Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Tea is ready.

Temperature is in the 70s and sunny.

Have a great day!

 

[Shadrach]

It's been more disjointed than busy the last few days. The field had an open day that is promoted by something called the Get Growing Trail organized by The Bristol Food Network.

https://www.bristolfoodnetwork.org/news/get-growing-garden-trail/

There are a few of these seasonal profile organizations around Bristol. I reserve judgement on how effective they are. The problem for us is mid June is not the right time for open days given the weather which has gradually slipped a month to six weeks later in the year. Many farms and gardens haven't had stuff in the ground for very long. We had a grand total of 4 visitors.
The field looks pretty good in general; best for many years some say. The reputation hasn't improved in the same manner.

Mow has been sick. I stood behind her and watched her lay another shell less egg. The egg was perfect bar this missing shell. Membrane strong enough to protect the egg when Mow sort of dropped it; I assume that without the shell judging when an egg is on the way is more difficult.
Yolk and white were fine. No blood, no sign of anything abnormal.
She wasn't eating. She was sleeping in the nest box. Looked listless during the day.
I have got some calcium citrate into her. She didn't go for the paste of bread from my hand but when I dumped it in front of her on the nest it was gone when I next checked on her. Small improvement the next day but nothing to write home about.
I've mentioned that Mow is a very keen forager. I thought she may be lacking something she has got from the field outside the allotment run.
They haven't been out onto the field and plots for almost a month now. It's the growing season and they've munched a few plants. The allotment run as you may have noticed from recent pictures has lots of green weeds but little grass. It's also rather small for a forage enhanced diet.
I took them out onto the field for an hour. Basically this means following them around and herding them to non critical growing areas. They were mostly on my plot or around the back of the coop run and of course around the bush at the end of the flower beds.
I went foraging. I found a few stones and a couple of sheets of sodden cardboard lying around and when I turned them over there were wood lice, millipeeds, bettles and various other bugs. I scraped about twenty bugs into my hand and took them to Mow. She ate them all. I went back and got more. She ate those as well. Roughly about 30 wood lice and 10 bugs.
She's had a few little bits of cheese as a protein and calcium rich probiotic and some more calcium citrate. today.
She is a different hen today. She ate a reasonable amount of the feed mix. I saw her eat a couple of pieces of the oystershell I leave out and she was in the allotment run foraging while I was there.

Is she fixed? I have no idea. Hard to tell until she lays another egg which she didn't today. She is acting and looking much better though.

The rescue chick has decided it's going to be my friend. Those couple of days away from mum and siblings have knocked it's imprinting off balance. It behaves differently towards me than the other three.

Getting home at 11pm on the dry days is wearing me out. Rain in the evenings means they all go to bed early; it's almost worth getting wet for. It all starts going the other way from June 22nd.

The last couple of days.

The two pictures of the grass and weed patch are hiding Henry who is in there somewhere.

 

[MrsNorthie]

She is acting and looking much better though.

I am glad to hear Mow is perking up!

 

[notabitail]

It's been more disjointed than busy the last few days. The field had an open day that is promoted by something called the Get Growing Trail organized by The Bristol Food Network.

https://www.bristolfoodnetwork.org/news/get-growing-garden-trail/

There are a few of these seasonal profile organizations around Bristol. I reserve judgement on how effective they are. The problem for us is mid June is not the right time for open days given the weather which has gradually slipped a month to six weeks later in the year. Many farms and gardens haven't had stuff in the ground for very long. We had a grand total of 4 visitors.
The field looks pretty good in general; best for many years some say. The reputation hasn't improved in the same manner.

Mow has been sick. I stood behind her and watched her lay another shell less egg. The egg was perfect bar this missing shell. Membrane strong enough to protect the egg when Mow sort of dropped it; I assume that without the shell judging when an egg is on the way is more difficult.
Yolk and white were fine. No blood, no sign of anything abnormal.
She wasn't eating. She was sleeping in the nest box. Looked listless during the day.
I have got some calcium citrate into her. She didn't go for the paste of bread from my hand but when I dumped it in front of her on the nest it was gone when I next checked on her. Small improvement the next day but nothing to write home about.
I've mentioned that Mow is a very keen forager. I thought she may be lacking something she has got from the field outside the allotment run.
They haven't been out onto the field and plots for almost a month now. It's the growing season and they've munched a few plants. The allotment run as you may have noticed from recent pictures has lots of green weeds but little grass. It's also rather small for a forage enhanced diet.
I took them out onto the field for an hour. Basically this means following them around and herding them to non critical growing areas. They were mostly on my plot or around the back of the coop run and of course around the bush at the end of the flower beds.
I went foraging. I found a few stones and a couple of sheets of sodden cardboard lying around and when I turned them over there were wood lice, millipeeds, bettles and various other bugs. I scraped about twenty bugs into my hand and took them to Mow. She ate them all. I went back and got more. She ate those as well. Roughly about 30 wood lice and 10 bugs.
She's had a few little bits of cheese as a protein and calcium rich probiotic and some more calcium citrate. today.
She is a different hen today. She ate a reasonable amount of the feed mix. I saw her eat a couple of pieces of the oystershell I leave out and she was in the allotment run foraging while I was there.

