Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fuzzi]

Here's a thing. Carbon likes human contact least of all the current crew. But, once you've caught her she's one of the best behaved on my lap. For the very flighty, taking them off the perch after roost time wearing a head torch worked well.
It's one of the huge advantages I had in Catalonia. Because all the tribes had been in my house and around it, there wasn't much scary about the environment. I could take a chicken off the roost at night, carry them to my house and place them on the floor with some food and water. They know where they are and it's on the safe place list even if the circumstances were a bit odd.
As you know, I had a nestbox in the house and many went to it without encouragement. For patients that needed to be contained, I used to put them in a pet carrier and put that on top of the nestbox. Just needed to put the pet carrier on the floor and open the gate and they could come out, in the house, under supervision. Even Nolia (least cooperative bantam) got the hang of being let out and put back in.
Under such circumstances I could have Fret in overnight, massage evening and morning and fed and medicated if necessary and just let her out to join the others during the day; collect at night and repeat.

So taking a chicken home on the bus isn't an option?

 

[Molpet]

The cockerel that grabbed my wrist and twisted drawing blood, was a hatchery BR brooder baby. I remember he was too young to fry ..yet.... however I was stroking the chests of the chicks on the roost and he took offense I guess.... He grabbed twisted and ran like hell. So he knew that was a mistake... But he was pecking his siblings drawing blood on them too.
He was supposed to be a pullet... anyway at 16 wks he dressed out around 2 and half lbs.
I had one rooster that was fascinated with my feet. He would run up looking at my feet. He never did anything else. I never did decide if he was thinking about mating or fighting but I didn't think it was a problem.

 

[Molpet]

. I don't want a 30 pound bird trying to establish dominance over me every time I try to feed them..lol

Yes I was so bruised and bleeding trying all the tricks to get the toms to behave. Every time my back was turned, wham both feet.

 

[fuzzi]

I follow similar techniques and mentality; some people say to walk among them in a way that demands respect, by making the chickens move. I find that both useless and if I may, dumb.

I try to respect their space, and will walk in my own lane. These boys will run towards me to attack, unprovoked. I do not count a "square-up" with me as an attack (in case of a square up I ignore it). All 6 boys mentioned have made contact with their beaks, and 2 incorporating so kicks as well. With some it's for a second, a few hold on for an impressive (at that age) time.

I've learned to be very respectful of their space, thanks to Kolovos. As I've mentioned many times before, he's not the biggest fan of me. I've learned to walk and behave in a way that wouldn't challenge his authority much; so far this has worked with him, and there have been no attacks (head scratches or any kind of contact with him is out the window, however). His six sons however are much more easily triggered

Edit to add: my reaction was ignoring it, mostly. With the more "extreme" attacks I tried to get them off without pushing them too much and causing a bigger reaction in return

When I walk in the run the chickens move out of the way for the most part. If I have tomato or grape bits they tend to crowd my feet. I rarely step on their feet but a squawk lets me know that they got too close. They learn. The littles are now taking bits from my fingers, though it's more of a snatch and run. Silas is the boldest, typical cockerel.

I'm still learning about males. Joel was raised in a brooder, no adult hens. As a chick he would sit on my lap, and even take short snoozes there. He did give me an occasional quick peck on the back of my legs as he was asserting his dominance. I ignored it for the most part. He was a good rooster for his short life, respected my position, tidbited his girls, and kept Samuel in line as the "roo in the queue".

Samuel was from the same hatch as Joel, but he wasn't a lap chick. He was always standoffish, but submitted to Joel's authority. He became head roo just before Joel died and I didn't anticipate any issues. Within a month Samuel flogged my face, cut me just below the eye. He never tidbited his hens, and was rough with his mating. I believe he was the one who attacked Zack as a 2 day old chick, twice. I removed Samuel permanently after observing him going after his own chicks in a serious and murderous manner.

Zacchaeus is about 4 months old, has had limited human contact, mostly hen raised. He was developmentally behind the others, but I suspect getting hurt early on was the main reason for that. He caught up after a few weeks, and has been the only male and only one left from his brood since he was 6 weeks old. He has attacked my feet and skirt, and I have ignored him. I am hoping he will do better than his sire, Samuel, and become a good rooster.

In my limited experience I believe that environment is not the main reason a rooster is good like Henry or Joel, (or my first roo Ping, circa 1992). It didn't seem to be a factor with Samuel, who was raised in a similar manner as Joel. I suspect the differences are due to different personalities.

I am posting this here as there are so many experienced people in this thread. I don't expect answers, but insights from the wise are always welcome.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Good morning! We have 7 chicks and one egg I will be leaving until the evening.

Morinth on top in black and Samara in white

Morinth's chicks.

