Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

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

I'm a bit confused about the timing of these various assaults on the Solway, but it started before he came yes?

They're still bickering at roost time though and it's not until I close the pop door that they settle down.

Might this be connected to proximity to where the rat is appearing? Is it about being nearest or furthest from the area under assault?

The reader may recall I fixed a stainless steel cage over the string that pulls the door to stop the rat from chewing through it. Looked a smart move at the time. Mrs rat thought so to. She now had a climbing frame and excellent foot purchase points to get some serious teeth pressure on one of the small round ventilation holes a had drilled.

Indeed. I'm not sure the rat could get never mind hold on there to chew without the assistance afforded by the mesh. Which also prevents a chicken inside from getting a good stab in.

If indeed they can reach that high from the roost.

Perhaps there's a better shot to indicate how high Glais could reach from the roost if he tried to; is the rat trying to get in in a section beyond his reach?

 

[BDutch]

Can broodies feel tiny movements from the unhatched chicks as hatch time gets closer? - and then boot any quiet, unwiggling ones.

I didn’t see movements, but did hear peeping egg around day 17-18 (Small eggs hatch at day 20) when the broody left the nest and I held one near my ear.

Getting ready for his migration to Greece, I see .

On a more serious note, is that the end of a hedge on the right?

More on the serious note: why not arrange a fast mail with 10 random Perris eggs shipped to Greece in spring? Well packed. Labelled breakable and sunny side up.
I cant imagine Perris would object to send them if you pay for the shipping and the price you offer to pay for the eggs is quite right.

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

I'm a bit confused about the timing of these various assaults on the Solway, but it started before he came yes?

Might this be connected to proximity to where the rat is appearing? Is it about being nearest or furthest from the area under assault?


Indeed. I'm not sure the rat could get never mind hold on there to chew without the assistance afforded by the mesh. Which also prevents a chicken inside from getting a good stab in.

View attachment 4240741
If indeed they can reach that high from the roost.
View attachment 4240739
Perhaps there's a better shot to indicate how high Glais could reach from the roost if he tried to; is the rat trying to get in in a section beyond his reach?
View attachment 4240740

I wonder if being on an allotment makes rat incursions more likely. They are a smorgasbord of culinary opportunities for a range of pests and diseases. Add in the proximity of a lot of housing & you have a ratty paradise. Youngsters are exploring this time of year too.

 

[Perris]

I didn’t see movements, but did hear peeping egg around day 17-18 (Small eggs hatch at day 20) when the broody left the nest and I held one near my ear.

More on the serious note: why not arrange a fast mail with 10 random Perris eggs shipped to Greece in spring? Well packed. Labelled breakable and sunny side up.
I cant imagine Perris would object to send them if you pay for the shipping and the price you offer to pay for the eggs is quite right.

There is a lot of bureaucracy at this end for sending / receiving fertile eggs, and probably likewise in Greece. There is a reason why so few fertile eggs get imported / exported by backyard keepers.

 

[kattabelly]

There is a lot of bureaucracy at this end for sending / receiving fertile eggs, and probably likewise in Greece. There is a reason why so few fertile eggs get imported / exported by backyard keepers.

Aye I was looking into it recently, just out of interest. I think if you're doing it as a small scale one-time thing there were slightly fewer boxes to tick but it still looks like a huge hassle if you want to do it legally.

 

[BDutch]

I know lots of people talk about this but I honestly can't remember ever having problems either teaching chicks to use a ramp or steps myself

Because I was warned for this, I always added a wide plank (50 cm) with an old bath towel on top to make it easy for the chicks to walk upstairs. The angle was like 30-35° instead of the normal stair plank of 45-50°

Finding the way to go up this ramp can be problematic if they are under/behind the nestbox and hear the mother clucking from above and not through the open pop-door .

When the mothers leave the nest with their chicks the first time, they stay in the small run whole day til sunset. I like be around at sunset when the mother goes back to the upstairs nestbox to be sure.

Another problem with young chicks is fencing with hwc. My coop/small run is on the outside of the larger run. Divided with a fencing the chicks can see through & a pop door 20 cm from the ground.

If the chicks are old enough to explore the larger run (after 1-2 weeks) , they always try (tried) to go through the hwc. They walk about 50 cm to the left, 50 cm to the right and back again to try to get to their mother or siblings.

As soon as they reach the step for the pop door they seen to realise that is the way to go. Some are really clever and get it after a few times. Other chicks get exhausted. So I never dared to leave them alone in the big run for a long time, until they were older.

A few years ago I decided to cover the hwc with a few planks so they couldnt see through the hwc anymore. This was a great solution for this problem.

