Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Mother of Chaos]

The article makes a fair point. What many such articles don't take into account is accumulative poisoning. Some of these chemicals and particles our bodies are unable to deal with at our present state of evolution.

I've stopped reading the popular media on such topics, mainly because each "discovery" we have known for centuries. Much like chickens, we knew by trial and error what was and what wasn't good to eat and being mainly foragers, everything mattered. It was all good with a wide ranging diet. It's hardly surprising the highly processed foodstuffs and the industrial growing methods are causing us problems. Profit is a dirty word.

This is very true. The accumulation of microplastics is especially concerning. Fertility rates are dropping in many, many countries, and it’s not because “career women” are postponing or skipping having babies. Demand for IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies is skyrocketing.

 

[Perris]

Much like chickens, we knew by trial and error what was and what wasn't good to eat and being mainly foragers, everything mattered.

This reminded me of something Wright said of the tiresome task of trying to collect a basketful of bilberries, "they are food to eat as we were meant to eat everything - on the hoof" (The Forager's Calendar, August).

 

[Perris]

Leg treatment for both this afternoon. We are getting there.

so the German product is working? or are you using other thing(s)?

 

[Perris]

This is very true. The accumulation of microplastics is especially concerning. Fertility rates are dropping in many, many countries, and it’s not because “career women” are postponing or skipping having babies. Demand for IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies is skyrocketing.

what happened to sperm count concerns? that used to be in the news a lot, but seems to have gone quiet.

 

[Shadrach]

 

[Perris]

I was reminded this morning of a line from Chicken Run

Those chickens definitely look like they're planning something over the compost heap

 

[Shadrach]

so the German product is working? or are you using other thing(s)?

To early to say.
I'm treating more intensively.
The effects of earlier treatments may still be a factor.
The reinfection rate may be lower.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Oh I’d be absolutely horrified if I took on the rooster roles! It’s been years since any of the ranging hens (if you exclude that incident with the senior hen) have crouched for me, or looked to me for anything regarding male duties. I’d very much like to keep it that way. Hopefully this newer batch grows big and strong, with a male or two to take over.
That should be fun to see as well, by the time he’ll have reached sexual maturity, some of the hens will be nearing 6 years old. I doubt they’ll be easily impressed

At least if they start to see you in a rooster role, that usually stops the moment the real thing arrives (and hopefully while the 6-year-old hens might be discerning, they'll also be good teachers to help the new guys fall into line).

Same when it's flipped, and a human-tamed bachelor rooster finally meets his hens. Some of you may remember how Andre used to dance to me for grooming.

Soon after those girls in the background integrated with him, I realized he had completely stopped shuffling to me for grooming, and my heart did a happy dance. He had a tribe and a purpose again, and real hens to touch up his face instead of Beakwipe's flimsy stand-in services.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

Cats won't usually take on a rat, they're too cowardly for that. Cats prefer things that can't fight back, tiny birds and field mice for examples. Some chickens will take on a rat.

I have a dog - Labrador retriever - who occasionally kills small animals like moles and brings them into the den and deposits them on the carpet. There is no discernible sign of injury. She has tangled with larger animals - maybe possum or raccoon - in the dark and lost the bottom chunk of ear. So if you have any dogs roaming at night?
Tax: my favorite, a lovely Speckled Sussex named Louisa after Doc Martin's wife

 

[fluffycrow]

The wildlife specialist are happy the wolf returned in the Netherlands for a natural balance of wildlife. The wolf causes problems too and many people don’t like it that the wolves live here. Our country is so densely populated and many people like to recreate in the forests. Some wolfs are very daring and even come in peoples back garden.

Recently a mean wolf attacked/has bitten children (not kill) out of the blue and a large forest has warning signs not to enter. In general wolfs are protected, but for this mean wolf there is allowance to kill. The increase of the number of wolves seems to get more and more problematic. But biting incidents with dogs still outnumber the incidents with wolves.

I think there are also more sheep getting killed by dogs than by wolves in the Netherlands (not sure , I have t seen recent statistics).
People tend to blame the wolf after a kill. Investigation (to get paid) often shows it wasn’t a wolf but a dog who killed the sheep. And there us another strange thing going on. Many sheep farmers dont want to make better fences. The cost are low bc the government helps to pay for the materials. But some farmers dont bc if a wolf attacks their sheep, they get paid for the damage.

There is a Greek organisation called arcturos, whose mission is to protect the wildlife here, with an emphasis on out biggest carnivores (bear, wolf, and lynx). All of those were extremely endangered within their regions, even extinct in some. A lot of the kills were done by farmers who had an issue with their livestock getting predated.

Once, the farmers in those (mostly mountainous) regions used a local breed of LGDs, but moved on to modern methods of poisoning, trapping, and killing. Arcturos, in an attempt to stop the eradication of the wolves and bears, but also the extinction of this local breed of dog, starting a breeding programme for them. For over three decades, the organisation has been working with the farmers, giving them Greek Shepherd puppies to raise up and protect their flocks, while also teaching them better ways to keep the predators at bay, without having to result to killing.

While the organisation does a lot more to help the wildlife, I fin this particular way very smart, and beneficial for all. The farmers are relatively happy, an almost extinct breed of dog is used to do what comes naturally to it, and the numbers of wolves and bears in Greece is rising, since there aren’t nearly as many people trapping them and shooting them