Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Sally PB]

Fly high and free, sweet Pinkie!

Hugs for you.

 

[Shadrach]

Awoke to a sad thing this morning. Pinkie, known on this thread as our crowing hen, was dead under the roost. Her body was stiff, but otherwise, she looked perfect, as always, not a feather out of place, eyes closed. There wasn't poop on or under her, nor was she pecked, nor was anything else amiss in the coop.

She was her normal self yesterday. I happened to spend extra time with them in the afternoon and am grateful she had a chance to hop on my shoulder one last time to tell me about the day.

The others rolled out of the coop normally this morning, and it appears to be a typical day for them. I think they had ample time with her body to say goodbye. I'm more of a mess.

Since you all understand the emotion that can come with this kind of loss, I wanted to ask you to hold her in your thoughts today, wish her a peaceful journey, or your version of that.

Pinkie had just turned 4. Her nickname was "the ambassador" because she never met a chicken, human, or dog she couldn't win over. She was sort of an angel chicken who would stick close to anyone under the weather. She rarely passed up a chance to sit on my lap and nap for as long as 30 minutes at a time, until long after my leg or foot had fallen asleep. We were good friends.

It's sad any time a chicken passes, but losing Pinkie is hitting hard. I'm not sure how to make my brain accept that she won't be running down the ramp every morning. I still find myself looking for her out there. You all know the deal. Chickens

Here's to the one and only, magnificent Pinkie Bird.

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Pinkie

 

[no fly zone]

Awoke to a sad thing this morning. Pinkie, known on this thread as our crowing hen, was dead under the roost. Her body was stiff, but otherwise, she looked perfect, as always, not a feather out of place, eyes closed. There wasn't poop on or under her, nor was she pecked, nor was anything else amiss in the coop.

She was her normal self yesterday. I happened to spend extra time with them in the afternoon and am grateful she had a chance to hop on my shoulder one last time to tell me about the day.

The others rolled out of the coop normally this morning, and it appears to be a typical day for them. I think they had ample time with her body to say goodbye. I'm more of a mess.

Since you all understand the emotion that can come with this kind of loss, I wanted to ask you to hold her in your thoughts today, wish her a peaceful journey, or your version of that.

Pinkie had just turned 4. Her nickname was "the ambassador" because she never met a chicken, human, or dog she couldn't win over. She was sort of an angel chicken who would stick close to anyone under the weather. She rarely passed up a chance to sit on my lap and nap for as long as 30 minutes at a time, until long after my leg or foot had fallen asleep. We were good friends.

It's sad any time a chicken passes, but losing Pinkie is hitting hard. I'm not sure how to make my brain accept that she won't be running down the ramp every morning. I still find myself looking for her out there. You all know the deal. Chickens

Here's to the one and only, magnificent Pinkie Bird.

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She was a beautiful bird.

 

[fuzzi]

Awoke to a sad thing this morning. Pinkie, known on this thread as our crowing hen, was dead under the roost. Her body was stiff, but otherwise, she looked perfect, as always, not a feather out of place, eyes closed. There wasn't poop on or under her, nor was she pecked, nor was anything else amiss in the coop.

She was her normal self yesterday. I happened to spend extra time with them in the afternoon and am grateful she had a chance to hop on my shoulder one last time to tell me about the day.

The others rolled out of the coop normally this morning, and it appears to be a typical day for them. I think they had ample time with her body to say goodbye. I'm more of a mess.

Since you all understand the emotion that can come with this kind of loss, I wanted to ask you to hold her in your thoughts today, wish her a peaceful journey, or your version of that.

Pinkie had just turned 4. Her nickname was "the ambassador" because she never met a chicken, human, or dog she couldn't win over. She was sort of an angel chicken who would stick close to anyone under the weather. She rarely passed up a chance to sit on my lap and nap for as long as 30 minutes at a time, until long after my leg or foot had fallen asleep. We were good friends.

It's sad any time a chicken passes, but losing Pinkie is hitting hard. I'm not sure how to make my brain accept that she won't be running down the ramp every morning. I still find myself looking for her out there. You all know the deal. Chickens

Here's to the one and only, magnificent Pinkie Bird.

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Beautiful inside and out.

