Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fuzzi]

I would never, ever, rely on an app to properly identify mushroom types. To do so, is, not just in my opinion but in the opinion of expert mushroom foragers, an invitation for a potentially life threatening disaster.
Where I lived in Catalonia, mushroom foraging was extremely popular. Every year one could see people with little baskets scouring the woodlands and pastures for mushrooms; whole families often involved. Every year while I was there, someone died from eating the wrong type and many more got sick.

I've been out in the woods with an elderly women many at the local village describe as a witch; the good type I should add. She was highly regarded and local people would go to her for remedies for various complaints for which this witch would make up a potion. Judging by her reputation many of these potions worked. The knowledge she had acquired over the years of walking the mountains looking for herbs, roots, flowers and mushrooms was absolutely staggering.

The one single bit of advice I got given by this women when walking in the mountains with her is don't consume anything without getting an expert opinion on the type of whatever it is one found, especially mushrooms.

The older I get the more I realize that I don't know as much as I previously thought.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

In the last week my flock has lost 6 members; 1 to Shad, 4 to someone else, and 1 to (I think) an adenovirus that caused the weirdly named inclusion body hepatitis (my deduction from necropsy; not lab or vet verified). I have been watching the 30 remaining for signs of the impact this cull might have had, expecting something significant at least from the disappearance - after seeing me catching them and take them indoors - of three mature hens, if not from the capture and disappearance also of two cockerels or the one who died overnight in a coop (which must have been witnessed by some).

There has been almost none. I'm still not sure what to make of it. I am working with an idea that the flock had exceeded a natural maximum size (recall the reading on RJF flock sizes and structures) and either they're not really registering that some are missing, or they think it's natural, like youngsters fledging the nest to make a life for themselves elsewhere. Other ideas welcome.

In the cases of the hens, maybe it fits in with hens heading off to nest away from the flock?

Did you ever see flock reactions when one of the girls vanished into the woods?

 

[SimpleJenn]

2 of my cockerels are filling out. BlackJack is a cochin, and CowSpots is a Marans. My third ranger rooster is inside the coop with the ladies who prefer getting up later.

 

[Perris]

In the cases of the hens, maybe it fits in with hens heading off to nest away from the flock?

Did you ever see flock reactions when one of the girls vanished into the woods?

Maybe. But they always knew where the nests/ broodies were, even if I didn't, so it's not really comparable.