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.

How are they doing? Can you add a link or post a photo here?

 

[RoyalChick]

Because I was warned for this, I always added a wide plank (50 cm) with an old bath towel on top to make it easy for the chicks to walk upstairs. The angle was like 30-35° instead of the normal stair plank of 45-50°

Finding the way to go up this ramp can be problematic if they are under/behind the nestbox and hear the mother clucking from above and not through the open pop-door .

When the mothers leave the nest with their chicks the first time, they stay in the small run whole day til sunset. I like be around at sunset when the mother goes back to the upstairs nestbox to be sure.

Another problem with young chicks is fencing with hwc. My coop/small run is on the outside of the larger run. Divided with a fencing the chicks can see through & a pop door 20 cm from the ground.

If the chicks are old enough to explore the larger run (after 1-2 weeks) , they always try (tried) to go through the hwc. They walk about 50 cm to the left, 50 cm to the right and back again to try to get to their mother or siblings.

As soon as they reach the step for the pop door they seen to realise that is the way to go. Some are really clever and get it after a few times. Other chicks get exhausted. So I never dared to leave them alone in the big run for a long time, until they were older.

A few years ago I decided to cover the hwc with a few planks so they couldnt see through the hwc anymore. This was a great solution for this problem.


How are they doing? Can you add a link or post a photo here?

They are doing great. They never seemed to go through that moth-eaten stage where they are losing down but don’t have all their feathers. They must have done so but it seemed like they went from little down fluff balls to miniature feathered chickens almost overnight. And they are still growing like weeds. One is an unexpected cockerel so I am trying to learn about how to handle that. He is already huge and he is still going peep-peep-peep like a baby.
Tassels is now allowing them to eat chicken pellets. She didn’t approve of chick feed or mash (by not approve I mean she kicked the feed tray a very long way away and took the babies out to forage instead).
I am traveling so they are confined to the Chicken Palace until I get back (tonight) but I have cameras so here is a video of the four babies with Mama Tassels keeping a watchful eye!
They are 12 weeks old today.

 

[fluffycrow]

Sorry I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that! I just thought you might have done some Diogenes at school 'cos a lot of the anecdotes about him are the sort of thing that kids find funny (adults less so).

There was a sanctuary on the island of Samothrace. Its deity was famous for helping those in peril on the sea. When Diogenes visited, someone pointed to all the offerings made by people whose prayers had been answered. Diogenes said, there would have been more from those whose prayers weren't answered

Loose analogy, but I'm sure somewhere in the back of my mind it prompted my quip on our modern deities of apps and AI.

That’s putting a lot of trust in me, and the Greek education system !
The only thing I can remember being taught about Diogenes in school was when he told Alexander to move out the way

Thank you for that laugh. Diogenes was far too brilliant

 

[BDutch]

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.

Density or softness of plastic can be a game changer. Initially I used second hand ice-cream storage boxes to store the chicken feed in our bicycle/garden shed. Mice discovered they could nibble the edges of the lid away and got in for a feast. Covering the edges with duct tape was only a temporary solution.

Now I use a better quality second hand paint buckets. Never had these problems after the change..

It saved me about €80 to use these paint buckets instead of 3 airtight containers at the agri shop.

 

[fluffycrow]

I didn’t see movements, but did hear peeping egg around day 17-18 (Small eggs hatch at day 20) when the broody left the nest and I held one near my ear.

More on the serious note: why not arrange a fast mail with 10 random Perris eggs shipped to Greece in spring? Well packed. Labelled breakable and sunny side up.
I cant imagine Perris would object to send them if you pay for the shipping and the price you offer to pay for the eggs is quite right.

Shipping eggs locally is hard enough; Arranging for eggs to be shipped internationally (from a country outside the EU, no less), is something I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.
I did have some eggs shipped this year, from a farm about 5-6 hours away. They took almost a week to get here.
That is to say, even if everything went well on Perris’ side, I don’t trust my side to bring the eggs to me in one piece.

There is another thing to be considered, time of year. As I tried this year, and as I’m sure Perris would prefer for their eggs, a broody or more is required. Mine tend to brood late in the season, well into the summer months.
As you can imagine, eggs sitting in a transport truck in the middle of a Greek summer (or borderline heatwave, as was the case this summer) aren’t the best candidates for hatching.

Lastly, if I can be perfectly honest, I have not had much luck keeping the chickens safe from predators, or disease. The total count this year was 18 birds (10 from illness, 6 from predators, 2 from what I think were heart problems). While Perris has been more than kind to me, I wouldn’t want that fate for any Perris chicken.