Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

Living amongst chickens would be joyous for me.


Also, Skeksis Jr

View attachment 3630314

I did it for ten years, or rather they lived with me. I don't recall ever feeling lonely or very human come to that.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Mornings have always been tough with our cockerels. They're extra pushy on the coop ramps. Many outgrow it, I guess? Three-year-old Stilton does a couple wing drops at the bottom of the ramp before strutting off to explore the yard. But 2-year-old rooster Merle Hagbird is still a bit much in the a.m. We have him leave the run first thing so the girls can greet the day sans harassment.

Here's a video [I've posted before] of his morning roo-tine.

He's perfectly pleasant after stomps & shuffles are out of his system. However, as a youngster, he'd charge in the morning if I accidentally crossed his invisible-to-me boundaries.

One morning on a reflex, I dropped the coop keys in front of him. Merle pulled up short, and we both learned jingling keys were a great way to startle him out of a charge.

I only had to drop the keys 2-3 times. Now he charges around me. Or he'll stop suddenly, look embarrassed, and do a U-turn and charge the other direction. Your water bottle noise might be in the same genre, since hens don't jingle keys any more than they slap water bottles.

Merle's something, though. Of all the chickens, he's been the easiest to train. Not that I usually intentionally train chickens, beyond getting them to run to me for treats, but I've done training a few times with Merle.

He went through a bad biting phase. At a loss as to how to deter the behavior, I found myself booping his beak with each peck. At first, he treated it like a game (no problem as long as I remembered to wear thick pants). He'd walk up, regard my leg, then rear back and slam. My index finger was at the ready to tap his beak, just hard enough to push his head down slightly. We'd do this 2 minutes a stretch: BITE, boop, BITE, boop, BITE, boop. Then he'd wander off. Within 2 days, he was no longer a biter.

I've never seen a cockerel give up on aggression so quickly so tried something else for kicks: clicker training. It only took him 60 seconds to learn to peck a target for treats. The only other chicken who's wanted to try clicker training took 10 minutes to get the same concept.

I won't call Merle "smart" because of how rapidly he chooses to respect what a human asks, but it's a helpful trait. And he's handsome to boot

Keep up the good work with your water bottle, and hopefully Lucio will observe your boundaries on the long term.

View attachment 3629795

Merle is very handsome!

Thanks so much for your stories, it's always so helpful to hear how others have dealt with the charging and other unwanted attentions from cockerels. My chickens don't have a run or a closed coop so they just come out in the morning as they please -- which is like hens scattering while Lucio tries to run at least one of them down. Usually, the ladies are more accommodating, but right now there's two moms with chicks and two (finally) snapping out of broodiness so he's like a bull in a china shop.

Making noise of any kind -- especially if it is with something metallic or plastic -- startles Lucio out of his charges. Then we sometimes have a little standoff. He loses interest and moves off more quickly now, and he seems to be taking on a more protective role of the chicks these days too. I notice he's more edgy when he either has too much to do or too little to do. Like anyone else.

He's a high jumper and has this pretty impressive Bruce Lee spinning roundhouse kick move I've seen up close once -- and once was enough! I had to sweep him out of the air and toss him aside. I didn't hurt him at all, he used his wings to land, but I felt just awful about it. So anything I can do to divert him without actually making contact is what I'm trying for.

He's calmed down significantly in the past week. He had showed some recklessness that I didn't care for -- like charging me right in front of my dogs (like come on, buddy, think). But he's cooled off and I think he realized how stupid that was. He's quite young to have so much responsibility and overall he is doing a really good job with the hens -- he's generous with treats (except !)patient with their dust bathing and very brave when eagles and falcons are about. So I figure we are just going through some growing pains and he'll be a fine rooster someday.

 

[MaryJanet]

This is weird
Interview with artist who is making theater for chickens. Interesting fact: chickens have the intelligence of a 7 year old child. (source; NRC newspaper https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/09/06/er-is-een-kans-dat-kippen-mijn-kippentheater-waarderen-a4173635):

Spoiler: interview

Interview

"There is a chance that chickens appreciate my chicken theater."Anne Hofstra | Theater MakerAnne Hofstra changed her life to create 'Kip,' a theater performance for chickens. Her question was: can chickens experience wonder and find art beautiful?Ron RijghardSeptember 6, 2023Reading time: 4 minutes

Anne Hofstra (30) creates theater for chickens. Noticeably for, not with, like Wim T. Schippers did with dogs in his legendary 1986 production "Going to the Dogs." The chickens are the audience. In her performance, "Kip" (Chicken), Hofstra makes music and dances, tailored to what chickens might appreciate. The provocative question posed by "Kip," which can be seen at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival next week, is: What do chickens find beautiful?

