Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[SimpleJenn]

Mine roosted as soon as they were offered one! Around 2 weeks? But they slept under the brooder plate until 5 weeks, then they roosted full-time. Except for when they decide to make a snuggle puddle in a nest box.

 

[BDutch]

I believe the same. People are impatient and want their chicks to roost (like I was with the Cruella bunch).

I had a young chicken (Janice) that roosted with her two cockerel brothers and the others for the night. Probably after about 8 weeks. When the boys left at about 14 weeks old, she got bullied and was not allowed to roost with the others anymore.

She found a solution for herself on the roost in the tiny coop. But there she was bullied too and she ended up in the laying nest. It took a very long time to get back to the roost.

Now she sleeps apart from the others again on the roost in the tiny coop.

Janice last week, moulting.

My chicks always practice to roost during the day.

 

[Molpet]

My chicks roosting depends on how much bullying. I let them do what they want.

 

[Shadrach]

OK this is probably not the best place to start this kind of discussion, as I know most of you only use broodies, which (at least most of them) would teach their young how to chicken. This is something I'd never come across before BYC. People are having problems with their pullets and cockerels roosting, and having to "teach" them how to do it. Am I the only one who has never come across this problem? I provide high perches from a young age, and the chicks always know what to do. Tax for being off topic as usualView attachment 3676088

I may have stuck one or two on the roost bar over the years but that would work out as less than 1%.
Apart from the above they've all roosted, some quicker than others.
I thought Mow might not roost, but I was wrong.
I don't really care if any of them want to sleep in a nest box and I've had injured in body and/or pride chickens take refuge in a nest box for a while.

 

[fluffycrow]

I may have stuck one or two on the roost bar over the years but that would work out as less than 1%.
Apart from the above they've all roosted, some quicker than others.
I thought Mow might not roost, but I was wrong.
I don't really care if any of them want to sleep in a nest box and I've had injured in body and/or pride chickens take refuge in a nest box for a while.

I have one nest that is off the ground in the main coop, two to three birds slept in that one. I too don't mind where they sleep. It just strikes me as interesting that people have to teach their birds how to do it, since I've never encountered this problem

 

[Shadrach]

I can't speak for others, but my posts on foodstuffs are motivated by a desire to find or make good food for chickens. (I might eat it as well of course, since it's real food, but that's not why I'm posting about it here )

I must write I wasn't that interested in replacing commercial given most ranging chickens I've known fare well on forage provided the land is reasonably fertile and with varied vegitation. The commercial feed was better as well. Some days they ate so little of it I doubt it was 20% of their diet. Same with my uncles chickens.
Having not kept contained chickens before and knowing the commercial feed was no substitute for quality forage your article got me thinking that if I could make a seeds/grain/whatever food mix I could widen the range of nutrients in their diet; whether they need it or not. After all, that's what foraging does, gives variety.

I read your we've got it wrong about feed thread; even read a few of the links you posted. then I read your article and started experimenting.

I've still been feeding them commercial feed, but since reading your article instead of feeding them the usual mackerel or meat, I've given them all sorts of stuff in all sorts of combinations. The list is quite long.
Some foods they like better than others and I've had to discard others for things like high fat. Chickens that range all day tend to deal better with higher fat foods because of the exercise they get.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that it's your fault I have two 2 litre Kilner jars sitting on the storage heater in my living room. Until I read your article I had managed to keep chicken food preperation to the kitchen!

 

[Shadrach]

I have one nest that is off the ground in the main coop, two to three birds slept in that one. I too don't mind where they sleep. It just strikes me as interesting that people have to teach their birds how to do it, since I've never encountered this problem

It's interesting; not the chicken roosting part, but the human reaction to it.
We seem to believe that chickens should roost off the ground on whatever we can faishon as a substitute for a branch. That's fair enough given the evidence.

But, we still can't fully grasp that chickens need a lot less help from humans at least, than we are comfortable in believing.

 

[fuzzi]

I have 9 hens and I feed them i can of sardines and i can of tuna.

The tuna at Walmart's today was $0.98 per can.

In oil or water?

 

[fuzzi]

I've heard this about kefir: if you want some grains, just find someone who already has them, because they'll have more than they know what to do with and will be happy to give some away

Kind of like "Friendship Cake"...

 

[Ladies-Eight]

In oil or water?

I have some sardines in oil and some in water.

The tuna is in water.

Does it make a difference?