Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

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

It's all hard decisions. I've yet to find a way of avoiding them and that, though it may not seem so in many circumstances, is probably good for the keeper and usually good for the chickens.
For some of us, we inadvertently become part of the group. Many and I include myself, get more attached to one particular individual than another.
None of it is straightforward in my experience.
You may recall I had to kill Dig, son of Henry because of how he treated the hens. Dragging hens off nests and then trying to force them to mate just isn't acceptable in my view; it doesn't matter how nice he is to me and given the size difference and the tolerance of Henry and his hens to my behavior, I would call a cockerel who behaved like that a kind of coward; don't piss of the big chicken. At least with a cockerel that tries to flog you when he thinks he's protecting the hens, mostly, and who shows some respect towards the hens and his father where applicable is likely to prove popular with the hens and intelligent enough to come to some arrangement in time. It's great when one gets both, keeper friendly and liked and wanted by the hens. I can think of lots of instances where the hens adored their rooster, sometimes I just couldn't see the attraction, other times such as Harold and Bluespot I could see exactly why there were such a good couple and Harold was well respected by all, his tribe or not.
If Dig had worked out I wouldn't be in the current situation of having to find and introduce a new male with all the risks that entails. I had tried to plan for Henry's death hoping for a son to take over. That all went badly wrong and I've been doing this chicken thing for over twenty years.

I would like to offer a caution; do not let yourself become the groups rooster!
It's easily done with a group that has had males in it. The hens will look to the keeper for all those things they expected from the rooster. You can't do it, none of it really.

 

[notabitail]

I would like to offer a caution; do not let yourself become the groups rooster!
It's easily done with a group that has had males in it. The hens will look to the keeper for all those things they expected from the rooster. You can't do it, none of it really.

Mine think I am a rooster. We bought them around three years ago and didn't get a rooster due to certain people being afraid of it crowing too loud and the myth that all roosters are mean.

As a result, during spring it's a squishing/tripping hazard since they stop and squat while you're walking, they expect you to help them with their nesting issues, and worst of all, they think you will give them food the instant they want it.

 

[Shadrach]

You have to maintain an electric fence by keeping the weeds low so the fence doesn’t short out. I use a combination of mulch and clippers.
And yes a fox can jump over a 3’ fence or dig under but they don’t. The reason they don’t is they almost always investigate first with their noses, and they get zapped and don’t want anything to do with the fence after that.
Ideally you train them to the fence by attracting them to it (bacon grease on aluminum foil hung on the live wire). One sniff and they don’t return.
My observation is that the training lasts several years and several generations of foxes.
When charged, the fence makes a slight pulsing sound and they appear to know when it is switched on.
Nothing is foolproof of course, and extreme hunger will overcome the fear, but generally these flimsy poultry net electric fences are pretty effective.

Stopping the fence from shorting out proved to be a major chore in Catalonia. I used to go out in the dark with a sickle and where the fence was shorting there would be sparks and I would know where to cut the vegetation back without doing the entire field.

Electric fencing didn't really work for us. We had kilometers of the stuff. The sheep quickly learnt to put their heads up and barge through the tape. It sort of worked for the donkeys but if a section went over they could step over it and be gone down the village for an outing.

The wild boar just barged through it and the flying stuff flew over while the rest dug under it. The only time it seemed to be reasonably effective was when it shorted out on the stocknet fence and the whole fence went live.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Is that the squeaky bagpipes too?

Yes the bagpipes are part of the crew! They all get along well enough

 

[rural mouse]

That’s very interesting, thanks! Two of the three boys were Barred; one Red, the other black. Two hens are also barred, same colouration.

Cue dumb, genetics newbie questions. If there is a barred male, but no barred male, can one tell the sex from the head spot?

We should know soon enough either way

Barring is on the Z gene. Hens are ZW, roos ZZ. When someone is talking about double barred, that can only be a roo. Single barred can be hen or roo (1 Z with, 1 Z without). A barred hen can ONLY pass barring on to her male offspring (the female offspring the W from mama). A double barred roo will pass the barring to ALL his offspring. A single barred roo will pass barring to 50% of his offspring. The huge head spot usually (not entirely accurate) indicates double barred. The small head spot indicates single barred. Whether gender can be determined from that depends upon the barring of both parents and is only mostly accurate when roo is double barred and hen is barred.

 

[Molpet]

Went to the place with the chickens again. My wife and i gave them some apples and weeds to munch.View attachment 4192785View attachment 4192786View attachment 4192787View attachment 4192788View attachment 4192790View attachment 4192792View attachment 4192795View attachment 4192796View attachment 4192797View attachment 4192798View attachment 4192799View attachment 4192800

Looks like you had a good time

 

[Skyeknight]

Some European countries are using dogs again.
Mastiff dogs protect livestock from wolves in Spain https://share.google/X0VP7Y4gCS6PE7WvY

Yeah I know, some experiments are also done in the Netherlands with this. I personally don't like livestock guardian dogs, feels like inviting the enemy into my home. I also read in the news a while back someone had a donkey for protecting sheep. But because bystanders complained the donkey was too lonely the farmer decided to get rid of it. To be fair this is kind of the point, if there was a second donkey then they wouldn't stay with the sheep and then the sheep aren't protected. But the donkey does still have social interactions with the sheep, so still less lonely than dog keepers which leave their dog alone for 9 hours a day

 

[SimpleJenn]

We have moved Navy and her chicks to the integration pen. Riddick was cooing to them immediately. Hoping to let them out in the morning, I need to do an AM perimiter check to be sure there aren't places to squeeze out. Between him and Navy I think they will be safe as long as they stay close.
Her chicks are so much chunkier than the ones brooded without a hen. I'm so impressed.
Speaking of which, they have moved out as well to the heated coop. I will be selecting the ones with head poofs to live in the run, since they're visually impaired. The rest will be rangers with the cochin crosses and guinea birds.

I have one more batch of eggs coming, laced polishes from that wonderful rooster I took care of for a while. Then, I will be DONE hatching them myself. Heck, if I have another pullet go broody around that time...might give her eggs to raise. My OCD does not get along with the whole egg and chick business.

 

[Skyeknight]

Cue dumb, genetics newbie questions. If there is a barred male, but no barred male, can one tell the sex from the head spot?

Schrödingers barred male!

 

[Skyeknight]

I would like to offer a caution; do not let yourself become the groups rooster!
It's easily done with a group that has had males in it. The hens will look to the keeper for all those things they expected from the rooster. You can't do it, none of it really.

I think I am the groups rooster with the CX. I give them food twice a day and interact with them occasionally by just sitting in their run and relaxing and "petting"/grooming them. The Hubbards keep jumping the fence and run up to me and 3 out of 4 squat for me.

Meanwhile my Ayam Cemani rooster flogs me when I get inbetween him and his hens, he is very protective and even flogs a lamb if they get too close (don't ask why a lamb was in the run). I do like this trait and at the same time it can be a bit annoying when collecting eggs. This will make it very interesting when I put him with the CX in a few months...