Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[kattabelly]

Does anyone feed chard to their chickens? I’m planting some as part of a fall crop, more for looks than anything else.

I hate it, myself, and when I found out that it’s a member of the beet family, I realized why.

Chard ‘Bright Lights’:
View attachment 4191677

Mine go mad for it, even when it's bolted and more bitter.

Some varieties are sweeter than others, and soil / watering / time of year can all affect the flavour too. I make a chard, new potato soup and chickpea that's really good - super lemony and lots of fresh herbs. Let me see if I can find a written recipe.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

The Bigs listen uneasily as I explain what exactly @Mrs. K means when she says “Solve for peace in the flock”:

View attachment 4191770

Message received:

(This is out in the chicken yard, not in the run.)

 

[Labsandchickens8]

probably true.
I made 4 cattle panel coops. 1st coop was 8x24x6 ft, The next 3 were 8x8x6 ft. Then I picked up the small 5x5x3 ft supposed to be for broodies and injured.
Then poultry yard is about 200 x 600 ft right now. I have the net fences I move around.
Before I got covid I would split up the poultry yard in 4 sections for breeding tribes in the spring and open it up in the fall. Some birds would switch coops. I have one hen that has moved to 3 different coops on her own, one coop 2x. She is currently in the coop that had the injured hen. She is always the boys favorite target and the lowest hen.

I've been reading through this thread for the last several weeks, from the very beginning. My chickens have far more than the recommended 10 square feet per chicken (280 sq ft for 8 large fowl, 100 sq ft for 2 Polish I had to separate) but I really want to give them some ranging space. My very large yard is not fenced and a giant junior high school just got built behind us in what was a cow pasture the first 30 years we lived here. It's so sad. I'm waiting until we can afford to put a good fence across the back and debating how to get them out for exercise in the meantime. This thread has made me determined to do better for them.
I was originally going to build some tunnels and a movable tractor type end point but that still doesn't give them the opportunity to go where they want - only where I park them, which is better than nothing. But a movable net or e fence could be great. We do have foxes, lots of coyotes, and mean dogs that show up in our front yard and attack my dogs occasionally (who can't leave because of shock collars). I would love recommendations on net fencing, e fencing or any other way to give the girls more space.
Below: their little faces . . . They want out!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I've been reading through this thread for the last several weeks, from the very beginning. My chickens have far more than the recommended 10 square feet per chicken (280 sq ft for 8 large fowl, 100 sq ft for 2 Polish I had to separate) but I really want to give them some ranging space. My very large yard is not fenced and a giant junior high school just got built behind us in what was a cow pasture the first 30 years we lived here. It's so sad. I'm waiting until we can afford to put a good fence across the back and debating how to get them out for exercise in the meantime. This thread has made me determined to do better for them.
I was originally going to build some tunnels and a movable tractor type end point but that still doesn't give them the opportunity to go where they want - only where I park them, which is better than nothing. But a movable net or e fence could be great. We do have foxes, lots of coyotes, and mean dogs that show up in our front yard and attack my dogs occasionally (who can't leave because of shock collars). I would love recommendations on net fencing, e fencing or any other way to give the girls more space.
Below: their little faces . . . They want out!

We bought this! I think it’s meant for small chicks, but in fact, after a few tentative hops onto the 4’ high wobbly tops, my almost-7-month-olds are generally content to remain inside. Combine their poles with T-poles from other sellers for the corners and other critical angles. Their poles are good for straight lines. 50’ long rolls.

They’re movable, and we’ve moved them to let the girls chomp down some grass, but the top of the net fencing does stretch out, so you probably don’t want to overdo it.

Order big for free shipping. I love this company. Prompt shipping, great customer support.

I think I learned about this fencing from @fuzzi.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php?fence_id=150

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...-for-electric-netting?criteria=Prima+net+post
I bought these poles:
Item # 202204
Prima NetPost 13.5/48/SS Grey

 

[Labsandchickens8]

We bought this! I think it’s meant for small chicks, but in fact, after a few tentative hops onto the 4’ high wobbly tops, my almost-7-month-olds are generally content to remain inside. Combine their poles with T-poles from other sellers for the corners and other critical angles. Their poles are good for straight lines. 50’ long rolls.

They’re movable, and we’ve moved them to let the girls chomp down some grass, but the top of the net fencing does stretch out, so you probably don’t want to overdo it.

Order big for free shipping. I love this company. Prompt shipping, great customer support.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php?fence_id=150

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...-for-electric-netting?criteria=Prima+net+post
I bought these poles:
Item # 202204
Prima NetPost 13.5/48/SS Grey

Thank you so much! This is very helpful.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful.

It doesn’t photograph well (it becomes invisible), but here’s our dinky backyard, most of which is now chicken territory. We turned it over to the chickens this summer, because I had a total right knee replacement and wasn’t going to garden. It’s kind of a mess, lol, but the girls are happy:

 

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours today. Some light rain and a couple of degrees cooler than yesterday

.

 

[fuzzi]

We bought this! I think it’s meant for small chicks, but in fact, after a few tentative hops onto the 4’ high wobbly tops, my almost-7-month-olds are generally content to remain inside. Combine their poles with T-poles from other sellers for the corners and other critical angles. Their poles are good for straight lines. 50’ long rolls.

They’re movable, and we’ve moved them to let the girls chomp down some grass, but the top of the net fencing does stretch out, so you probably don’t want to overdo it.

Order big for free shipping. I love this company. Prompt shipping, great customer support.

I think I learned about this fencing from @fuzzi.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php?fence_id=150

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...-for-electric-netting?criteria=Prima+net+post
I bought these poles:
Item # 202204
Prima NetPost 13.5/48/SS Grey

I may have mentioned looking at this fencing, but I haven't used it.

It's not going to keep chickens safe from foxes, coyotes, or loose dogs.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I may have mentioned looking at this fencing, but I haven't used it.

It's not going to keep chickens safe from foxes, coyotes, or loose dogs.

No, it is definitely not predator-safe. It’s strictly a portable/flexible fencing system.

Apologies for at’ing you, lol - I read about it here somewhere.

 

[RoyalChick]

I may have mentioned looking at this fencing, but I haven't used it.

It's not going to keep chickens safe from foxes, coyotes, or loose dogs.

The electric version should. I have certainly seen foxes avoid mine.