 

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours today. Cold and dry at 5C with an Easterly wind.
I didn't get much done apart from chicken watchng. The body and hands were not up to working temperature.
Mow's picked off the scales just below the patch on her lower leg on her middle toe. They were bad. Two more patches to go and the rest can be remedied. She seems a lot more comfortable now and she's stopped high lifting that leg.

 

[Shadrach]

That is marketed as a premium product for human consumption, and with postage is coming in at about £30. You are paying a lot for one extra percent of protein (or the organic label, but I think it's the protein that interests you).

The UK milling specification for wheat is 13% or more; they don't always reach it (largely due to bad weather) but that's what should be going into (all) the flour mills. That's what all wheat farmers here are aiming at and most of them are producing it.
https://ahdb.org.uk/cereals-oilseeds/cereal-quality-survey

According to Feedipedia, crude protein in wheat varies between 9% and 19%; the average is 12-13% https://www.feedipedia.org/node/223

For comparison, I can pick up (about 5 miles away) a 25kg sack of feed wheat (not human grade, not organic, grown about 75 miles away) for £10.99. Or I can buy (about 30 miles away) a 25kg sack of feed wheat (grown about 40 miles away) for £8. Given the £20+ price difference between them and the Doves option, it might be worth investigating getting a parcel firm to deliver feed wheat to you from a local supplier.

(I draw attention to the miles not just for food miles reasons but because the Doves is a blend from multiple countries, and at least one reviewer was concerned about that. My two are relatively locally grown, but I have to drive to pick up either, one closer than t'other, so even if I combine the pick up with other reasons to go there, there are 10 or 60 mileage expenses for me to add.)

I have found cheaper options but none of them deliver and few of them give a nutritional breakdown of their wheat.
The organic bit; I do care, but not because of any belief that the birds are going to be any healthier for it, more because we should support organic farming for the good of everyone.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. They're helpful.

I sat with Pinkie's group tonight when they were going to roost. It was quiet. While Miss Pinkie was a model of manners on the roost, 2 of her biggest fans, Stilton and Eula, usually cause chaos. Tonight they weren't.

Instead of her normal scolding and shoving, Eula settled quietly into a corner with Donna. Stilton was in the other corner doing a Fret impression under Raisin. Usually it's the other way around, but Raisin was cool being the chicken version of "big spoon" tonight.

 

[Perris]

few of them give a nutritional breakdown of their wheat

why does that matter to you so much? They are averages; they include nothing that can't be got from other foods; and animal protein is better for chickens anyway. If you fed your chickens only plants I'd understand it, but you don't, so I don't.

The organic bit; I do care, but not because of any belief that the birds are going to be any healthier for it, more because we should support organic farming for the good of everyone.

I second that, though the changing definition of 'organic' is undermining it in the US, and where the US leads, the rest of the world generally follows. We're usually about 10 years behind. 'Regenerative' seems to be the new term to capture the intended practices.

 

[Perris]

Sometimes the TV schedules deliver; last night they showed Nomadland on Film4. Second time I've seen it, and it had more impact this time. Love Einaudi's soundtrack too

 

[MaryJanet]

Awoke to a sad thing this morning. Pinkie, known on this thread as our crowing hen, was dead under the roost. Her body was stiff, but otherwise, she looked perfect, as always, not a feather out of place, eyes closed. There wasn't poop on or under her, nor was she pecked, nor was anything else amiss in the coop.

She was her normal self yesterday. I happened to spend extra time with them in the afternoon and am grateful she had a chance to hop on my shoulder one last time to tell me about the day.

The others rolled out of the coop normally this morning, and it appears to be a typical day for them. I think they had ample time with her body to say goodbye. I'm more of a mess.

Since you all understand the emotion that can come with this kind of loss, I wanted to ask you to hold her in your thoughts today, wish her a peaceful journey, or your version of that.

Pinkie had just turned 4. Her nickname was "the ambassador" because she never met a chicken, human, or dog she couldn't win over. She was sort of an angel chicken who would stick close to anyone under the weather. She rarely passed up a chance to sit on my lap and nap for as long as 30 minutes at a time, until long after my leg or foot had fallen asleep. We were good friends.

It's sad any time a chicken passes, but losing Pinkie is hitting hard. I'm not sure how to make my brain accept that she won't be running down the ramp every morning. I still find myself looking for her out there. You all know the deal. Chickens

Here's to the one and only, magnificent Pinkie Bird.

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So sorry for your loss what a hen!