Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Nomadicus]

I can't get one of the new roos to drink. He has a large water container and I have not seen him show any interest in it. He did finally eat a scrambled egg. He spends a lot of time pacing with a threatening of raised hackles wanting a fight with anything that gets close to him. He made no threats againt me as I put water and food in with him though. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

The other boy lets me pick him up any time I try. He doesn't run away at all. I have to believe that he has been a pet and well handled. My wife says he looks like a chipmunk with those cheeky feathers of his.

 

[BDutch]

As you maybe know I’m on a summer vacation now. We had lousy wifi because a lightning damaged some cables. Therefore I missed some interaction of the past days.

Repair works on the camp site.

Today the wifi was fine and I got good and stupid news from our neighbour. The good news: No mites in the control rolls. Mite free for over a week now. It seems that I’ve conquered red mite infestation (which was not very bad but still an unpleasant nuisance).
The stupid news: Katrientje went back to the nestbox (stubborn broody).

The chicks are doing fine. A photo send to me by the neighbour:

 

[Shadrach]

He gives treats to the ladies throughout the day, but he chows down at mealtime. He especially loves the cooked mash I make with rice, barley, quinoa, oatmeal, peas, flax, grated turmeric and black pepper. (Black pepper increases the curcumin uptake from the turmeric -- which is the antioxidant and anti inflammatory compound). I've read some solid studies about the benefits of turmeric for chickens, and we grow a lot of it here on the farm, so it's an easy add to their feed.

https://symbiosisonlinepublishing.com/poultry-fisheries-science/poultry-fisheries-science09.php

https://www.hobbyfarms.com/is-turmeric-good-for-chickens-3/


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Fresh turmeric root har

He doesn't get an credit points by offering normal feed to the hens. It became a small eating problem at one point years ago when I couldn't get commercial feed. Just about everything I fed them was established as treat/supper food. The males stood back and let the hens eat and for a short period of time the males got well below what they needed.

 

[Sally PB]

I don't know how much longer all five will fit on my lap. Or if they will ever crowd on together again.

Top row, left to right:
Pip, Sunny, Robin
Bottom row, left to right:
Squeaky, Button

Robin has rarely ever gotten on my lap. She'll sit on the log nearby instead.

 

[Shadrach]

thanks for that very informative post I got from the paper you linked that it improves the yolk index (as to be expected), but just out of curiosity, does it also come through in the poop colour? We only get the dry powder here and that stains everything it touches.

Also, do your chooks like black pepper? I haven't tried it with mine. I have tried brown mustard seeds, which are really nutritious, but my lot don't like them.

If you put them in a mash would they still eat the mash?
It's one of the great things about feeding a mash to chickens. The ability to adjust their diet is so much easier.

 

[fuzzi]

That's with a Sony a7iii with a 100-400mm lens. I got a base-level Sony mirrorless camera body 10 years ago, felt like it was easy to use, so have stuck with that system ever since.

Tax is a sneaky shot of Speckled Sussex snuggling at nap time, and one of Andre serenading run bunny Lefty Randy (that lens is great for candid chicken pics).

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I love my Sony a58.

 

[Shadrach]

On the subject of mash.
This isn't quite as relevant to people who range and free range their chickens but it is to those who keep their chickens mainly confined. Commercial crumble goes to mush more than mash. The chcikens gizzard needs some larger hard particles to maintain it's strength so feeding whole grains or similar as well becomes important. It's not about the grit; it's about the grit having something to work on.

 

[Perris]

On the subject of mash.
This isn't quite as relevant to people who range and free range their chickens but it is to those who keep their chickens mainly confined. Commercial crumble goes to mush more than mash. The chcikens gizzard needs some larger hard particles to maintain it's strength so feeding whole grains or similar as well becomes important. It's not about the grit; it's about the grit having something to work on.

That is an often overlooked point.

 

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours today. Around 15C with strong gusts of wind and storm squalls. We did get out despite the weather.
I invested in some kit with winter in mind; heavy weight merino wool base layers and I wore one of the tops today. I do have other thermal kit but it's getting old and isn't as comfortable as it once was. I must write, I'm impressed. I happily sat out in the wind and rain with just the top and my rain jacket and felt reasonably warm. Well worth the money.

SSome very wet clouds in that lot.

On the bus home.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I love my Sony a58.

That had more under the hood than my first Sony, but I wanted the small body of the mirrorless...not realizing that hefty lenses would kaibash the camera's portability.

I like Sony a lot, but ultimately the best camera is the one you like toting around. Case in point, if my iPhone runs out of memory, it will be due to the chicken photos.

More tax for camera talk: an iPhone snap of Lil Nugs (DH always gets to name one ), since I know you're a fan of the Speckled Sussex, @fuzzi . Those speckles are so photogenic.