The inspiration for "Kip" stemmed from a societal issue that Hofstra contemplated: why do humans take center stage on Earth, rather than nature? Shouldn't we shift from anthropocentric to ecocentric thinking? Hofstra worked as a concept developer at Mediamatic, an institution focused on new developments in art and culture, particularly in biotechnology and bio-art. However, she wanted to explore whether artists could produce knowledge themselves.

The first step was quitting her job. "Because of that, I also had to give up my home. I completely changed my life to be able to create this theater performance for chickens. I thought: if I can succeed in making theater for chickens and thus make chickens marvel at art, that would truly be ecocentric."

She embarked on research. "For six weeks, I lived among the chickens at Doornburgh estate in Maarssen. I was there from early morning until late at night, but I slept elsewhere because these chickens sleep in trees. I sang songs for them, played music, danced for them, showed them colors, and let them smell scents. In addition, I conducted regular research, talking to scientists and chicken keepers."

How was it to live among chickens?"It was quite sad to be alone among chickens for so long as a human. I have never felt so distinctly human."

Why did you choose chickens?"The first reason is that I found chickens to be very unintelligent. They are a sort of not-quite-a-bird but still a bird. I thought: if I can make theater for chickens, then it can work for all animals. Additionally, chickens are close to humans. There are more chickens on Earth than humans, so everyone can relate to a chicken. Also, I had to be able and willing to be with those animals for six weeks, and strangely enough, chickens fit that bill."

What's funny about chickens?"It's funny how little expression they have. It's incredibly difficult to humanize them. With dogs or cats, and most mammals, you sometimes feel like you see a smile. Not with chickens. That's why you rarely see them in cartoons."

What did you learn about chickens?"I quickly discovered that chickens are much smarter than we think. Research by biologists shows that chickens have an understanding of numbers, so they can do some basic counting, and logic, at the level of a seven-year-old human. Chickens have a sense of time, knowing past, present, and future. Moreover, they see more colors than we do and have a wider field of vision, up to about 300 degrees. They can also detect magnetic fields, which helps them orient themselves.

"And it's not like they're just clucking randomly. Meaning can be distinguished in their communication. For example, they have specific sounds for certain predators. They have a kind of happy and a kind of scared."

So chickens have emotions?"Absolutely. According to a researcher, chickens can become depressed. And it looks very similar to how it does in humans: they move less and cluck less. And if you give them an antidepressant, it works."

How did you investigate whether they like theater?"I performed certain rhythms and movements and noted their reactions. Is there a pattern, a code? Calm, small movements worked well."

Did your chicken suit help?"They did come up to me sometimes. Often, they would stand and watch. But that could also be because I sometimes gave them food. It's super difficult to distinguish whether they find something beautiful or ugly or whether they even care. But there is a chance that they appreciate what I'm doing."

What is your conclusion?"My question was: can chickens experience wonder and find art beautiful? And there is reason to believe that they can. But the naive me who started with this plan had to mourn the fact that you can never be sure."

Read also: Interview with Mystha Mandersloot, featuring her 'Abortusverhalen' at the Fringe.Why do you choose to present this to a human audience?"An important step was taking chickens seriously and forming a connection with them. That's a story I want people to experience as well."

Does this approach succeed in conveying that an ecocentric way of life is possible?"That's a difficult question. The performance is not primarily for people. On the other hand, the performance is mostly about me. So, that part didn't work. But it's a step.

"I was afraid that 'Kip' would become a gimmick, but there are so many philosophical questions that arise. How do you navigate things you don't know? What is connection? What do you know about the other, what don't you know? And what are your methods of communication? Additionally, I hope people learn something about chickens: that they are not dumb animals but have their own lives and inner worlds."

What will the performance look like?"The venue has two opposing stands, one for people and one for chickens. I'll perform in between, with my back to the people. There is also a coop for chickens that don't want to come watch.

"In the structure, we aim to create an arc for the chickens: from a sort of euphoria to a valley where things are tense and a bit scary. But it will turn out well."

