Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Vulpes vulpes]

Three hours today. A shower an hour at the field.
Glais appreciates the shelter the coop extension gives and heads there as soon as he feels the rain coming. He doesn't seem to mind the coop run as much as I thought he might. They all spent some time in the run today despite both the run and field gate being open. He's venturing a little further afield with Mow and Sylph. Mow as she does wandered off quite a way down the field foraging and Glais wasn't confident enough to go to her and he and Sylph stayed halfway between the run and Mow. Mow wasn't down there long.
I'll try digging the compost heap a bit tomorrow and see what happens.
Glais got Mow to crouch for him; it was a bit sneaky without much finesse but Mow didn't fight him off or try to get away. He tried chest bumping Sylph this afternoon and she screamed at him. Glais just wandered off.
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Has Glais been crowing at the field yet?

 

[Skyeknight]

While I've seen enough evidence to believe that aggression has a genetic component, I think that the actions of the keeper are a greater factor. Communication is a two way street, even with animals, and I believe that reaching an understanding should be prioritized over imposing one's will on another creature. I certainly don't want a rooster to be killed because of my own mistakes, because not making an effort to understand him would be a mistake on my part.

I have mentioned before that I got my Ayam Cemani rooster for free from friends because he was aggressive. At first he wasn't like that when I got him, but this spring he did kick my legs quite a few times. To me that was not a reason to cull him, especially since I still want more beautiful fibro chicks from him. At the moment he does still charge me but doesn't actually touch me. To me his behaviour now and this spring just looks like him defending his hens and territory, so I am not too bothered by it. It would be different if he charged me if I were to free range him though

 

[Shadrach]

Good to read that Mow has warmed up to him a bit. I expect he's missing the other roos a bit too. The photos give the impression he's still in a junior mindset, looking for forage and relying on others to give warning of potential trouble; it may take him a while to realize that it's his job now to be the look out.

He's still young. Everything is strange. He's doing okay considering.

 

[Shadrach]

Has Glais been crowing at the field yet?

Yup, he's been crowing. Not lots but I expect all the neighbours have heard.

 

[BDutch]

Nice to read all the responses with rooster experiences.
And that Glais seems reasonably happy in his new situation.

My poor looking Janice went to roost alone in the small coop tonight (next to the nestboxes).
I have never seen her so naked. If she stretches her neck. She looks like a naked neck. The new feathers (pins) are growing well. Hope she will rise like a phoenix again soon.

This is how she looked like in July

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

Nice to read all the responses with rooster experiences.
And that Glais seems reasonably happy in his new situation.

My poor looking Janice went to roost alone in the small coop tonight (next to the nestboxes).
I have never seen her so naked. If she stretches her neck. She looks like a naked neck. The new feathers (pins) are growing well. Hope she will rise like a phoenix again soon.

View attachment 4236504

This is how she looked like in July
View attachment 4236506

Poor thing! She looks so ragged

 

[ChickenshedStudio]

Hello!
I've been lurking my way through the thread (I'm on page 1300 ish) admittedly mostly scanning through your diary posts @Shadrach or I'll never catch up, so I think I must owe some tax, and an introduction!

I'm looking after new-to-me chickens who came with the house we bought a couple of months ago. There were 5 hens, all 6-8 years old ish we think (the previous owner struggles with memory) underfed and rather neglected, but very free range, living on about half an acre of woodland & orchard.
2 went broody within days of us arriving, so we got them some hatching eggs and we now have three five week old chicks. Other than Scaly leg mite on one of them, they both seem healthy.
One is so flighty we can't get close enough to check her out properly, but she eats and drinks and does chickeny things so we assume she's ok! The other 2 died in the first few weeks we were here, but that's another story.

This is our current tribe - we think one of the chicks is a boy, so does he count for tax?

 

[Shadrach]

Hello!
I've been lurking my way through the thread (I'm on page 1300 ish) admittedly mostly scanning through your diary posts @Shadrach or I'll never catch up, so I think I must owe some tax, and an introduction!

I'm looking after new-to-me chickens who came with the house we bought a couple of months ago. There were 5 hens, all 6-8 years old ish we think (the previous owner struggles with memory) underfed and rather neglected, but very free range, living on about half an acre of woodland & orchard.
2 went broody within days of us arriving, so we got them some hatching eggs and we now have three five week old chicks. Other than Scaly leg mite on one of them, they both seem healthy.
One is so flighty we can't get close enough to check her out properly, but she eats and drinks and does chickeny things so we assume she's ok! The other 2 died in the first few weeks we were here, but that's another story.

This is our current tribe - we think one of the chicks is a boy, so does he count for tax?View attachment 4236757

They all count for tax.

 

[RoyalChick]

Nice to read all the responses with rooster experiences.
And that Glais seems reasonably happy in his new situation.

My poor looking Janice went to roost alone in the small coop tonight (next to the nestboxes).
I have never seen her so naked. If she stretches her neck. She looks like a naked neck. The new feathers (pins) are growing well. Hope she will rise like a phoenix again soon.

View attachment 4236504

This is how she looked like in July
View attachment 4236506

I really feel nature could have developed a better system for chickens. These molts look so brutal for them.

 

[kattabelly]

I'm missing those Barred Plymouth Rocks cockerels more than I expected to. Wednesday(?) has been keeping me company and helping to teach the new girls that I won't bite though.

She always looks so scruffy! Not sure if it's actually some kind of minor health issue or if she just likes mud more than she likes to preen or dust bathe. (I have thoroughly checked both birds and roosts at night for parasites as I was getting a bit paranoid, between that and the perpetual teenage moults and the habit a couple of them have picked up of only shaking the dust off a while after they finish bathing - couldn't see anything.)