Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

I have 2 bowls with chick feed and one with layer. Not because I want to poison Tintin, but the layer gets old and its a waist to throw it away.
The laying hens eat from the layer and the chick feed.

Havent seen Tintin and momma Pearl eating from the layer. Momma and son are out and about eating from the garden a lot when they are set free.

Ini mini (co-broody) didn’t eat from the layer either. I got her of the nest because I do want her to eat properly at her age. She ate from both bowls with chick feed, but not from the layer.
I took Black out of the nester after Ini mini’s return. She went straight to the wet chick crumble too.

Grains are a evening treat/supply. About 30-40% of the feed (thumb guess).

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

They are SO pretty, love the butterscotch coloring.

Very pretty birds!!

 

[Molpet]

Looks like the Dutch are having success with AI vaccines.
https://www.poultryworld.net/health...BgxHBLwNllJe2sQ&mlnmsg=DiTth-YdQ7kjEQPHViuylQ

 

[fuzzi]

02/06/2024
Two hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon. Warm 22C dry and sunny.
Fret has been encouraging the chicks to eat the mixed seeds and grains rather than the chick feed.
View attachment 3852017View attachment 3852018View attachment 3852019View attachment 3852020

Getting big!

 

[BDutch]

Looks like the Dutch are having success with AI vaccines.
https://www.poultryworld.net/health-nutrition/health/2-avian-influenza-vaccines-effective-pilot-continues-with-third-vaccine/?utm_source=Maileon&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PW_REG_2024-06-03&utm_content=https://www.poultryworld.net/health-nutrition/health/2-avian-influenza-vaccines-effective-pilot-continues-with-third-vaccine/&mlnt=5twwBboDsKya9AsGlyJ_SoaL2BgcL_mu1trhNTKe53QxKxfsevHrJQ&mlnm=OQlSV_gcODM&mlnl=QY8-D_rv5lU&mlnc=QzrJAg6mYvg&mlnch=skUHpB5BgxHBLwNllJe2sQ&mlnmsg=DiTth-YdQ7kjEQPHViuylQ

Yes. But,….
The farmers won’t cooperate. They are afraid export will be forbidden for vaccinated poultry.

 

[Molpet]

Yes. But,….
The farmers won’t cooperate. They are afraid export will be forbidden for vaccinated poultry.

I see their point
Always side effects

 

[HiEverybirdy]

like when they go fishing then...?

Fishing with a twist. A couple summers ago, I looked out to see a rabbit in the backyard. Then I saw the bobcat on the other side of the fence, watching the rabbit.

My first instinct was to grab the camera and snap pictures through the window.

Then I thought I'd watch how the bobcat handled the fence. We used the same welded wire fencing around the chickens, so maybe I'd learn something about predator proofing.

The rabbit appeared oblivious but safe, since after many minutes, it was clear the bobcat wasn't interested in climbing the fence. The cat just sat there, watching. I figured it spied me through the window 100' away.

Speaking of which, as the minutes stretched out, I couldn't help but think how much sharper my photos would be without the window in between. What if I cracked the door and stuck the lens out?

The click of the door spooked the rabbit, who sprinted 30' before hopping through the fence to the bobcat who pounced and killed it. All before I could snap a 1/640th-of-a-second exposure.

So that wasn't so much fishing as it was a bobcat using a rube (me) like a border collie to herd dinner into its jaws. I felt pretty guilty about that one.

The following year, a bobcat parked itself along the un-electrified poultry mesh we use to designate a ranging area in the orchard. That, I had no patience for. I ran out yelling and clapping, and the cat hasn't had so much audacity since, which is as lucky for the cat as it is for the chickens.

Especially because Peck finds this risky area irresistible. She knows the mesh isn't electrified so squeezes through it. She's taught 4 others this trick so far, but the rest seem to feel safer inside the boundary.

I love wildlife, but reading your bear posts made me appreciate anew the fact that I don't have to worry about large predators here. Your posts and your wonderful photos show that chickens are perfectly capable of free ranging even with such predators around, but it must make for some anxious moments every now and then!

Due to the amount of wildlife we encounter, I think they've only survived because I shifted my schedule to spend evening hours with them. And when they head into the woodline, I go stand guard.