Sounds like a romantic comedy."Perhaps. It will be difficult for people to grasp the arc. But the goal is to bring something beautiful to the chickens."

What if all the chickens aren't interested?"I won't force them. Just as I don't force people to come watch. But I hope the performance is enjoyable enough that they want to see it."

"Kip," by Anne Hofstra. With Willem Wits and Doke Pauwels. From September 8 to 17 at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival. Info: amsterdamfringefestival.nl.

Gotta love a fringe festival!

Seriously, I appreciate the exploratory nature of this artist's work. So few people are thinking like she is. She's courageous and bold. I'd buy a ticket to her show, but I know dozens of people who'd mock her.

 

[MrsNorthie]

This is the goose water bucket. It seems C can't be bothered to supply them with clean fresh water in the mornings. In this heat they need water.

C is just a nasty waste of oxygen. *sigh

 

[MrsNorthie]

Yeah, sometimes I see the more senior hens just blow him off ... I can practically hear them muttering, "Micromanaging mansplainer, who does he think he is, bossing me around?" Then they go loll about in the dust bath for an hour and make him stand there. I wish he'd roll around in the dust himself, I checked everyone else thoroughly and he's the only one who gets lice.

I love the muttering, I have a couple that really go on a tangent..lol Lucio just does not like getting dirty...lol

 

[Shadrach]

30C grey and sticky. 5 hours split shift. Everybody came out both morning and afternoon and nobody looked very comfortable even in the shade of the tree. Fret found a spot in the fruit bushes and Henry and Carbon headed for the shade box after a brief forage.

I've got a bit of a problem that in other circumstances might be an opportunity.
When it gets close to dusk, I refill the water bowls and the feed holders if necessary so everyone can top up before going to roost. The chicks are used to this routine and are even used to me sitting in the chair throwing rocks at the rats who come out at this time.
Yesterday evening and this evening and the evening I posted the chick tree hugging, the mostly white chick has jumped onto the chair I sit in. The first time I went the cute route and thought no more of it. Yesterday I thought a bit more about it because the chick settled on the arm of the chair and Fret sort of fretted around the chair until the chick jumped down. This evening the chick jumped onto the chair and then on to my lap.
It took until this evening for me, human, to reach that 7 year old intelligence barrier.
Pushing my intellect to the absolute limit (maybe eight years old) it occured to me that the chick has been watching bucket boy, knows bucket boy is the main provider of food, touches mum, Carbon and Fret without anyone breaking into hysterics, helped them up the ramp for the first few days and is possible the one to emulate. Big bucket Boy chicken roosts on chair; that could be the spot. I did with a lot of luck get a picture of the chick getting down. When I move more than breathing or a bum shuffle it's off.
Having reached the lofty heights of eight year old intelligence I thought I would attempt to do what humans have massive problems with and that is put the scorecard intelligence to some practical and positive use. I excelled myself even if I do say so and went and sat on the extension roost bar. Bugger me if the chick didn't hop up beside me.

Being of a scientific bent and of a rationalist nature I reasoned that if I got into the coop and onto one of the roost bars; even if I just perched my bum on it, then perahpps the chick would follow suit. Unfortunately while I could just get in the coop, mostly, there is no way I could get my bum onto the roost bar.
Needless to write I'll be apply for my MENSA membership at the earliest opportunity.

This is the chick circling around the chair looking for the best flight path.

This is the chick jumping back to the ground when I moved to get the camera in position.

This is both chicks who have hopped off the roost bar onto the ramp at the insistance of mum Fret.

The rest of the day.

 

[Shadrach]

Gotta love a fringe festival!

Seriously, I appreciate the exploratory nature of this artist's work. So few people are thinking like she is. She's courageous and bold. I'd buy a ticket to her show, but I know dozens of people who'd mock her.

I wouldn't mock her but I find it slightly irritating that she would have people believe it seems she has discovered all these facts about chickens from spending six weeks with them.

I put links up to these two particular study summaries in the hope that people will read not just the summary, but also follow the links to the original studies.
Science has known chickens are intelligent creatures for many years now. Old School Chicken keeping enthusiasts could have and maybe did broadcast this news long before the behaviour studies became more common reading.

If you haven't already take some time out to read the papers.

