the first time.

But I left Tina outside the enclosure. To see what would happen between the two moms if they were both unconstrained at the same time.

What happened? Absolutely nothing. Patucha took Solo over the nursery and the two moms and the all the chicks spent the whole day in the same area, staying dry, digging in the leaves and having a grand old time. By the end of the day, the slightly injured chick was putting weight on both feet again. I let Tina's chicks out of the enclosure and they all walked back to the coop for the night together.

Tina on the right of her three chicks inside the wire. Patucha and Solo a few feet away in the back.

This morning Lucio was hovering around little Solo. Patucha clucked and puffed, but I'm pretty sure Solo got imprinted.

Little Solo, stretching his legs outside.

A good day. And Frida, the new pullet, is now friends with Cleo and Dusty.

Cleo, Dusty, and Frida, chilling together.

 

[Perris]

reading these alarmist posts is clouding my natural inclination to believe that, given space and a modicum of good sense on my part, the chickens will work it out.

it is extraordinary what an effect the few who shout 'There be dragons!' have on everyone's sensibilities. And the really ironic thing is, when challenged, they usually admit to not having been there or done that!

I might add it's the same with feeding as brooding. People who know diddly squat about nutrition fear anything not readymade. Commerce has them in a full nelson.

 

[Nomadicus]

it is extraordinary what an effect the few who shout 'There be dragons!' have on everyone's sensibilities. And the really ironic thing is, when challenged, they usually admit to not having been there or done that!

I might add it's the same with feeding as brooding. People who know diddly squat about nutrition fear anything not readymade. Commerce has them in a full nelson.

Don't get me started. Had they seen what our ancestors got by with during the Great Depression they might be educated. Where I was raised people fed chickens table scraps and a little corn to survive and they ate poke weeds for greens and boiled catfish for meat. Boiled unless someone close butchered a hog and they got a pound of lard then it was fried catfish from a strip mine pond. Now it's designer organic whatever. Really It's off the deep end.

Foot note: And back the there weren't many leftovers.

 

[TropicalChickies]

it is extraordinary what an effect the few who shout 'There be dragons!' have on everyone's sensibilities. And the really ironic thing is, when challenged, they usually admit to not having been there or done that!

I might add it's the same with feeding as brooding. People who know diddly squat about nutrition fear anything not readymade. Commerce has them in a full nelson.

Yes, I saw you posted something interesting looking in that forum. I'll tuck into it later

 

[pennyJo1960]

Good morning X Batts. I was trained as a veterinary, that said I gave up my license
about 10 years ago. I still do not use more than a blue coat.
I do keep a bottle of Corid used 1 time in 10 years.
I do trust a rooster to care for my flock.

 

[RoyalChick]

Commerce has them in a full nelson.

Good phrase that!

Tax - Babs who has been diligently eating the Artemisia is finally making some progress clearing an area.

 

[Shadrach]

it is extraordinary what an effect the few who shout 'There be dragons!' have on everyone's sensibilities. And the really ironic thing is, when challenged, they usually admit to not having been there or done that!

I might add it's the same with feeding as brooding. People who know diddly squat about nutrition fear anything not readymade. Commerce has them in a full nelson.

It's one of the reasons I like to see pictures of peoples chickens in their"natural" surroundings. It gives everyone a chance to assess the quality of the advice/opinons that person may provide. Some things you can learn from books; other things one has to do.

It also makes explaining some things like the imprinting (I'm still furious that Perris dug up a better picture than mine) a lot easier if one can show a picture of it happening.

 

[Shadrach]

Don't get me started. Had they seen what our ancestors got by with during the Great Depression they might be educated. Where I was raised people fed chickens table scraps and a little corn to survive and they ate poke weeds for greens and boiled catfish for meat. Boiled unless someone close butchered a hog and they got a pound of lard then it was fried catfish from a strip mine pond. Now it's designer organic whatever. Really It's off the deep end.

Foot note: And back the there weren't many leftovers.

How I miss the good old days but I'm so glad they are gone.