Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[TropicalChickies]

W

11am to 8pm. Dropped in to my eldest for a quick cup of tea around 3pm.
Lovely day. Warm at 20C and dry all day.
Fret is spending more time out on the allotments with the chicks. Under my chair is now officially a safe space and that is where she takes the chicks for a nap.
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The allotment run is for morning foraging. There is a small lime green catapillar that I've not noticed before that is quite plentifull at the moment. These warrant lots of I've founf food clucks and the chicks grab one and run off with it to tackle it in peace. Most days there are small wood lice to be found under the bags of grit by the fence. I move the bags daily now so the chicks can get at them. So many very small bugs in the rotting vegitation that have become accessable now I've weeded the area. I have no idea what they are. Henry sits where you see him in this picture and watches.
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On my plot. I've started to dig up the potatoes.
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Going to roost went a lot better this evening. I just had to guide the chicks to the ramp and they started to climb, albeit a bit unsteadily. Fret jumped up ahead and the chicks made the climb and into the coop without further encouragement.View attachment 3616849

Well, this all a very wonderful outcome!

 

[Perris]

is life actually more difficult for a lone chick or does it completely depend on other factors ?

my experience of lone chicks is limited to the single recent case of Fez, who just turned 12 weeks old, who was weaned gradually over the last few weeks by her broody simply failing to answer her cheeps, and who has been integrated from the beginning. Maybe because there was only one chick, her broody stayed with the flock most of the time and didn't self-segregate like all the others have done? Anyway Fez appears to have done fine as a solo. Yes she's low on the pecking order, but she's still present and eats with the other hens, ahead of Amadeo and Fforest, and doesn't need protection like Chirk currently. She does not appear to be an independent hen in the making.

 

[Shadrach]

I started trying to identify the fauna visible in the soil-litter interface layer here, and gave up when I discovered how little is known of this complex world of tiny organisms. Good overview for the beginner on wikipedia as usual: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_biology

and this is pretty good for IDing the larger species here in their adult form
https://www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates

I even managed a photo of what I think is a swollen-thighed beetle, the female of which lacks the characteristic swollen thighs, or maybe it's something else entirely!
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Watching Fret show the chicks what's edible and what isn't has got me wondering. In the patch I've cleared of nettles and weeds is a mass of rotting vegitation. Listening to Fret making I've found food calls is almost a continuous sound; she digs, she calls, she digs again she calls. The is apparently a feast down there and the chicks are constantly eating while Fret forages.
So why aren't the adults eating all these bugs? Carbon and Henry will wander over from time to time and eat a few bugs and wander off. If I call them for some grain, they're over like a shot.
Are all these little bugs and roots too small for them to bother with. Too much like hard work to make it worthwhile perhaps.
Lima would forage in cleared patches and she found a lot to eat and looked much like Fret feeding her chicks regarding effort.
Some of the bugs are less than 0.5 millimeters in length. Root shoots close to the trees are also very small. Every now and then I see one of the chicks dart away with something too large to just peck and swallow but the majority of what Fret finds for them are peck and swallow size.

 

[Shadrach]

but will your chicken plans include what happens if you need to be absent for a day or two, or longer ?

Yes.

You must be totally entranced by seeing Fret raising her chicks.

Not really. Yes it's lovely to watch unless you know what's going on and what happens next. It's interesting. I've seen an awful lot of broodies and an awful lot of chicks.
Chicks aren't really my thing much like human babies are not my thing. What I find far more interesting is watching Fret as a mother.

Did you or will you get your daughter to come have a look at them ?

They both have plus a few more.

Would that make it more difficult for the chicks to hatch ? And the second question is more asking for your different opinions : what is the minimum reasonable number of eggs to leave under a hen if you don't want to have only one chick, and is life actually more difficult for a lone chick or does it completely depend on other factors ?

People do say irregular eggs are likely to have more hatching problems than perfect eggs. I can't say I've noticed.

Six eggs is what I settled on a s a good number.
One chick has worked fine for the hens I've known in the past.

