Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[MrsNorthie]

Sorry, just catching up on the post, I have made to page 48, but I went to collect some tax for @Shadrach. My fluffy butt tribe will be 21 weeks on Wednesday.

This is my boy Blue, he is now the dominant, and got his name because his comb was pretty battered as he was being bullied.

This is Fluffer-Nutter, she is actually one of sweetest hens.

This charming lad is Spud. He is 3rd on the rooster pecking ladder, but he is definitely the biggest mamma's boy. He always sits on the roost next to me and loves to have his picture taken. Spud patrols the perimeter always on guard duty or advanced lookout, While Blue and Goldie look after the girls.

This is Goldie, the Golden boy. He is Blue's second in command, he watches over the girls while Blue is eating. He is lighter buff and slightly smaller than the other 2 boys.

Spud, stepping into steal the spotlight from Blue, because he knows that we only want more pictures of him.

In order to keep the boys happy and spare stress to our ladies, we have 15 more hatchery hens growing up in the brooder in my office, and 15 more on the way in June, so there will be more hens for our roosters to each have their own harem.

After this, we will only be raising chicks hatched by our hens.

I really appreciate all of help that I got from your article Understanding your Rooster which I re-linked here in case anyone else would like to read it. It made all the difference in my relationship wit our dominant. I focus on treating him, and let him treat the hens. He now tells me where he wants the treats placed and I happily follow orders. He has mellowed out considerably (and he is still so young!) and I am looking forward to watching his gentlemanly nature developing as he matures.

 

[MrsNorthie]

There are supposed to be but nobody turns up.

People are routinely problematic, if they can get attention making them out to be virtuous and charitable, then they are all in, but since the BBC isn't doing a campaign for the battery, they can't be bothered. :-(

 

[MrsNorthie]

I was treated by a veterinarian once, believe it or not! But this was over 35 years ago, and maybe they weren't as strict about such things.

I was in Phoenix during the summer (hot) and was trying to adjust something in the engine compartment of my car, which had been running for hours, so the engine was really hot. I got my hand caught and couldn't get it out right away. I burned it, and knew I needed an ice pack NOW. There was a vet's office right across the street. I ran over there and they treated me for the burn and gave me an ice pack. They were nice about it and didn't even charge me for the materials, because they said they weren't really supposed to treat humans, but could not refuse to help me because if they were ever in the same position, they would want help. I didn't live in Phoenix at the time, or I would have used their services for my animals after that, because that is the type of people a person needs around them.

OK, now for tax. Here is Gabriel at 3 weeks, two days (first picture) and again a few weeks later.

View attachment 2916677

View attachment 2916679

Lovely babies! I do not miss Phoenix summers. Every thing is hot there, even hours after the sun has gone down.

 

[MrsNorthie]

Indeed. A lot of sentiment and gush. Not much in the way of information and knowledge.

Way tooo much sugar in their tea.

 

[Nomadicus]

Way tooo much sugar in their tea.

with Lemon too

 

[MrsNorthie]

We went that way because we didn't have a lot of money & they were cheap.

I can't meet an animal without getting attached. It is love at first sight every time. My heart breaks at the thought of what these poor chickens go through in these mass production situations.

 

[MrsNorthie]

She has calmed down a bit, but when she was a chick she would atack me, try to run from me and decides she is safe om my head, always screaming bluddy murder, annoing her sisters by thowing them of the roost. She does her name credit.View attachment 2920873
Jackass as my tax.

My profile pic, is a group of my girls all deciding to roost on me at once... all being silly. lol

 

[MrsNorthie]

So, here's a question for people to think about.

Was Mr Young right and battery hens are not proper chickens?
If he was right, given their breeding, the fact they are hatched in their millions in incubators, have never aquired the skills and knowledge that broody reared, free range chickens do, are never likely to reproduce naturally.
Could they ever learn how to be proper chickens, particulalry given they have such short life spans in which to learn given the opportunity?

Ours came from a hatchery, they were hatched in an incubator, 12 hours before being shipped and I played mother hen, but as soon as they were fully feathered, we had them outside and they were allowed to develop more natural chicken behaviour. All my hens are going super broody, and the boys get really hacked off when my husband goes to raid the eggs. I have insisted that if the hens are actually sitting tending the eggs, then we do not take those. I know this is going to throw my chicken math into overload, but it is nature.

There is a certain amount of natural instinct in animals, and I would think if the battery hens were released early enough and able to get healthy, they would adapt due to that natural instinct.

 

[MrsNorthie]

The most obvious things I've noticed about the Ex Batts is they don't seeem to know how to dust bath.
I've watched lots of broodies teach their chicks to bath so maybe this is learn't behaviour. Henry, Matilda,Volt and Amp and Cloud and Fret all dust bath when they can. The comets and links don't.
Amp dust bathing.
View attachment 2921418

When we created a spot for ours to dust bath, I noticed that they weren't going near it, so I started going over to it and just kind of playing in it with my hands and calling them over, now they created their own dust bath out side the coop with dirt and their wood shavings and they all like to have a good roll around in both. I am trying to learn to think like a mother hen. lol

 

[Nomadicus]

I have a few experimental mature CXR birds that dust bathe every chance they get. They are just over 7 months old instead of 7 weeks. 8 hens laid 7 eggs today. They free range and eat green. One even wanders off and tries to hide her eggs. If she goes broody she will get fake eggs and then some live chicks. She would break real eggs with all of her weight. They are the most lovable of all my hens.