Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[RoyalChick]

Thank you Shad and all for helping me with the rooster situation. Big Red is no longer here, which I have needed some time to process.

Along with him, the serama cockerel went to live on an acquaintances farm, where he’ll get to free range. It wouldn’t be a fluffycrow decision if there wasn’t a mistake, ish. Along with Big Red, also went Elrond. To no fault of his own, he was just too big for all but one of the girls here (his mother). That left the pure Tsouloufati rooster, an incredibly respectful, and much smaller rooster. Well, Tuesday morning, he was showing the same symptoms as his father. Couldn’t stand, half the comb purple, very weak. By mid day, he had passed. I’m pretty sure it was heart related, as he had similar symptoms (though not as extreme) once before.

That means that we no longer have roosters here, for the first time in over five years. On the bright side, the hens are feeling much safer. Some have already started growing back feathers. Today I saw one bathing; I have not seen that in months, they refused to sun bathe out of feet of being mated. Not the outcome I had hoped for, but an outcome that has left the hens much more relaxed than before

 

[Perris]

Thank you Shad and all for helping me with the rooster situation. Big Red is no longer here, which I have needed some time to process.

Along with him, the serama cockerel went to live on an acquaintances farm, where he’ll get to free range. It wouldn’t be a fluffycrow decision if there wasn’t a mistake, ish. Along with Big Red, also went Elrond. To no fault of his own, he was just too big for all but one of the girls here (his mother). That left the pure Tsouloufati rooster, an incredibly respectful, and much smaller rooster. Well, Tuesday morning, he was showing the same symptoms as his father. Couldn’t stand, half the comb purple, very weak. By mid day, he had passed. I’m pretty sure it was heart related, as he had similar symptoms (though not as extreme) once before.

That means that we no longer have roosters here, for the first time in over five years. On the bright side, the hens are feeling much safer. Some have already started growing back feathers. Today I saw one bathing; I have not seen that in months, they refused to sun bathe out of feet of being mated. Not the outcome I had hoped for, but an outcome that has left the hens much more relaxed than before

so sorry for your losses, especially the unexpected last one

 

[fuzzi]

Thank you Shad and all for helping me with the rooster situation. Big Red is no longer here, which I have needed some time to process.

Along with him, the serama cockerel went to live on an acquaintances farm, where he’ll get to free range. It wouldn’t be a fluffycrow decision if there wasn’t a mistake, ish. Along with Big Red, also went Elrond. To no fault of his own, he was just too big for all but one of the girls here (his mother). That left the pure Tsouloufati rooster, an incredibly respectful, and much smaller rooster. Well, Tuesday morning, he was showing the same symptoms as his father. Couldn’t stand, half the comb purple, very weak. By mid day, he had passed. I’m pretty sure it was heart related, as he had similar symptoms (though not as extreme) once before.

That means that we no longer have roosters here, for the first time in over five years. On the bright side, the hens are feeling much safer. Some have already started growing back feathers. Today I saw one bathing; I have not seen that in months, they refused to sun bathe out of feet of being mated. Not the outcome I had hoped for, but an outcome that has left the hens much more relaxed than before

I'm sorry.

Do you have any promising cockerel chicks?

 

[fluffycrow]

Thank you all. I don’t think I deserve the hugs. If I hadn’t given away Elrond, we’d still have a rooster. At the same time, I can see that the hens are really feeling calm again. It’s a weird feeling. I wasn’t particularly close with the Tsouloufati boy, but he was gorgeous, and way too mature for his age. He was the last son (or grandson, but that’s a whole other story) of Kolovos.

Who I’ll really miss is Big Red. I found one of his gorgeous shiny feathers in the run today. I feel terrible for not making it work, but there wasn’t any other way

 

[fluffycrow]

Do you have any promising cockerel chicks?

That’s another secret I’ve been keeping.

On the night of her 2nd birthday, and the morning after, Galadriel hatched 7 healthy chicks. On the 20th day of sitting, the hatch was over, and she brought them down to eat and drink. 7 out of 11 eggs hatched (though I can’t remember if I gave her 10 or 12 to begin with)! Good job mum! An 8th egg had pipped, so I gave it to the bantams, but it passed during zipping.

Mum is doing good, and is fiercely protective of her brood. She even gave a beating to one of the senior hens, who outranks her.

I’m still VERY paranoid, but mum seems very active, healthy, and has preened and eaten. The chicks have done the same, and are doing good. I’m sure there’s at least one cockerel in the mix, and he’ll be taught everything there is to know from Galadriel

 

[Molpet]

Thank you Shad and all for helping me with the rooster situation. Big Red is no longer here, which I have needed some time to process.

Along with him, the serama cockerel went to live on an acquaintances farm, where he’ll get to free range. It wouldn’t be a fluffycrow decision if there wasn’t a mistake, ish. Along with Big Red, also went Elrond. To no fault of his own, he was just too big for all but one of the girls here (his mother). That left the pure Tsouloufati rooster, an incredibly respectful, and much smaller rooster. Well, Tuesday morning, he was showing the same symptoms as his father. Couldn’t stand, half the comb purple, very weak. By mid day, he had passed. I’m pretty sure it was heart related, as he had similar symptoms (though not as extreme) once before.

That means that we no longer have roosters here, for the first time in over five years. On the bright side, the hens are feeling much safer. Some have already started growing back feathers. Today I saw one bathing; I have not seen that in months, they refused to sun bathe out of feet of being mated. Not the outcome I had hoped for, but an outcome that has left the hens much more relaxed than before

Sorry for your loss

 

[BDutch]

I feel terrible for not making it work, but there wasn’t any other way.

indeed. Dont blame yourself. Im sure you finally made the right choises.

Im keeping my fingers crossed for one lovely cockerel that will be a good rooster next year.
The hens probably will give him the right instructions, how to behave.

 

[Skyeknight]

You have to maintain an electric fence by keeping the weeds low so the fence doesn’t short out.

This is one of the cons of using fencing against wolves for sheep protection here in the Netherlands. You would have to move it to mow underneath it and if you have a big pasture well...

Mum is doing good, and is fiercely protective of her brood. She even gave a beating to one of the senior hens, who outranks her.

If I understand (barring) genetics correctly then those white spots on the heads of 2 of the black chicks seem big enough to indicate they are roosters. Although that would mean both mom and dad had to be barred. All 3 of those black chicks are roosters if only the mom was barred.

 

[RoyalChick]

This is one of the cons of using fencing against wolves for sheep protection here in the Netherlands. You would have to move it to mow underneath it and if you have a big pasture well...

If I understand (barring) genetics correctly then those white spots on the heads of 2 of the black chicks seem big enough to indicate they are roosters. Although that would mean both mom and dad had to be barred. All 3 of those black chicks are roosters if only the mom was barred.

I don’t move my fence to mow. I create a more-or-less weed free zone for it to stand in using woodchips.
By about now I have to do some hand pulling/clipping in a few places.
Most commercial farmers use herbicide, but I prefer not to.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Thank you. My husband found some hawk netting he wants to use. We not only have hawks fly over regularly, we have at least one eagle. Which is crazy in our location (one hour north of Houston, Texas.) I live close to a very large lake.

We have a pair of red tailed hawks living in the backyard. Thankfully the last time the hawks were out the birds had all hidden away, even the ones in a covered run. There's a bald eagle family not too far away, although they usually don't go near us. I really need to befriend the crows and ravens living here, I've won over the blue jays at least!