This is an old paper 2012.
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/...kgo.com&httpsredir=1&article=2005&context=bts

A more recent paper.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4

Each time a study on other creature intelligence gets done, it becomes apparent that it isn't the subject's intelligence we are testing but our own lack of it in many cases to devise the experiments and set up the conditions to attempt to measure these creatures intelligence relative to the world they encounter. We measure for example their ability to count because some of us can do that. More difficult but far more revealing is their ability to recognise individuals in a group and the information they may use to make such recognitions.
The problem of flight, even at chicken competance level requires a vast amount of calculation which we, humans, cannot manage and cant even get the best computer fight navigation systems to manage to achieve the manouvers many birds can.

 

[tranquiliti]

But 2-year-old rooster Merle Hagbird is still a bit much in the a.m.


View attachment 3629795

Merle Hagbird

 

[no fly zone]

I wouldn't mock her but I find it slightly irritating that she would have people believe it seems she has discovered all these facts about chickens from spending six weeks with them.

I put links up to these two particular study summaries in the hope that people will read not just the summary, but also follow the links to the original studies.
Science has known chickens are intelligent creatures for many years now. Old School Chicken keeping enthusiasts could have and maybe did broadcast this news long before the behaviour studies became more common reading.

If you haven't already take some time out to read the papers.

This is an old paper 2012.
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/...kgo.com&httpsredir=1&article=2005&context=bts

A more recent paper.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4

Each time a study on other creature intelligence gets done, it becomes apparent that it isn't the subject's intelligence we are testing but our own lack of it in many cases to devise the experiments and set up the conditions to attempt to measure these creatures intelligence relative to the world they encounter. We measure for example their ability to count because some of us can do that. More difficult but far more revealing is their ability to recognise individuals in a group and the information they may use to make such recognitions.
The problem of flight, even at chicken competance level requires a vast amount of calculation which we, humans, cannot manage and cant even get the best computer fight navigation systems to manage to achieve the manouvers many birds can.

Indeed. As I have said before, I used to think chickens were dumb. Then after spending actual time around them, I quickly understood I was very wrong.

 

[MaryJanet]

30C grey and sticky. 5 hours split shift. Everybody came out both morning and afternoon and nobody looked very comfortable even in the shade of the tree. Fret found a spot in the fruit bushes and Henry and Carbon headed for the shade box after a brief forage.

I've got a bit of a problem that in other circumstances might be an opportunity.
When it gets close to dusk, I refill the water bowls and the feed holders if necessary so everyone can top up before going to roost. The chicks are used to this routine and are even used to me sitting in the chair throwing rocks at the rats who come out at this time.
Yesterday evening and this evening and the evening I posted the chick tree hugging, the mostly white chick has jumped onto the chair I sit in. The first time I went the cute route and thought no more of it. Yesterday I thought a bit more about it because the chick settled on the arm of the chair and Fret sort of fretted around the chair until the chick jumped down. This evening the chick jumped onto the chair and then on to my lap.
It took until this evening for me, human, to reach that 7 year old intelligence barrier.
Pushing my intellect to the absolute limit (maybe eight years old) it occured to me that the chick has been watching bucket boy, knows bucket boy is the main provider of food, touches mum, Carbon and Fret without anyone breaking into hysterics, helped them up the ramp for the first few days and is possible the one to emulate. Big bucket Boy chicken roosts on chair; that could be the spot. I did with a lot of luck get a picture of the chick getting down. When I move more than breathing or a bum shuffle it's off.
Having reached the lofty heights of eight year old intelligence I thought I would attempt to do what humans have massive problems with and that is put the scorecard intelligence to some practical and positive use. I excelled myself even if I do say so and went and sat on the extension roost bar. Bugger me if the chick didn't hop up beside me.

Being of a scientific bent and of a rationalist nature I reasoned that if I got into the coop and onto one of the roost bars; even if I just perched my bum on it, then perahpps the chick would follow suit. Unfortunately while I could just get in the coop, mostly, there is no way I could get my bum onto the roost bar.
Needless to write I'll be apply for my MENSA membership at the earliest opportunity.

This is the chick circling around the chair looking for the best flight path.
View attachment 3630392
This is the chick jumping back to the ground when I moved to get the camera in position.
View attachment 3630388
This is both chicks who have hopped off the roost bar onto the ramp at the insistance of mum Fret.
View attachment 3630389

The rest of the day.
View attachment 3630387
View attachment 3630390View attachment 3630391View attachment 3630393View attachment 3630394View attachment 3630396

Get yourself tested!

You might even have 9yo intelligence!!