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks for sharing these stories. I have a feeling I'm going to be in a similar boat watching Lucio (the older dominant) start to realize that the growing cockerels are going to be roosters someday. For now, he's not even having to chase -- they make way when he approaches, but wondering how much longer that will last...

Tomorrow I'm going to start clearing the spot up at our neighbors place for a new coop for one of the cockerels and some pullets. It's a kilometer away separated by a lot of tree cover.

The other side effect I'm not thrilled about is that Lucio seems to have decided that anything that moves on two legs is a hen he wants to a. Try to mate and b. Woo -- in that order. Including me.

Perhaps the more experienced folks can help me interpret this behavior correctly. Twice now in the past week, he's charged at me as I was casually strolling in between the kitchen building and the nursery. This is established "human territory" -- it's where we live ffs. He wasn't shuffling or side-stepping or kicking out one foot -- he was coming straight for me. But not flying with spurs out -- just a head on charge, which I must admit, is quite formidable-looking.

If I recall from @Shadrach article, that's not a herding behavior, or an attack, it's a mating charge, correct?

His next action seems to say so. When I heard him running up behind me, I faced him squarely, planted my feet, and said "Back off" -- which is just what popped out of my mouth. I have a pretty commanding and low voice from years of teaching large groups of people, and both times he stopped abruptly, turned to the side to show me his handsome profile, and puffed out his chest. I stayed where I was and repeated "Back off." Then he starts pulling out little plants and seeds from the ground and offering them to me. Er, thanks but no thanks.

I stood my ground and acted unimpressed. I really wanted to walk away but could sense he would try the charge again. So I stayed put, pretending to ignore him. I was wearing boots but not gloves and did not want to have to try to grab or sweep him.

After what felt like a long time, but was probably fifteen seconds, he moved away.

So for a rooster newbie, I feel like I did ok. The first encounter was 3 or 4 days ago, and this morning was the other. Both times, it's been in the morning when I know his testosterone is up.

So my questions are, I avoided an escalation, but did I interpret and handle this correctly?

Is there anything else I can do to show him "I'm not your concubine"?

Thank you in advance.

It seems like it's a mating charge from your description. Ignore it. He'll grow out of it.
If he runs at you from a distance, wings outstretched and head down and pulls up a couple of feet from you, then he's just happy to see you. DON'T Crouch!

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I’m pretty sure you’ve thought of it in regard to your, and the allotment's chicken's previous experiences, and maybe it's too far ahead, and maybe i’m particularly not the right person to make that kind of comment , but will your chicken plans include what happens if you need to be absent for a day or two, or longer ? It's not the same to ask someone to come look over for one group of five to eight chickens in one coop, and two groups in two different coops to clean with possibly two males who don't get along and can't be let out at the same time.

You must be totally entranced by seeing Fret raising her chicks. Did you or will you get your daughter to come have a look at them ?

I have a chicken math question for the hatching experts. I have enough chickens so let's say it's purely informative. There is a bantam in my flock that I would love to have chicks from. She is at least six years old and she only lays in summer, clutches of maybe five eggs set two days apart from one another. First question is that her eggs, on top of being very tiny, are now very elongated, though the shell quality is still good. Would that make it more difficult for the chicks to hatch ? And the second question is more asking for your different opinions : what is the minimum reasonable number of eggs to leave under a hen if you don't want to have only one chick, and is life actually more difficult for a lone chick or does it completely depend on other factors ?

Chipie
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Chipie's egg
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Compared to one of my standard's smaller egg.
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The egg shape isn't a problem to my eyes at least. I'd say 6-8 of her own eggs would be fine. Less if you're adding standard size eggs at the same time. I've had two single-chick hatches. It wasn't a problem although it worked out that I had both single hatches only a couple of weeks apart so the chicks had company once they were weaned. I'm unsure how it would play out if the one chick was left on the outskirts of the flock after mama was finished.