Is she fixed? I have no idea. Hard to tell until she lays another egg which she didn't today. She is acting and looking much better though.

The rescue chick has decided it's going to be my friend. Those couple of days away from mum and siblings have knocked it's imprinting off balance. It behaves differently towards me than the other three.

Getting home at 11pm on the dry days is wearing me out. Rain in the evenings means they all go to bed early; it's almost worth getting wet for. It all starts going the other way from June 22nd.

The last couple of days.View attachment 3865427View attachment 3865428View attachment 3865429View attachment 3865430View attachment 3865431View attachment 3865432View attachment 3865433View attachment 3865434View attachment 3865435View attachment 3865436View attachment 3865437View attachment 3865438View attachment 3865439View attachment 3865440
The two pictures of the grass and weed patch are hiding Henry who is in there somewhere.

I hope Mow gets well soon.

 

[Perris]

Mow ..[laid].. another shell less egg. The egg was perfect bar this missing shell. Membrane strong enough to protect the egg when Mow sort of dropped it; I assume that without the shell judging when an egg is on the way is more difficult.
Yolk and white were fine. No blood, no sign of anything abnormal.

This sounds just like Venka, and it happened very frequently throughout her first year. On the rare occasions that Hafod 'lays an egg', this is usually what she lays, and has been the case her whole first year of laying (she'll be 2 in August). They are not related.

She wasn't eating. She was sleeping in the nest box. Looked listless during the day.

fwiw, this doesn't sound like Venka. It has been true of Hafod on and off.

I've mentioned that Mow is a very keen forager. I thought she may be lacking something she has got from the field outside the allotment run.

Possibly, but I think it's a symptom of a disease or infection they've got, and that they can recover from it if given the chance (and are not culled). Venka is now 7, since that first year has been and still is laying well, and none of her offspring have had the same issue.

That apart, I don't think limited foraging is the cause for 2 reasons. 1. While it offers opportunities to supplement the diet with whatever the bird fancies it needs at that moment, and it may be crucial for birds whose mainstay is commercial feed, I think you've put a lot of thought - and calculation - into your feed to make sure that it includes everything she needs nutrient-wise. And Carbon's eating the same feed without issue yes? And Fret was too when she was laying yes? And her chicks have no sign of deficiency in the egg or in the chick yes? If yes to all those, then it's something to do with Mow, not with the food they all share.
2. Everything I've read about foraging by birds who have an alternative (supplied) source of food says that a major motivation is not the nutrients but the search. They like looking for stuff, some of which may be edible, but finding it is half the fun, it's like a treasure hunt, even a game. It's good for their mental as well as their physical health to go looking for stuff in and on the ground. By contrast, birds that are unwell don't forage (or only pretend to, to hide their illness), despite the fact that they might need unusual nutrients (to self-medicate) or the same nutrients more than usual.

Is she fixed? I have no idea. Hard to tell until she lays another egg which she didn't today. She is acting and looking much better though.

I hope so, but I guess my message here is, don't give up, or rush to treat too soon unless you are sure you know what the problem actually is.

The field had an open day that is promoted by something called the Get Growing Trail organized by The Bristol Food Network.

Wow! There's a lot going on there!

We had a grand total of 4 visitors.

You had a lot of competition! It's disappointing to get so little engagement though.

 

[Perris]

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...n-oldest-animal-welfare-charity-cruelty-abuse

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Tea is ready.

Temperature is in the 70s with strong gusty winds expected.

Have a great day!

 

[woodworm]

Thanks to BHWT we brought home some more lovely ladies last weekend ... No idea if they came from an 'RSPCA assurred' farm but a happier life awaits ...

 

[no fly zone]

Thanks to BHWT we brought home some more lovely ladies last weekend ... No idea if they came from an 'RSPCA assurred' farm but a happier life awaits ...

View attachment 3865774

Wish you the best of luck with these girls.

 

[janiedoe]

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...n-oldest-animal-welfare-charity-cruelty-abuse

I appreciate you sharing this. It's so sad, but writing like that can change the world.