Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fluffycrow]

Did that when I was young.

I tried to. Didn't go well. So I was always one of the people spinning the rope

 

[fuzzi]

Did that when I was young.

Good for you!

I was so uncoordinated I could barely jump a couple times with a single rope!

 

[MrsNorthie]

That's Dig heading off to deal with a fox that slid under the gate a moment earlier.

Dig is a reckless lad, but I wonder if he has take on that role of distraction/direct opposition to give the others time to head for cover? I have noticed, with my 5 boys, Spud, despite having juniors still takes on the role of perimeter patrol. He is the first one out of the coop in the morning and the last one in at night. He patrols the area after everyone else has gone in, like he is making sure no one has been missed and the area is secure. (he has also amassed quite the female following!)

In the mornings, he comes charging out, followed by Goldie and then Blue, Spud greets me then does a zoom around the immediate area, Goldie goes the opposite direction, and Blue runs out to the middle. It is like an inspection to make sure it is safe before their ladies and the juniors come out. It is staying lighter, but everyone else toddles off to roost, but Spud has been waiting for me to come out and escorts me to the coop to tuck everyone in.

Maybe I am thinking to much like a human, but it is the exact same behaviour, every day. I am so impressed by them.

 

[Perris]

I need a sticker like this

 

[Shadrach]

Dig is a reckless lad, but I wonder if he has take on that role of distraction/direct opposition to give the others time to head for cover? I have noticed, with my 5 boys, Spud, despite having juniors still takes on the role of perimeter patrol. He is the first one out of the coop in the morning and the last one in at night. He patrols the area after everyone else has gone in, like he is making sure no one has been missed and the area is secure. (he has also amassed quite the female following!)

In the mornings, he comes charging out, followed by Goldie and then Blue, Spud greets me then does a zoom around the immediate area, Goldie goes the opposite direction, and Blue runs out to the middle. It is like an inspection to make sure it is safe before their ladies and the juniors come out. It is staying lighter, but everyone else toddles off to roost, but Spud has been waiting for me to come out and escorts me to the coop to tuck everyone in.

Maybe I am thinking to much like a human, but it is the exact same behaviour, every day. I am so impressed by them.

You are right, that is his job and Dig behaves much like your Spud. Dig is last in at night. He does the roosting time perimeter check and makes an effort to keep an eye on his sister who wanders off.
I'm being a bit hard on him and he has learn't a lot especially considering his out of run experience is a couple of hours a day.

My problem, not Digs, is I don't have much confidence in both Dig and Henry being able to live together in the keeping conditions and Dig is going to have to be better than average to make it work. I'm expecting more from him than my management skills deserve.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I have a unrealistic idea that if Fret sits and hatches again and maybe even Carbon gets the idea and follows suit they could range all day on the allotments. Yes, one or two would get predated but that is what happens with ranging chickens. Currently, if say a fox gets into the coop run, most if not all will die. The work and expense in making the current coop run properly secure is beyond my capabilities, so freedom could be the better option in the long run.

 

[Perris]

they could range all day on the allotments

I suspect the other allotment holders would have something to say about that...

 

[BDutch]

You are right, that is his job and Dig behaves much like your Spud. Dig is last in at night. He does the roosting time perimeter check and makes an effort to keep an eye on his sister who wanders off.
I'm being a bit hard on him and he has learn't a lot especially considering his out of run experience is a couple of hours a day.

My problem, not Digs, is I don't have much confidence in both Dig and Henry being able to live together in the keeping conditions and Dig is going to have to be better than average to make it work. I'm expecting more from him than my management skills deserve.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I have a unrealistic idea that if Fret sits and hatches again and maybe even Carbon gets the idea and follows suit they could range all day on the allotments. Yes, one or two would get predated but that is what happens with ranging chickens. Currently, if say a fox gets into the coop run, most if not all will die. The work and expense in making the current coop run properly secure is beyond my capabilities, so freedom could be the better option in the long run.

Just an idea that might work?
Add a couple of meters semi Fort Knox run to the coop with the auto pop door opener you bought a while ago.

Maybe a hoop coop with hwc, good enough to keeps foxes out and other predator who are a risk the day.

I made my first run with a 3x3 meter old frame of a party tent. Glued it together, added hwc and strong netting with a thin rope that came with the netting (needle work). The Trixie enforced cat netting (3x3cm) is easy to put over the frame on top. Stil standing after 9 years.

Party tent run behind the coop/small roofed run

Old photo. With the snow the contours are better visible.

 

[Shadrach]

I suspect the other allotment holders would have something to say about that...

They probably would if there were any.
I haven't kept this thread updated on what has gone on the allotment side of things because it's not chicken related.
The field was let to the group as an agricultural field; not allotments. Originally it was one large field which three or four people worked on as a group. We have been talking about returning to something like this arrangement. Currently less than one third of the field is in use as plots. The plot rental business has proven to be more trouble than it is worth. Firstly it puts the field lease at risk because the lease states no portion of the field may be sub let and that was exactly what was going on to the point that people were being charged plot rental by the size of the plot they took on.
This is why I drafted the membership agreement, so we didn't fall foul of the lease agreement andlose the field which the council would love to build on.
The lease allows for the growing of fruit, vegetables and herbs and, the keeping of livestock.
Since drafting the membership agreement which everyone signed and agreed to abide by two people have lost their plot for breaking the agreement, one other has left having found it was more work than they thought.
The field is not a community space and the public are not allowed on the field.
Since November to date the people hours on the field amount to less than 15 mins per member. Basically apart from me, there is nobody there, apart from the chickens and geese of course.
The lease allows for livestock expansion.

 

[Molpet]

They probably would if there were any.
I haven't kept this thread updated on what has gone on the allotment side of things because it's not chicken related.
The field was let to the group as an agricultural field; not allotments. Originally it was one large field which three or four people worked on as a group. We have been talking about returning to something like this arrangement. Currently less than one third of the field is in use as plots. The plot rental business has proven to be more trouble than it is worth. Firstly it puts the field lease at risk because the lease states no portion of the field may be sub let and that was exactly what was going on to the point that people were being charged plot rental by the size of the plot they took on.
This is why I drafted the membership agreement, so we didn't fall foul of the lease agreement andlose the field which the council would love to build on.
The lease allows for the growing of fruit, vegetables and herbs and, the keeping of livestock.
Since drafting the membership agreement which everyone signed and agreed to abide by two people have lost their plot for breaking the agreement, one other has left having found it was more work than they thought.
The field is not a community space and the public are not allowed on the field.
Since November to date the people hours on the field amount to less than 15 mins per member. Basically apart from me, there is nobody there, apart from the chickens and geese of course.
The lease allows for livestock expansion.

But it's not spring yet. I imagine when it's time to plant people will be out there.

 

[Shadrach]

But it's not spring yet. I imagine when it's time to plant people will be out there.

I expect they will, but what will happen is they will work on theír own plots and the rest of the field will be left to me and a couple of others. There are fruit trees to prune, hedges to be cut back, paths to be maintained etc, all of which are winter jobs. We had hoped that at least some of the group would put in a couple of days over the winter to help out with these jobs but it hasn't happened. It seems as is the and has been the case that the general upkeep of the field and livestock care is someone else's problem.