Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

I'm sure you've mentioned it before, and I'm sure your reason for doing so is very good, but why don't you let the under 1 year olds hatch?



For maturity reasons, like more of a chance to break, or over commit?

It's a combination of things really. First, the space here is finite, so I have to be very choosy about letting any of them sit. Then I want to give every hen that feels the urge the chance to raise a brood, so those two reasons together mean they have to take turns. Typically a pullet would be jumping the queue, and being British, we frown on that . And there is also the fact that I definitely feel more comfortable with a more mature bird as broody, and I only want to deal with one at a time.

Fez is a few months older than Idris, and has already been broken once, and since her elders either have had a go at least once (e.g. Maria), or have shown no sign of wanting to, I thought if Fez went broody again, I'd let her have a go next. And that's where we got to about a week ago; she's been sitting 6 days now.

So Idris will have to wait; how long depends on how successful Fez is, whether we get any unexpected losses in the flock, and whether I manage to rehome any of the older birds (there is another potential rehoming in development). Hopefully she won't have to wait too long.

 

[fluffycrow]

It's a combination of things really. First, the space here is finite, so I have to be very choosy about letting any of them sit. Then I want to give every hen that feels the urge the chance to raise a brood, so those two reasons together mean they have to take turns. Typically a pullet would be jumping the queue, and being British, we frown on that . And there is also the fact that I definitely feel more comfortable with a more mature bird as broody, and I only want to deal with one at a time.

Fez is a few months older than Idris, and has already been broken once, and since her elders either have had a go at least once (e.g. Maria), or have shown no sign of wanting to, I thought if Fez went broody again, I'd let her have a go next. And that's where we got to about a week ago; she's been sitting 6 days now.

So Idris will have to wait; how long depends on how successful Fez is, whether we get any unexpected losses in the flock, and whether I manage to rehome any of the older birds (there is another potential rehoming in development). Hopefully she won't have to wait too long.

Very well thought out, and very reasonable! I will definitely keep your "broody selection" process in mind for the future, if I ever get to the point of having multiple in the free ranging group

Hopefully Idris will get her shot soon. Sounds like she's very committed to the cause!

 

[Shadrach]

An hour this morning and three this afternoon. Dry with sunny spells. Still not exactly warm in the evenings.
The auto pop door worked this morning so that's one problem less.
I make the chick feed in a deep plastic jug with a hand blender now. I got tired of chopping. I might try a semi dry mash.

 

[fuzzi]

An hour this morning and three this afternoon. Dry with sunny spells. Still not exactly warm in the evenings.
The auto pop door worked this morning so that's one problem less.
I make the chick feed in a deep plastic jug with a hand blender now. I got tired of chopping. I might try a semi dry mash.
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How old are the chicks, now?

 

[MrsNorthie]

It's a combination of things really. First, the space here is finite, so I have to be very choosy about letting any of them sit. Then I want to give every hen that feels the urge the chance to raise a brood, so those two reasons together mean they have to take turns. Typically a pullet would be jumping the queue, and being British, we frown on that . And there is also the fact that I definitely feel more comfortable with a more mature bird as broody, and I only want to deal with one at a time.

Fez is a few months older than Idris, and has already been broken once, and since her elders either have had a go at least once (e.g. Maria), or have shown no sign of wanting to, I thought if Fez went broody again, I'd let her have a go next. And that's where we got to about a week ago; she's been sitting 6 days now.

So Idris will have to wait; how long depends on how successful Fez is, whether we get any unexpected losses in the flock, and whether I manage to rehome any of the older birds (there is another potential rehoming in development). Hopefully she won't have to wait too long.

The Egg thief fears that we are just going to have 6 acres of fowl running amok, I just told him that it will save him from mowing! When I went down to tuck them in tonight, Fluff was still on her clutch. I checked on her, and she gave me a half-growl, half purr.

We are building her broody suite this weekend. Some of the other girls have been visiting her, and Spud is wearing himself out running in to check on her and back out to the field to guard the rest of the girls. (while the other 4 boys lay around in the shade.) At this point, I think that she is committed and we just have to pray for pullets.

 

[Perris]

I make the chick feed

I might try a semi dry mash.

so what are you offering them at the moment?

it will save him from mowing!

we find that true through winter, so that the first spring cut is like a normal one, and areas near the house barely need any cut at all (because they hang out there more often during the winter so that grass gets more nibbled). But it doesn't hold for summer and autumn I'm afraid. And their poo will make it grow long and lush But you'll not need to feed the lawn again - another cost saving! Perhaps try selling the change to the Egg Thief on that ground instead...?

 

[Perris]

I managed to catch Fez doing her pinball wizard act yesterday

This was going to be a photo of her dustbathing, but the shutter took too long to flip

 

[BDutch]

In our NRC news, just to share about Animal behaviour.:
Biologists, with the help of computers, have found strong evidence that African elephants can call each other by name.

African elephants also seem to have a call sign. In the wild, animals address each other with a specific, personal call, writes an international team of biologists in Nature Ecology & Evolution. Unlike dolphins and parrots, which can imitate the call of a conspecific to appeal to it, the elephant call has nothing to do with imitation. This would be the first time that a non-human animal species has used individual names.

 

[Shadrach]

How old are the chicks, now?

25 days old I think, give or take a day.

 

[Shadrach]

so what are you offering them at the moment?

I was feeding them a bird seed mix to which I added spelt wheat and dried split green peas.

https://www.reallywildbirdfood.co.uk/seed-mixes/original-farm-gold-/ofgold

The bird seed mix is good, but by using spelt for the wheat content, reducing the sunflower seeds and replacing the peanut kernels with chopped brazil nuts and just adding the split peas gives a considerable increase in methionine. Unlike ordinary wheat, spelt is a complete protein containing the nine essential amino acids. Brazil nuts are very high in methionine but high fat, although some would argue that they are good fats.
It works out slightly cheaper buy buying the ingredients seperately but more work making the feed.
The chicks are getting the more recent mix broken up with a hand blender. It won't be long before they're comfortable eating full sized feed. They take some from the adult food tray already.