Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[no fly zone]

They won't fix derelict buildings in the city though.

Can't make money off those.

 

[no fly zone]

I hate lights at night. Especially bright ones.

I have to sleep with an eye mask on because the street lights here are ridiculously bright.

 

[no fly zone]

Between the two of them, Chippy & Skeksis Jr hatched out one chick.

 

[MrsNorthie]

have they much experience in that sort of habitat? Might it be naivete? Or maybe it depends also on what counts as 'long grass' in any given environment. Here they are quite happy to push through what look to me like equally dense patches of herbaceous perennials; maybe there is more clear space at their level, closer to the ground, with the perennials? So pursuing that thought, I imagine a patch of sedges or rushes or grasses that form tussocks might be more attractive than finer grasses that don't offer natural routes between clumps.

I think their comfort comes from 3 things,
1. Summer here can be hot and humid, just plain miserable. The high grass is up to my knees in most places, so well over their heads, so it offers shade, but air flow.
2. This is their land, where they grew up (the majority were hatched here. )
3. My boys are amazing. The boys all take a group of hens and stay with them, they get them under cover if a predator flies anywhere near and because the are really only a few feet from the front door, we are in and out all day, with the egg thief mowing, or taking the dogs for a walk (they urinate in strategic places which may help too. 3 dogs, going potty several times a day would intimidate predators that use scent.), ground predators steer clear, and if I hear anything untoward, night or day, I am out the door and patrolling..lol so they just feel safe.

We have huts with roosts in a couple of places to give them cover too. We have mostly proper hay field grass and weeds, some of which get kind of reedy as they mature. I will try to get some picture over the weekend. I just never think to take the camera or the phone out with me because usually, I am just in a hurry to see them. (of course, then they do something cute or funny and I think, "wish I had my camera.." )

 

[notabitail]

I have to sleep with an eye mask on because the street lights here are ridiculously bright.

Here they replaced the street lights with birght cold ugly LEDs.

The old next door neighbor moved away, and the new ones have a blazing bright cold LED porch light that auto-dims depending on motion, and it goes on and off CONSTANTLY.

 

[Shadrach]

Is this 1300-1400 m2?
In the US an acre is around 4000 m2. Do you use the same acres in England? In Europe we use hectare for large plots which is exact 10.000 (10,000) m2. Another difference. We use a , comma for decimals and . periods for large numbers (thousand, million).

Anyway, if my 8 bantam chickens free range they wont use that much space anymore. I think 1350 m2 for 5 normal sized chickens equals about 1080 m2 for 8 bantams. (½ x 8/5 x 1350)

I’m sure they don’t need so much space if there is chicken feed available in their run the whole day. The chickens only walk in our garden and on part of the municipalities green strip lately where we mow the grass without permission.

Until recently the chickens went to the neighbours too. Counting 3 gardens and the green strip they have been roaming on about 2000 m2. They walk on way less ground now bc one of the neighbours added chicken wire at their side of the ivy hedge. The other neighbours often have their dog outside. And on the green strip there is mainly high grass and wild blackberries now. The chickens don’t like to go into that*.

That leaves them about 400m2 to walk around. But the chickens still have lots of different vegetation and soil to eat from and seem as happy as before. And personally I like it that they stay within eyesight if they free range. It easier now to call the chickens to come home (to lock them up again).

Hiding for the sun or hoping for a piece of a sandwich?
View attachment 4150301

* edited
Like Perris I have noticed that chickens like to see where they are going. The chickens probably know the area with the high grass and wild blackberries is dangerous. I lost a few chickens out there in summer/autumn before it was mowed by the municipality.
Kwekky, sister of Katrientje (2022 1yo).
Abby and Chef the 2 young and tiny Dutch pullets (2023).

UK acre is about 4046 square metres.

 

[MrsNorthie]

UK acre is about 4046 square metres.

It is approximately 4,046.86 meters, so if you are trying to sell the land, it is 4,047 and if you are buying, 4.046.

 

[Shadrach]

Hooray!
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ropshire-halted-over-river-pollution-concerns

Even for those of us who deal with chicken poo on a daily/ weekly/ monthly/ annual basis, it's hard to visualize just how much poo would be generated by "an industrial chicken unit containing 230,000 birds at any one time". Actually, it's hard to picture 230,000 chickens together in one place at one time. Start with 23 and multiply by 10,000? Think of each one as a person and then start filling sports stadia with them?

And the proposed siting 400m from an existing poultry factory farm - not even one sixth of the recommended distance for biosecurity - shows how little these commercial concerns, or the planning committee of the council, care about anyone or thing in the vicinity, or govt guidance on containing H5N1 and similar diseases.

There must be a market for chicken shit fertilizer. It's all I use. I've seen it for sale but I can't remember where.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

There must be a market for chicken shit fertilizer. It's all I use. I've seen it for sale but I can't remember where.

It’s hugely popular here. It’s just a PITA to collect it and process it. Cheaper to let it wash out to sea. <- This is the big challenge of green commerce: finding a price point that covers your costs and that consumers will pay.

Here’s my favorite, pre-owning the source:
https://www.daddypetes.com/petes-kickin-chickin

 

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours. Warm and mostly sunny.