Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fuzzi]

This evening, everyone got on the roost except poor Zacchaeus...he still roosts by himself.

Here's hoping Carbon feels better.

 

[tranquiliti]

​

On my broodies, as Robbie Burns observed, the best laid plans of mice and men

I had to look this up, because in my memory from my literature course two decades ago (!!) I couldn’t remember how “agley” was actually spelled.

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,​

To a Mouse

 

[Perris]

I just tried that on Google translate and it decided it was English

 

[BDutch]

Mine just hate pellets. I think that they would starve themselves if they got nothing but pellets. Whole grains, especially the hard red wheat, is their favourite.

Mine prefer eating mixed grains too. They get the whole grains at the end of the day. Or when I have to lure them in the run because I don’t want my chickens to free range anymore when no-one is at home.

I have noticed there is a huge difference in quality/liking of the pellets/crumbles. The organic pellets I have now are good.
I changed brand many times and noticed a huge difference in liking and spilling.

Most significant was a few years back. I bought organic crumble at the mill. The first provider (Van Gorp) had good feed, but the factory was bought by a large company and the brand + quality changed (Forfarmers). My chickens hated the new crumble. I needed to buy the chicken feed elsewhere. This (Welkoop) crumble had lots of dust and then I switched to pellets.
They ate the pellets just as wel and they didn’t spill so much on the floor.
The provider where I buy now (AR) has tasty pellets. My chickens eat chick feed too. The organic chick feed from AR only comes in crumble.

One hen (Kraai) spilled a lot when she ate from the chick crumble. She eats the tasty bits and threw the rest out. Making the chick feed wet seemed the only solution.

I bought a new feeder with a small silo because of it. In the description its saying its made against spilling. It helped a lot.

Spoiler: Product description

Galvanized feed silo 2.5 kg with plastic dividing wall is a feed trough made of galvanized sheet, is ideal for compact poultry houses. The product can be placed against a wall. There are 2 hanging holes at the back of the food bowl. The lid is hinged and can be opened to refill the food. The sloping top prevents animals from sitting on it.

To prevent spillage, a special grille has been made of plastic so that the animals cannot play with the food. The low feed level also ensures that spillage is kept to a minimum.

Dimensions: 15 x 16 x 25 cm (capacity 2.5 kg)
Price: € 10,95 excl. delivery costs

 

[Shadrach]

22/07
Carbon is still miserable. However, she isn't laying and is eating. Even the juveniles seem to know she's not well. Carbon wouldn't normally let the juveniles rest this close to her.

 

[Companihen]

Is she egg bound? She could have shell less egg stuck. When was her last egg? What are her symptoms?

She's not egg bound. She lays about 4 eggs a week. The last egg was yesterday. Normal shell but a very skinny oval egg.
Her symptoms.. she's just depressed! Sits all hunched up on the perch a lit during the day, much like the images we see of Carbon, she isn't molting. She's not interested in scraps and when I let them out to my whole garden she generally stays near the run which is rare. Spends a lit of time in the egg box prior to laying, often goes up and down a lot before settling in there... she just seems off really

 

[Companihen]

Thanks for all the posts about feeding eggshells back to the hens, I'll try this again, used to always do it. And I'll have a look at bettering their calcium intake through feed and possibly a supplement. Tvm

 

[Shadrach]

She's not egg bound. She lays about 4 eggs a week. The last egg was yesterday. Normal shell but a very skinny oval egg.
Her symptoms.. she's just depressed! Sits all hunched up on the perch a lit during the day, much like the images we see of Carbon, she isn't molting. She's not interested in scraps and when I let them out to my whole garden she generally stays near the run which is rare. Spends a lit of time in the egg box prior to laying, often goes up and down a lot before settling in there... she just seems off really

Chickens, hens in particular suffer just as many health problems as humans, probably more unfortunately particularly in their more senior years.
Carbon has been like this before. She shook what ever it was last time off.
Given unlimited funds and being able to find a good avian vet some of these problems can be ameliorated. Some things can even be cured. However, there is no avoiding genetic predisposition to health complaints and Carbon at six, mayve seven years old is an old hen for her breed. She had an awful start in life, poor nutrition, disgusting keeping conditions and things were not much improved when she came to the field with five others. All those she arrived with are dead now so statistically she's doing well.
It's all very sad, much as it is watching people one knows slowly dying from one terminal disease or another. Medical cures, despite the claims of modern medicine are few. Extensions of life are more common through medical intervention but at a cost in quality of life more often than not. For me over the last three years it's been a mission of palliative care for the majority of the rescues and Ex Battery hens.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Tea is ready.

Temperature is in the 70s sunny.

Have a great day!

 

[ManueB]

What does she feed in the winter or doesn't it snow there. She doesn't say in the article.
I pressure cook carcasses for broth. The bones crumble and I give them to poultry.
I have read people grind in a machine necks and backs for dogs.

Where she lives in the south of France her "normal" weather would mean snow five or six times a year and usually not lasting more than 48 hours before melting.
She does mention something that really surprised me, that in winter when there isn't enough to forage, she gives grape leaves from a specific variety for her chickens (we call it raspberry grape ). I have one of those grape vines and the only thing the chickens wants to do with it is make a nest in it to lay. They would never eat the leaves!

Also I don't remember if it was on this thread or another that we discussed bone broth. The cost of energy in most European countries is so expensive compared to America that making bone broth is a luxury here.

Thanks for all the posts about feeding eggshells back to the hens, I'll try this again, used to always do it. And I'll have a look at bettering their calcium intake through feed and possibly a supplement. Tvm

You could have a look at this article. I don't agree with 100% of what's written but still find it helpful.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/reproductive-health-in-chickens.79238/

For me over the last three years it's been a mission of palliative care for the majority of the rescues and Ex Battery hens.

Now that I've discovered from Perris the expression TLC that I didn't know - tender loving care - I think it's a way to see palliative care in a more positive light.
You can never be sure if the care you are giving will be efficient or not. But that does not mean it's useless. If Carbon must die now at least she will have known something closer to a normal chicken life for many months than how she lived before.