Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Tea is ready.

Temperature is in the 60s mostly cloudy with rain forecast for today.

Have a great day!

 

[Molpet]

Sadly enough she died this morning. RoyalChick posted a beautiful In memoriam on BYBobs thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...of-our-flock.1286630/page-21046#post-28219846

So sorry for your loss

 

[no fly zone]

Sadly enough she died this morning. RoyalChick posted a beautiful In memoriam on BYBobs thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...of-our-flock.1286630/page-21046#post-28219846

 

[RoyalChick]

Oh, my goodness. I just realized your post was from two weeks ago. I hope Bernie is doing better.

Sadly enough she died this morning. RoyalChick posted a beautiful In memoriam on BYBobs thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...of-our-flock.1286630/page-21046#post-28219846

sorry for your loss RC; the tribute was beautiful. RIP Bernie.

So sorry for your loss

Thank you all. I miss her, but life goes on.
The rest of my chickens were clearly in some confusion about what happened and have been sticking together for security. But the contest for who becomes the next top hen has already begun.
My money is on Tassels, who has begun to flex her muscle a little. But Calypso is not taking that transition of power as a given.
Calypso is the only hen laying and that seems to confer some status that allows her to stand up to the generally more domineering Tassels.
It is fascinating to watch. All quite subtle at the moment - not any overt violence beyond the odd peck on the noggin - but still quite clear that they are sorting things out between them.

 

[Perris]

The rest of my chickens

how many do you have RC? and are they all contemporaries or different ages?

 

[RoyalChick]

how many do you have RC? and are they all contemporaries or different ages?

Now without Bernie I only 5 hens and they are all the same age.
Bernie was from the previous year and was the only survivor from her year after I had some devastating losses - at least some due to Marek's and some from older production breed hens who had reproductive issues.
I will want to introduce new chicks in the Spring - which if Tassels goes broody again will at least make someone happy! But it is complicated because of the Marek's situation.
I cannot remember if it is here that I posted about this - but in theory it would be good to breed for Marek's resistance, but in practice that would mean a lot of deaths along the way, and I don't feel I can either justify that knowing the situation, or cope with it.
So I will have to introduce only vaccinated chicks. And it takes about 10 days for the vaccine to fully 'take'. So even with broody Tassels the chicks might just be too old for her to accept.
I am a bit optimistic on that front because she was such a determined broody - I feel she would have mothered a brick if I had rigged it with a speaker to go peep-peep! But it is clearly a wild card.
My Chicken Palace is sized for well over 20 chickens using the 'rules of thumb' often quoted here, and in addition they range in quite a large area protected by an electric fence (as long as I am not traveling).
My sense though is that whatever the rules of thumb say, they like more space and so I don't think I want to go over a dozen and probably am happiest with about 8-10.
Maybe I will introduce 3 in the Spring and hope everyone stays healthy and the coyotes don't get too aggressive.

 

[MaryJanet]

Now without Bernie I only 5 hens and they are all the same age.
Bernie was from the previous year and was the only survivor from her year after I had some devastating losses - at least some due to Marek's and some from older production breed hens who had reproductive issues.
I will want to introduce new chicks in the Spring - which if Tassels goes broody again will at least make someone happy! But it is complicated because of the Marek's situation.
I cannot remember if it is here that I posted about this - but in theory it would be good to breed for Marek's resistance, but in practice that would mean a lot of deaths along the way, and I don't feel I can either justify that knowing the situation, or cope with it.
So I will have to introduce only vaccinated chicks. And it takes about 10 days for the vaccine to fully 'take'. So even with broody Tassels the chicks might just be too old for her to accept.
I am a bit optimistic on that front because she was such a determined broody - I feel she would have mothered a brick if I had rigged it with a speaker to go peep-peep! But it is clearly a wild card.
My Chicken Palace is sized for well over 20 chickens using the 'rules of thumb' often quoted here, and in addition they range in quite a large area protected by an electric fence (as long as I am not traveling).
My sense though is that whatever the rules of thumb say, they like more space and so I don't think I want to go over a dozen and probably am happiest with about 8-10.
Maybe I will introduce 3 in the Spring and hope everyone stays healthy and the coyotes don't get too aggressive.

And your chicken coop is well set up in the event Tassels rejects the chicks. They can go into that special brooder section you've got.

 

[Molpet]

I think we were talking about battery hand warmers in here...those that have them, do you think if a waterer was set on them, it wouldn't freeze?

 

[RoyalChick]

And your chicken coop is well set up in the event Tassels rejects the chicks. They can go into that special brooder section you've got.

Yes. Absolutely. But I would love her to raise them if possible.

 

[Shadrach]

What caused it/ happened?


Are there plans for a clean-up day with the allotment people?

You're having a laugh! It's hard enough to get them to the field during the warmer summer months.