Samara's chicks and the remaining egg.

So cute

 

[fluffycrow]

When I walk in the run the chickens move out of the way for the most part. If I have tomato or grape bits they tend to crowd my feet. I rarely step on their feet but a squawk lets me know that they got too close. They learn. The littles are now taking bits from my fingers, though it's more of a snatch and run. Silas is the boldest, typical cockerel.

I'm still learning about males. Joel was raised in a brooder, no adult hens. As a chick he would sit on my lap, and even take short snoozes there. He did give me an occasional quick peck on the back of my legs as he was asserting his dominance. I ignored it for the most part. He was a good rooster for his short life, respected my position, tidbited his girls, and kept Samuel in line as the "roo in the queue".

Samuel was from the same hatch as Joel, but he wasn't a lap chick. He was always standoffish, but submitted to Joel's authority. He became head roo just before Joel died and I didn't anticipate any issues. Within a month Samuel flogged my face, cut me just below the eye. He never tidbited his hens, and was rough with his mating. I believe he was the one who attacked Zack as a 2 day old chick, twice. I removed Samuel permanently after observing him going after his own chicks in a serious and murderous manner.

Zacchaeus is about 4 months old, has had limited human contact, mostly hen raised. He was developmentally behind the others, but I suspect getting hurt early on was the main reason for that. He caught up after a few weeks, and has been the only male and only one left from his brood since he was 6 weeks old. He has attacked my feet and skirt, and I have ignored him. I am hoping he will do better than his sire, Samuel, and become a good rooster.

In my limited experience I believe that environment is not the main reason a rooster is good like Henry or Joel, (or my first roo Ping, circa 1992). It didn't seem to be a factor with Samuel, who was raised in a similar manner as Joel. I suspect the differences are due to different personalities.

I am posting this here as there are so many experienced people in this thread. I don't expect answers, but insights from the wise are always welcome.

My experience with broody-raised males is very limited. In total, I've had 9. Only two of those were more long-term (7 were culled at around the 4 month mark). Generally, some shifts and changes to a male's personality can happen until the age of 18 months (give or take a little bit depending on breed and maturity rate) is what I've found. Only one male has passed that age, and he has gamefowl blood in him, if not pure gamefowl; human aggression out of him would have been an abnormality.

All this to say, I have very little experience with broody-raised males. For all I know, given 6 or 12 more months half of those birds could have started attacking me. For the time period that they were here though, none did.

With brooder-raised males, however, a lot more became human aggressive.

We know that birds imprint on the first thing they see, more or less. While it is not as serious in landfowl as it is with say psittacines, it still is a thing. Not to mention, chicks receive a lot of cues from their parent(s); way more than what we could ever give them.

It makes sence that growing up with a broody would make the offspring more "well-rounded" and least likely to miss social cues, or missinterpret movements from whatever species.

Most notably, I've read relatively often on this site people's hens and pullets squatting whenever they approach. In a similar fashion, many report that their brooder-raised males attack them (not to say that broody-raised males never do). Seems to me like growing up without the teachings of a broody can be visible in both sexes, via different behaviours one would not often see from birds with limited human contact. No broody-raised female I've had has ever squatted for me (granted, not many of mine squat for me regardless of upbringing), and as aformentioned, no broody-raised male has attacked me

Speculating on what trigger causes which behaviour will always come with a set of difficulties, given that keeping animals is very nuanced, and there will always be exceptions to the rule.

That said, it makes sense to me that birds, and more specifically, chickens, raised under a broody which is experienced with her keeping setup and social status will make for offspring that have a good understanding of their place in the group, their surroundings, their species, and can more easily and appropriately interpret movements and gestures coming from other chickens, humans, etc without confusing them

 

[fluffycrow]

Good morning! We have 7 chicks and one egg I will be leaving until the evening.
View attachment 3908305
Morinth on top in black and Samara in white
View attachment 3908307
Morinth's chicks.
View attachment 3908306
Samara's chicks and the remaining egg.
View attachment 3908308
So cute

Congrats on the chicks! They are adorable, and both mums look quite pleased with what they've achieved.

Morinth looks slightly pissed with the camera being so close to her babies

 

[notabitail]

maybe use your index finger as a pseudo beak next time one of the bravado boys comes calling?

I've done that to Cockerel. He's really bad some days and seems to learn depending on how he feels that day.

 

[notabitail]

No apologies needed, I didn't even notice it until you pointed it out .

It means butt-less. When he was a young cockerel he had no tail feathers, so he was lovingly called "the butt-less one". The name stuck

Chicken Abigail had no tail feathers either for a long while. My Mom called her "Abitail".

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Tea is ready.

Temperature is in the 80s sunnt.

Have a great day!