Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[LTAY1946]

It looks like picture taking weather tomorrow and I have a few roosters that need to be shot.. With a camera that is. And some otherwise.

 

[Shadrach]

Three hours today. Everything looks better for yesterdays rain. Still need more.
I didn't get much done. Too busy chatting to my favourite Russians, mainly about what we are going to do about the neglected fruit bush patch and the finer points of the five types of garlic they planted. I dunno. What have I come to?
Hnery, Fret and Carbon came out and made absolutely sure they hadn't missed any of the low hanging berries, then went and dug around in the unkempt patch on the other side of the fruit bushes. I fed them tea, cleaned out the coop, fed them supper a couple of hours later, after which Henry headed for the coop roost bar with Fret following. The large back door was still open but they settled down napping more than ready for a nights sleep as I went about shifting more stones out of the run and doing a bit of weeding around the edge of my plot.
They seem to like their coop as well as the extension. Carbon stayed out with me for an extra twenty minutes or so.
Todays poop check suggests they're becoming used to the mash rather than pellets. It was all a bit runny at one point but looked a lot more solid today.

I've run into a problem with both places I've expressed an interest in taking Ex Battery hens from. They don't have any, or rather they have hens still from the last rescue and the organisers have been rather cagey about exactly when that was. I want hens straight from the battery, not hens that have spent time in an environment I know nothing about and have little trust in. While hens straight from the battery may look dreadfull, maybe even dying, they are very unlikely to have the diseases that most other options risk.

On the other hand, I've been offered a pair of Crested Cream Legbar pullets from someone I do know something about and have seen at some detail the keeping conditions.

Carbon is in there somewhere.

 

[pennyJo1960]

So two new cream legbars to the tribe?

 

[Shadrach]

So two new cream legbars to the tribe?

I'm thinking about it Penny.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Good to have neighbours who will help out with that sort of stuff. A dying thing in many parts I feel.

In our neck of the forest, you're a pariah if you don't help you neighbor move his truck stuck in the mud or clear a tree from the road. The social rule is "next time, that could be me." Helping a neighbor pretty much guarantees you will be helped when it's your turn to need it.

 

[TropicalChickies]

I brought home the Silky rooster to breed to our Silky hens but neither of our Silky hens wanted anything to do with him.

"Opposites attract" seems to be more the case in this clan. But then again, since they are all farmyard mixes, maybe they see genetic traits that aren't as obvious as color or comb type.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Thanks, I'll do more reading. I know I read somewhere that ovarian cancer was something hens and women suffered from, but it wasn't a peer reviewed science paper, more like a blog. I'll look more into it.

Pretty sure horses get ovarian cancer too. I'm not an expert though.

Taxes

View attachment 3567288

 

[TropicalChickies]

I love them, we have a multi-generational family of barn swallows that nest in our shed, we ended up putting an old couch with extra cushioning under the nest because we had some babies fall out, too early to be learning to fly and we have managed to save a few and return them to their nest using a really tall ladder and gloves or a net so they don't smell like they have had too much human interference. Since we have brought in the chickens, all the area wild birds seem to be friendlier with us. Elvis Duck was practically knocking on the front door this morning, requesting breakfast. LOL

Elvis. What a great name for a duck.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Although that is not exactly what I thought of as chicken's environment I'm glad to see he's making some progress. Maria doesn't seem so interested however .
The 2008 device seems to work fine !

It's always so good to see the sick ones making improvements. Hope it continues.

 

[TropicalChickies]

In general, no they are not. Again there are exceptions often depending on the keeping circumstances. Cillin wanted to join Tribe one because it was obvious he fancied Ruffles and it was obvious. However, Fat Bird ran Tribe1, with or without a rooster so Cillin had to court Fat Bird as well. Very funny it was to. Fat Bird was not an easy hen to impress. I almost jumped up and down with delight the first time I saw Fat Bird groom Cillin.

Maybe the age of the rooster has something to do with it as well. Lucio is still technically a cockerel (he's about 9 mo old) so perhaps not very nuanced in his "tastes" yet.

Probably thinking more like Beastie Boys classic:

Girls.
All I really want is girls
And in the morning it's girls
'Cause in the evening it's girls
Girls, to do the dishes
Girls, to clean up my room
Girls, to do the laundry
Girls, and in the bathroom
Girls.
That's all I really want is girls.

She still loves you, buddy. Just give her some time...