Or I hustle them somewhere safer, since even I'm not totally safe at the woodline. One night, a coyote charged out of the kudzu and passed within 10'. To be fair, it may have been as surprised as I was, since I was standing as still as a tree, taking long exposures of fireflies. Got the heartrate up, though.

Tax - I'm sure I'm very behind in that department: Fforest and Hafod held this pose for the best part of a minute. I have no idea what this meaningful stare was all about, but it was not preceded or succeeded by any notable action. Any guesses welcome!
View attachment 3850937

Gorgeous photo! When ours do this, I often get the impression both are waiting for one to groom the other.

 

[Shadrach]

Fishing with a twist. A couple summers ago, I looked out to see a rabbit in the backyard. Then I saw the bobcat on the other side of the fence, watching the rabbit.

My first instinct was to grab the camera and snap pictures through the window.

View attachment 3852372
Then I thought I'd watch how the bobcat handled the fence. We used the same welded wire fencing around the chickens, so maybe I'd learn something about predator proofing.

The rabbit appeared oblivious but safe, since after many minutes, it was clear the bobcat wasn't interested in climbing the fence. The cat just sat there, watching. I figured it spied me through the window 100' away.

Speaking of which, as the minutes stretched out, I couldn't help but think how much sharper my photos would be without the window in between. What if I cracked the door and stuck the lens out?

The click of the door spooked the rabbit, who sprinted 30' before hopping through the fence to the bobcat who pounced and killed it. All before I could snap a 1/640th-of-a-second exposure.

So that wasn't so much fishing as it was a bobcat using a rube (me) like a border collie to herd dinner into its jaws. I felt pretty guilty about that one.

The following year, a bobcat parked itself along the un-electrified poultry mesh we use to designate a ranging area in the orchard. That, I had no patience for. I ran out yelling and clapping, and the cat hasn't had so much audacity since, which is as lucky for the cat as it is for the chickens.

Especially because Peck finds this risky area irresistible. She knows the mesh isn't electrified so squeezes through it. She's taught 4 others this trick so far, but the rest seem to feel safer inside the boundary.

View attachment 3852373


Due to the amount of wildlife we encounter, I think they've only survived because I shifted my schedule to spend evening hours with them. And when they head into the woodline, I go stand guard.

Or I hustle them somewhere safer, since even I'm not totally safe at the woodline. One night, a coyote charged out of the kudzu and passed within 10'. To be fair, it may have been as surprised as I was, since I was standing as still as a tree, taking long exposures of fireflies. Got the heartrate up, though.


Gorgeous photo! When ours do this, I often get the impression both are waiting for one to groom the other.

That one finds a feature and lets the others know can be a real problem.
On the East side of the smallholding in Catalonia was a mainly oak wood going up the side of a steep rocky slope. One hen found section in the woods where the rock had split many years ago leaving a small gorge about 10 metres long and just over arms length deep. Earth had accumulated at the bottom and lichen and other things grew in the earth. It looked pretty primordial down there. What had sent this particular bunch up the East side was a) the tribe number had recently increased to 4, b) In late summer temperatures of 35C to 40C are quite common and that gorge stayed very cool. It was almost impossible to get them out of there when I needed to.

 

[Shadrach]

An hour this morning and three this afternoon. Mild, greyish but stayed dry.
Mow is back to egg laying. I'm going to have to take the eggs daily for the next few weeks to discourage Mow from going broody as soon as she's laid a few. Really need Frets lot to be independant before I consider letting Mow sit and hatch.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

That one finds a feature and lets the others know can be a real problem.
On the East side of the smallholding in Catalonia was a mainly oak wood going up the side of a steep rocky slope. One hen found section in the woods where the rock had split many years ago leaving a small gorge about 10 metres long and just over arms length deep. Earth had accumulated at the bottom and lichen and other things grew in the earth. It looked pretty primordial down there. What had sent this particular bunch up the East side was a) the tribe number had recently increased to 4, b) In late summer temperatures of 35C to 40C are quite common and that gorge stayed very cool. It was almost impossible to get them out of there when I needed to.

You can almost picture them suiting up in bird-sized spelunking gear, saying, "Let's go eat some moss and vex Bucket Boy."

Freaky AI tax. This is what Adobe Firefly does with "Marans chicken wearing a headlamp."