Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours today. 32C. I let Mow and Sylph onto the field as soon as they had finished eating. They headed straight for my plot, possibly the coolest place on the field late afternoon with at least some sort of cover.
They had a long bath together and hung around the plot and shade until the sun dipped behind the trees and then went foraging.

 

[kattabelly]

Is there any danger if one of my chickens took a few bites out of a raw potato?

Different species but based on the time I had a flock of semi-feral Muscovies eat all the shallowest tubers from half a field's worth of potatoes I'm going to guess a few pecks will be fine.

 

[BDutch]

@Skyeknight said:
Is there any danger if one of my chickens took a few bites out of a raw potato?

Different species but based on the time I had a flock of semi-feral Muscovies eat all the shallowest tubers from half a field's worth of potatoes I'm going to guess a few pecks will be fine.

One neighbour who cares for our chickens when we are on a vacation sometimes gives kitchen left overs as a treat to our chickens. One time she gave potato peels and was surprised my chickens didn’t eat them. Maybe they tried and rejected ? The neighbour must have thought they were mini pigs

 

[Perris]

Xmoor out foraging with the flock this morning, and looking pretty good for someone who's been sitting for over 5 weeks.

Subject to Rhondda and Aberglasny faring likewise, I think I'll stop breaking broodies, and just leave their hormones to switch off naturally.

 

[fuzzi]

Naomi tried getting her 18 day old chicks on the roost last night. Three managed it, but she came back down when the other three got frantic.

 

[Molpet]

Lame, one good eye rooster talking to new chicks.

8 week CX on bale.

Next to grown hen trying to get down and away

 

[Skyeknight]

I think I'll stop breaking broodies, and just leave their hormones to switch off naturally.

This is actually quite an interesting statement. Would be interesting to see how long different breeds would take to stop being broody, and if there is correlation between egg production and known for being a very broody breed.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

This is actually quite an interesting statement. Would be interesting to see how long different breeds would take to stop being broody, and if there is correlation between egg production and known for being a very broody breed.

I've seen some posts about very stubborn broodies - 5 weeks, etc. (without chicks, on or off fake eggs)

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Xmoor's broody hormones have subsided, I think, bringing the first 'leave broodies on fake eggs' experiment to a close. She seemed to have been drifting back to normality the last few days (she was not in a trance whenever I looked in on her), and this morning I found her off for breakfast at 5.30, and still off 3 hours later:
View attachment 4171342
So she sat for 5 1/2 weeks, on 2 fake eggs. I did not remove the eggs or block the nest because she could/would simply have moved operations to another of the 8 nest boxes (they all get used by various hens) or worse, gone off and nested out, where I may or may not have found her before a predator did...

Do any of the hens who do routinely use the nesting boxes also roost out at night? (when not broody)

edit: my brain is a mess today

 

[RoyalChick]

I've seen some posts about very stubborn broodies - 5 weeks, etc. (without chicks, on or off fake eggs)

I intervened when Tassels went over 6 weeks. It took a few days to get her to snap out of it, so six and a half weeks all in.