Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

We can all have lofty discussions about why we keep chickens, but I suspect that for many it is just pure entertainment.

Entertainment, chicken tv and fun compagnon is all that we should do according to the national health institute in my country RIVM). They advice all backyard chicken keepers to stop eating eggs of our own chickens because many have too much PFAS. Very strange because some people have eggs that are poisonous and and other BYC produce eggs that are good to eat.
In Belgium (Flanders) they have about the sane problems as we have in NL. There the government advices to eat no more than 2 eggs a week.

Someone made an online map with test results from people who shared their test results. The result fluctuates so much it seems ridiculous. Closest to my place is green btw.

I have to wait one more week for the test result. Please root for me.

 

[townchicks]

Entertainment, chicken tv and fun compagnon is all that we should do according to the national health institute in my country RIVM). They advice all backyard chicken keepers to stop eating eggs of our own chickens because many have too much PFAS. Very strange because some people have eggs that are poisonous and and other BYC produce eggs that are good to eat.
In Belgium (Flanders) they have about the sane problems as we have in NL. There the government advices to eat no more than 2 eggs a week.

Someone made an online map with test results from people who shared their test results. The result fluctuates so much it seems ridiculous. Closest to my place is green btw.

I have to wait one more week for the test result. Please root for me.

 

[Shadrach]

Entertainment, chicken tv and fun compagnon is all that we should do according to the national health institute in my country RIVM). They advice all backyard chicken keepers to stop eating eggs of our own chickens because many have too much PFAS. Very strange because some people have eggs that are poisonous and and other BYC produce eggs that are good to eat.
In Belgium (Flanders) they have about the sane problems as we have in NL. There the government advices to eat no more than 2 eggs a week.

Someone made an online map with test results from people who shared their test results. The result fluctuates so much it seems ridiculous. Closest to my place is green btw.

I have to wait one more week for the test result. Please root for me.

Everything one eats has micro plastics in it. The water you drink and water the vegetables with has micro plastics in it, organic or not. I doubt there is anything grown that we can eat that doesn't.
When government advice finally catches up with reality and tests everything we eat only to find that it contains toxins and micro plastics what do you think their advice will be; stop eating?
I'm not suggesting this is a good thing, or even a thing we shouldn't be trying to do something about, not for us necessarily but for all the other creatures in the world we are poisoning. Rather than worry about us (the sooner the planet rids itself of us the better) it's the rest of the planets occupants and of course the planet itself.
So much complete nonsense is getting written about diet in particular. Every newspaper hack it seems trots out some reviewed study on one or other aspect of diet. What about we should eat 30 different vegetables a week? Whoever dreamed this up obviously doesn't live where I do. Lucky if I can pick 5 vegetables that will grow in a particular season at the supermarkets and even the few proper fruit and veg shops. That knocks a bit of a hole in the various diets advice.
Oh, but we can import a wider variety. What about the non immediate costs of these imports. The pollutants in food isn't just confined to a few countries!
Do yourself a favour, stop worrying about what's done.

 

[fuzzi]

Everything one eats has micro plastics in it. The water you drink and water the vegetables with has micro plastics in it, organic or not. I doubt there is anything grown that we can eat that doesn't.
When government advice finally catches up with reality and tests everything we eat only to find that it contains toxins and micro plastics what do you think their advice will be; stop eating?
I'm not suggesting this is a good thing, or even a thing we shouldn't be trying to do something about, not for us necessarily but for all the other creatures in the world we are poisoning. Rather than worry about us (the sooner the planet rids itself of us the better) it's the rest of the planets occupants and of course the planet itself.
So much complete nonsense is getting written about diet in particular. Every newspaper hack it seems trots out some reviewed study on one or other aspect of diet. What about we should eat 30 different vegetables a week? Whoever dreamed this up obviously doesn't live where I do. Lucky if I can pick 5 vegetables that will grow in a particular season at the supermarkets and even the few proper fruit and veg shops. That knocks a bit of a hole in the various diets advice.
Oh, but we can import a wider variety. What about the non immediate costs of these imports. The pollutants in food isn't just confined to a few countries!
Do yourself a favour, stop worrying about what's done.

Moderation in all things. And stop worrying, agreed.

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

(the sooner the planet rids itself of us the better)

I'm not entirely in agreement about that part. I'm more of the belief that we need to relearn how to coexist with the world, the same way we have for thousands of years. It's easy to see humanity as a blight when all we've ever experienced is industrialism and climate change, but our species has been an active participant and even a keystone species in many ecosystems for hundreds of thousands of years. I think humans are naturally altruistic and compassionate, we're just in an artificial environment that incentivises competition and destruction

 

[Shadrach]

