Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Labsandchickens8]

I have had chicks from a feed store, from a local breeder, and raised by a broody. They all instinctively dust bathed in the shaving of their brooder, or in the case of the broody-raised, outside in the dirt.

I would think that the ex batt’s probably had the same instinct as chicks, but the behavior was suppressed due to lack of availability. If they are in cages or crowded situations, then they can’t/won’t dust bathe. When one of my hens settles down to dust bathe, she doesn’t like to be crowded by others, and won’t do it if I’m moving around the run or if there are other stressors around.

If they are still adjusting to a new environment (which takes time) and if they are stressed by poor health or overcrowding, then I would conjecture there may still be some mental pressure on them that would continue to repress dust bathing. I’m curious to see if they pick up (or rediscover?) the behavior over time.

Absolutely! I'm sure there are very good reasons why some scraps shouldn't be fed to some animals. But BSE was cause by adding homogenized sheep brain to cattle feed for commercial sale to farmers. (Of course only the feed producers knew what actually went into the feed then - much like now btw. I cannot imagine any farmer knowingly feeding his cows sheep brain - they all knew about scrapie.) Nobody got CJD from eating free range eggs. The blanket ban on feeding anything that's been in a kitchen to poultry is in my view completely OTT as a response to the awful BSE outbreak that followed such unnatural feeding practices.

Morning all so took many photos for tax
This the banty coop still have cockerel to leave .. Am thrilled with the hen ratio in there.View attachment 2925932

One year ago today this was occurring outside the coop complex.

View attachment 2930998

This is how they spent their day. By choice.

Ohhh, you've got a couple of those white hissy monsters.
What do you feed them?

I have to address this.
This is a thread on a chicken site on the internet. None of what I write is a pesonal criticism. I am critical of a particular model of chicken keeping. If the reader sees elements of their chicken keeping arrangements in the content I write that is critical of a particular model then I can't be held responsible for that.
Here on BYC I am one of a very very small minority with relatively extreme views amoung a huge population of supporters of the chicken keeping model I have deep reservations about.
It makes it very difficult if people take my views as a personal criticism for me to write anything in case I upset someone.

You should definitely keep expressing your viewpoint - your very educated and experienced viewpoint. We can all learn from it and do the best we can for our own chickens.

 

[Perris]

what page are you up to now @Labsandchickens8 ? It takes some steel to start reading a thread this big from the beginning, and more perseverance to keep working through it.

Did you intend to quote all those posts, or just the last one?

 

[Perris]

congratulations on your Friend badges @Mother of Chaos and @thistlewick It seems to me you haven't been around long but both of you have made quite the impact on me in that time!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

congratulations on your Friend badges @Mother of Chaos and @thistlewick It seems to me you haven't been around long but both of you have made quite the impact on me in that time!

Thank you! I probably shouldn’t tell you that I plan to pick your brain until your skull is empty, huh?

 

[Labsandchickens8]

Morning X Batts Hope all are well this morning
this is tax also the feeders I use on the floor bought a length of one larger diameter pipe cut in half hardware cloth enough to cover to the floor the bigger is over the hardware cloth .. Keeps rats out the food.View attachment 3011146

As my youngest pointed out, I'm not like a decent Scotch that gets better with age...I still thinking about this one...

danger

what page are you up to now @Labsandchickens8 ? It takes some steel to start reading a thread this big from the beginning, and more perseverance to keep working through it.

Did you intend to quote all those posts, or just the last one?

Okay, I absolutely only intended to quote the last one. Sorry for my ineptness with technology sometimes.
I'm just short of page 400. It's unfolding like a good book I can't put down but could take me the rest of the summer to catch up. Please don't tell me what happens with C and gorgeous Henry.
Probably not cooking dinner tonight - my husband may hide my phone.
Do I need to pay tax, or is that still a thing?

 

[fuzzi]

Okay, I absolutely only intended to quote the last one. Sorry for my ineptness with technology sometimes.
I'm just short of page 400. It's unfolding like a good book I can't put down but could take me the rest of the summer to catch up. Please don't tell me what happens with C and gorgeous Henry.
Probably not cooking dinner tonight - my husband may hide my phone.
Do I need to pay tax, or is that still a thing?

It's worth reading the whole thing.

I'll pay some tax for you:

 

[Labsandchickens8]

It's worth reading the whole thing.

I'll pay some tax for you:
View attachment 4164310

Adorable!

 

[Sally PB]

I owe tax, but have no way to transfer pictures from my phone to my computer right now. So here's an oldie, but a goodie.

It looks like Widget is cussing out Snowbird, but actually she was preening him.

 

[Shadrach]

Four hours today.
Tull died sometime this morning. I found her dead next to Fret in the coop extension. She had a heart attack. No mistaking the signs, neck far out and hackles slightly raised. Poor Tull. Poor all of them.
Fret is no better but she had managed to leave the coop and perch on the board that separates the coop and the coop extension, something I had sever doubts about when I left her last night. I put Fret on the roost bar in the coop tonight and she wobbled a bit but settled.
If everybody was dying with even vaguely similar symptoms I could believe something contagious was being picked up and was spreading through the group, but they're not.
Grave digging tomorrow again. I should at least have some help for that as my friend who lives close by has offered to help. my eldest's husband who would and has helped in the past has a broken wrist and the treasurer who would also help has hurt his back.
Sylph is laying again a few days after the shell less egg she laid and the eggs are normal.

It's complete nonsense but I can't help thinking if Henry was alive none of this would be happening.

 

[notabitail]

Four hours today.
Tull died sometime this morning. I found her dead next to Fret in the coop extension. She had a heart attack. No mistaking the signs, neck far out and hackles slightly raised. Poor Tull. Poor all of them.
Fret is no better but she had managed to leave the coop and perch on the board that separates the coop and the coop extension, something I had sever doubts about when I left her last night. I put Fret on the roost bar in the coop tonight and she wobbled a bit but settled.
If everybody was dying with even vaguely similar symptoms I could believe something contagious was being picked up and was spreading through the group, but they're not.
Grave digging tomorrow again. I should at least have some help for that as my friend who lives close by has offered to help. my eldest's husband who would and has helped in the past has a broken wrist and the treasurer who would also help has hurt his back.
Sylph is laying again a few days after the shell less egg she laid and the eggs are normal.

It's complete nonsense but I can't help thinking if Henry was alive none of this would be happening.
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