 

[Shadrach]

"Comment"
The things you can read in my Understanding Your Rooster article are accurate under the keeping circumstances I describe. They are based on a lot of events with different hens and roosters over a number of years.
There have been and probably always will be those who write "but my rooster did it different."
My first thoughts are well did he, or have you missed out an important piece of iformation, or misread an event. People often neglect to write their immediate responses to such situations which of course is an added event and then one is looking at the wrong event and consequently the wrong conclusion.

For example, I had a pm once about the mating charge and according to the person the rooster attacked them. It took some effort to dig out the important inforamation from this person and the bit they didn't write initially was when the rooster did the charge they were scared and stepped towards the rooster and tried to kick him. He went for them. Hardly surprising.

I've had similar with the rooster dance. Yes it does happen that when a rooster does the herding shuffle he and the hen mate because some hens, especially younger hens will crouch at almost any attention from a rooster. However, one has to consider all the times a rooster has done the "dance" and no mating happened. Unfortunately people are not very good at long term observation and what they may see once then becomes what happens.

In my experience roosters have long memories and are less tolerant of mistreatment than say a dog. No rooster I've known has ever seen himself as subservient to a human. They are in my experience proud creatures who expect some respect. This doesn't sit well with many people who are used to beating in whatever sense, other creatures into submission. You can read the attitude every day here on BYC unfortunately.

I've written this many times and it's something that needs to be understood.
Roosters are not male hens.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

"Comment"
The things you can read in my Understanding Your Rooster article are accurate under the keeping circumstances I describe. They are based on a lot of events with different hens and roosters over a number of years.
There have been and probably always will be those who write "but my rooster did it different."
My first thoughts are well did he, or have you missed out an important piece of iformation, or misread an event. People often neglect to write their immediate responses to such situations which of course is an added event and then one is looking at the wrong event and consequently the wrong conclusion.

For example, I had a pm once about the mating charge and according to the person the rooster attacked them. It took some effort to dig out the important inforamation from this person and the bit they didn't write initially was when the rooster did the charge they were scared and stepped towards the rooster and tried to kick him. He went for them. Hardly surprising.

I've had similar with the rooster dance. Yes it does happen that when a rooster does the herding shuffle he and the hen mate because some hens, especially younger hens will crouch at almost any attention from a rooster. However, one has to consider all the times a rooster has done the "dance" and no mating happened. Unfortunately people are not very good at long term observation and what they may see once then becomes what happens.

In my experience roosters have long memories and are less tolerant of mistreatment than say a dog. No rooster I've known has ever seen himself as subservient to a human. They are in my experience proud creatures who expect some respect. This doesn't sit well with many people who are used to beating in whatever sense, other creatures into submission. You can read the attitude every day here on BYC unfortunately.

I've written this many times and it's something that needs to be understood.
Roosters are not male hens.

Roosters are not male hens!
Perfectly stated.
I have over 25 years of experience with horses, in many capacities, and I can train horses and rehabilitate many 'lost' causes. I have handled and ridden stallions but I have not owned one. Even with this wealth of experience I would hesitate to say I have enough capacity to safely own a stallion. Stallions are not mares or geldings.
The exact same is true of roosters, although I certainly am comfortable with my capacity to keep roosters. I feel like people do (in most instances, people do seem to be getting stupider) understand that a bull or a stallion is inherently more 'dangerous' than a cow or a mare. They don't seem to carry this understanding and respect to roosters.

I ensure at all times to preserve my relationship with my rooster, and to carefully attend to my relationship with my cockerels so I am aware of when the shift occurs from 'little man' to 'big man'. I do expect all my flock to make way for me under normal circumstances (feed time, coop checks, wheelbarrow transiting), but I certainly have made way for my rooster when he is busy attending to his job as hen manager. I'll not interfere in his business.

 

[Shadrach]

11.30am to 8pm. Warm today at 24C. It stayed dry.

There is such a thing as too much help. I had to stop digging.

This is a shot through the fence after I had closed the back in the coop run when I went for tea at my eldests. They all went under the shade shelter.