My diet advice.
Relax. Sress is likely to do more damage to your health than what you eat.
Chew your food and eat food that needs to be chewed. Watching some people eat makes me wonder if those digestive enzymes even saw the food that's just gone down the throat.
Try to eat locally grown food and if that's difficult at least try to eat food grown in the country you live in. This has a massive impact on all sorts of poison levels.
Try to learn to cook with seasonal foods for where you live.
Eat a proportion of uncooked food. Cooking is good for some foods, not so good for others.
There is a very good case for eating more fibre given our most common diets these days.
Eat food rather than taking pharma supplements.
Something the British are really bad at is herb and spice use in cooking. Apparently this stuff is good for you, even in small quantities. Eat more of them.
Lots of meat cuts, for those that eat it that one used to find in a butchers shop just don't feature in the supermarkets. A lot of these cuts of meat and even fish are tossed into cat and dog food. We could go back to eating cats and dogs, might be a good taste to aquire in event of dire circumstances or find a butcher that will do these cuts for you. Don't need to go extreme on this but kidneys,liver, heart, chicken gizzard is nice, pigs trotters and many more used to be eaten by people when I was a boy.
Accept you're going to die and one doesn't get an awfull lot of choice of what one dies of, or when. A lot of it is already coded in ones genes and all the "health food" in the world isn't going to change this.
Eat less for most of us. We don't need as much food as the average person eats.
Eat some of everything that is edible.

There you go. No need to worry about the studies. Follow the above and you'll be fine.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm not entirely in agreement about that part. I'm more of the belief that we need to relearn how to coexist with the world, the same way we have for thousands of years. It's easy to see humanity as a blight when all we've ever experienced is industrialism and climate change, but our species has been an active participant and even a keystone species in many ecosystems for hundreds of thousands of years. I think humans are naturally altruistic and compassionate, we're just in an artificial environment that incentivises competition and destruction

Call me Mr Smith. (The Matrix films)

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

My diet advice.
Relax. Sress is likely to do more damage to your health than what you eat.
Chew your food and eat food that needs to be chewed. Watching some people eat makes me wonder if those digestive enzymes even saw the food that's just gone down the throat.
Try to eat locally grown food and if that's difficult at least try to eat food grown in the country you live in. This has a massive impact on all sorts of poison levels.
Try to learn to cook with seasonal foods for where you live.
Eat a proportion of uncooked food. Cooking is good for some foods, not so good for others.
There is a very good case for eating more fibre given our most common diets these days.
Eat food rather than taking pharma supplements.
Something the British are really bad at is herb and spice use in cooking. Apparently this stuff is good for you, even in small quantities. Eat more of them.
Lots of meat cuts, for those that eat it that one used to find in a butchers shop just don't feature in the supermarkets. A lot of these cuts of meat and even fish are tossed into cat and dog food. We could go back to eating cats and dogs, might be a good taste to aquire in event of dire circumstances or find a butcher that will do these cuts for you. Don't need to go extreme on this but kidneys,liver, heart, chicken gizzard is nice, pigs trotters and many more used to be eaten by people when I was a boy.
Accept you're going to die and one doesn't get an awfull lot of choice of what one dies of, or when. A lot of it is already coded in ones genes and all the "health food" in the world isn't going to change this.
Eat less for most of us. We don't need as much food as the average person eats.
Eat some of everything that is edible.

There you go. No need to worry about the studies. Follow the above and you'll be fine.

Totally agreed, I try to follow this general advice as much as I can. I also prioritize GFF meat, but that's as much for ethical reasons as health reasons

 

[MROO]

After the recent passing of one of the senior hens, I wasn’t expecting, or at the very least, hoping there to be another death in the groups for some time.

On Wednesday, I found Kolovos in terrible condition. His comb was pale and droopy, he was not standing, eyes shut and generally unresponsive. Looked him over for potential injuries, large scabs, and fluids coming out of his mouth, beak or eyes, anything I could have missed the past few days, as I had not seen the chickens on Tuesday. Nothing. He was just shutting down. Completely unresponsive to food and water. Sure enough, by Thursday he was gone. I can’t say what killed him. Possibly something internal that was going on long before it was noticeable. Maybe it was me who killed him (indirectly), by continuing to keep them on a commercial feed diet.

He was never particularly fond of me, as I’ve written many times before on this thread and many more. Still, I respected him very much. He was the rooster that accomplished a lot of the firsts on this property. He and his girls were the ones to teach me what a proper, (semi) well-structured group looks like, as well as all the natural behaviours that accompany it. He was for the most part, excellent with his hens. The first time I’d clearly seen hens picking their male. I could go on and on about what Kolovos had brought to his group, and this property. Most importantly though, I am saddened beyond words that he won’t get to continue his wonderful journey; gone before reaching five years old, much too soon.

I can’t imagine what his hens are going through. They seem completely normal, but I haven’t heard a peep in days; I think that says enough.

I have no clue what the future holds for the Tsouloufati group now. Any future plans or hopes I had (not smart on my part, I know), all included Kolovos. He has left behind quite the legacy, many daughters and granddaughters, and two sons and/or grandsons. It remains to be seen if any of them step up to claim the spot left by their (grand)sire. They’ve got big shoes to fill, and I don’t think the senior hens, which are very much bonded and loyal to Kolovos, will give them said spot easily.

View attachment 4097263One of my favourite photos of him, durst bathing with his hens. The ISA brown in the photo was the previous matriarch, who died almost two years ago at a normal (for an ISA brown) age. The other two are still doing good; hen on the right is the current head hen. Not sure if someone will attempt to take her rank, now that she does not have Kolovos for support

I'm so sorry! He sure was a handsome fellow!

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

Call me Mr Smith. (The Matrix films)

you gotta start doing chicken work with the suit and sunglasses on, let everyone know you mean business