Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[no fly zone]

A further cautionary picture to the text above of a young chap called Cillin not looking like he's having a good day after a weasel fastened it's teeth on Cillin's rear end inflicting wounds that required stitches and removing the majority of his tail feathers.
View attachment 4240584

Poor guy.

 

[Shadrach]

That's not quite what I was suggesting; I imagine the would-be predator would be attacked while trying to gain entry (think the typical hen door bully). I can't see my lot sitting back while something was nibbling away to try to open up an access point; they would be matching every nibble with a hard peck on the nose! And because the coops are so compact, they are going to be up close and personal to it (the vents are at head height when standing with head erect), not off in some dark distant corner.

I'll talk to Glais about it. He was there the night before last.

Yes they will peck at any moving object they can reach, trying to slide ones hand under a roost bar loaded with chickens in the dark shows as much. They're not very good at the pecking bit because they can't see very well, and often they can't reach.
I and others on this thread know one can slide a hand underneath a chicken on a roost bar at night, nudge the point between their ankle and knee a lift them clean of the roost bar without any fuss at all.

 

[fluffycrow]

btw, do you know the Diogenes the Cynic equivalent to my mushroom ID quip? Clue: Samothrace.

I think you’ll find me grossly uneducated there.
I don’t seem to be able to think of anything.

As embarrassing as it might be for me to not know anything about it, I would love to read what you’re referring to

 

[RoyalChick]

Did you not have mass rebellion among the other hens at the nest boxes being tied up for weeks on end?

We already have loud and vigorous disputes about one pullet taking too long to do her thing in the desired nest box, and we only have three currently laying. When Trudy became Broody Trudy, it was pretty unbearable for all.

I have wondered whether Tassels stays broody for so long because the other hens give her fresh eggs every day.
The longest I have let her go is 6 weeks.
Every day a hen or 3 will come into her nest box. Often they stand on her back and lay an egg which she tucks under her.
I remove the eggs, but from her point of view there is a newly laid egg every day to incubate.
I am not sure what, if anything, to do about this as all parties seem satisfied with the arrangement.
Of course this summer I gave her chicks to raise which changed the dynamics significantly so I don’t know what will happen when she next goes broody.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Six is the number of eggs I usually allow a hen to sit.
The conversation with the hen goes something like this, "I know I said you could sit and hatch, but I'm not dad and I'm not supporting your army."

Six is about what this hen can comfortably cover I think—she is small being a game hen. And I’m very fortunate that she is the one who went broody—she is exactly what I want in a hen and the rooster is exactly what I want in a rooster. I definitely have other hens that I would not allow to brood—my BCMs, for example. They aren’t good examples of their breed (one of them has consistently laid soft shelled eggs which is another problem) but the rooster seems to favor them. So that’s a problem I might have to deal with down the road.

 

[RoyalChick]

btw, do you know the Diogenes the Cynic equivalent to my mushroom ID quip? Clue: Samothrace.

I confess I have no clue!

 

[fuzzi]

Whereas I have parentless tweens running amok They were only just settling down when I left tonight, 40 minutes after sunset.

"But, MOM, can't we stay up another 5 minutes, puleeeeeze?"

 

[Shadrach]

Three hours today. Not too bad weather wise really. A bit of sun, not that cold and no rain as such.

Sylph, She's doing okay so far with her moult. She's still active but she does spend more time with me close to or under my chair while Glais and Mow forage.

Glais is happy to relax right by my chair.

He's happy sharing the tray with Mow.

He'll let Mow roost next to him. He and Sylph were having problems with this.

 

[Shadrach]

This is the Solway, not the Nestera, correct?

Correct.
I think I can remember reading that the higher density and composition of the recycled plastic the Nesteras are built out of has better resistance to chewing than the Solway has. It definitely looks the part.

 

[fuzzi]

Three hours today. Not too bad weather wise really. A bit of sun, not that cold and no rain as such.

Sylph, She's doing okay so far with her moult. She's still active but she does spend more time with me close to or under my chair while Glais and Mow forage.View attachment 4240604View attachment 4240609

View attachment 4240605View attachment 4240606

Glais is happy to relax right by my chair.
View attachment 4240607

He's happy sharing the tray with Mow.
View attachment 4240608

He'll let Mow roost next to him. He and Sylph were having problems with this.View attachment 4240610

Such a happy, lucky boy.