For those who do the adorable little fluffy butts thing.

They are already starting to fight.

I get tired just watching Fret. Those who have followed the thread from the start may remember that nervous odd little hen who was convinced the sky was going to fall any moment and just had to roost next to Henry for comfort. What I see now is a confident hen who walks with a much more stately bearing, confident that she is doing what she knows about and making a good job of it. The transformation is stunning.

Her reaction to me has completely changed. If I piss her off she'll give me a warning peck. On the other hand I can reach down and pick her up without any fuss. She has taught the chicks that I am part of the group but not a chicken it seems. The chicks are fine around me but they will not allow me to pick them up easily during the day. For the past few days they been different at roost time and compared to some chicks I've known, have been easy to pick up and put on the coop ramp and Frets reaction to this has been calm and cooperative.
I'm pleased to write both chicks made their own way up the ramp this evening. I heard Fret do the bedtime routine a couple of times and when I thought it was getting too dark to continue, went to help only to find Fret and chicks settled in the corner of the coop. Fret looked a bit hot and bothered but pleased with the result. I gave her some water by offering the green water holder you can see in some of the pictures which she drank out of until she stopped panting.

Henry has been pulling down the lower branches on the fruit bushes for both Carbon and Fret.

Carbon is crouching for Henry rather than trying to avoid his advances. I saw her do this three times and Herny was still a couple of feet away. I would say Carbon is thinking about chicks and Henry thinks so to. This is Henry inside the coop making nesting calls while Carbon is still outside at the bottom of the ramp.

 

[fluffycrow]

"Comment"
The things you can read in my Understanding Your Rooster article are accurate under the keeping circumstances I describe. They are based on a lot of events with different hens and roosters over a number of years.
There have been and probably always will be those who write "but my rooster did it different."
My first thoughts are well did he, or have you missed out an important piece of iformation, or misread an event. People often neglect to write their immediate responses to such situations which of course is an added event and then one is looking at the wrong event and consequently the wrong conclusion.

For example, I had a pm once about the mating charge and according to the person the rooster attacked them. It took some effort to dig out the important inforamation from this person and the bit they didn't write initially was when the rooster did the charge they were scared and stepped towards the rooster and tried to kick him. He went for them. Hardly surprising.

I've had similar with the rooster dance. Yes it does happen that when a rooster does the herding shuffle he and the hen mate because some hens, especially younger hens will crouch at almost any attention from a rooster. However, one has to consider all the times a rooster has done the "dance" and no mating happened. Unfortunately people are not very good at long term observation and what they may see once then becomes what happens.

In my experience roosters have long memories and are less tolerant of mistreatment than say a dog. No rooster I've known has ever seen himself as subservient to a human. They are in my experience proud creatures who expect some respect. This doesn't sit well with many people who are used to beating in whatever sense, other creatures into submission. You can read the attitude every day here on BYC unfortunately.

I've written this many times and it's something that needs to be understood.
Roosters are not male hens.

People will see what they want to see. I do it all the time. I'm desperate for a broody? A cluck from a 3 year old ISA brown that's never sat, and "we've got a broody" (she never went broody). In the same way, if someone wants to believe a behaviour exhibited by their male is violent and aggressive, then it's automatically violent and aggressive. The rooster dance is a funny little thing. I'd read all about this rooster dance, which is followed by the hens crouching. Well, I've yet to see a hen of mine crouch after he dances. After years of hearing and reading people say it, I kind of got quiet about it. Your article was the first time I read someone else's male didn't get the hens to crouch after the "dance". So many behaviors get misinterpreted in order to fit people's narrative, or in some cases (for example my first males that were kept mostly penned up) some behaviors don't get exhibited. Is there a direct correlation between living in close quarters and behavior expression? That is for everyone to decide on their own. Males get painted in such a negative light sometimes. There are oh so many articles or methods on how to raise a male "right". If they even do as much as look at you it's enough for him to be gone, according to some. It seems the ideal rooster is a hen with some extra color