Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[kattabelly]

How’s your broody doing today?

Sounding a lot like the internet used to back in the days of dial-up

Redder in the comb again and coming out to eat and poo in the morning, though I wish she'd also have a proper dust bath while she's at it. I need to deal with her manky backside tomorrow.

Cracked green egg outside the nest this morning suggests some sort of (surprisingly bloodless) altercation with Big Bertha the Murderbird - but at least that means she's still laying in the coop. The others just seem to think she's weird.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Sounding a lot like the internet used to back in the days of dial-up

Fantastic description

 

[kattabelly]

Fantastic description

I'd forgotten how mental they can be The last place I was around chickens, they just had Hylines and even when they're broody those girls are very user-friendly. Most they do is look extremely disapproving when you take "their" eggs.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I'd forgotten how mental they can be The last place I was around chickens, they just had Hylines and even when they're broody those girls are very user-friendly. Most they do is look extremely disapproving when you take "their" eggs.

I’m starting to wonder if the Buff Orp is a silent broody. She’s spent 3-4 hours each day on the nest with the two ceramic eggs plus her egg for the last three weeks or so. But she’s not particularly fluffed, she’s certainly not irritable, she sleeps on the open roost at night.

I think she’s just trying to have some Me time away from the others…

 

[fluffycrow]

Sounds like it was a pleasant weekend for most. This trick or treating thing is very new here. Mostly as an idea, as I’ve yet to see one in person. What has become more popular are dressing up parties.

The chick tax was hilarious, Mother of Chaos, though I’m not sure the little one agreed

 

[kattabelly]

What has become more popular are dressing up parties.

I got speaking to someone here yesterday who was complaining about the opposite! Back in the day there'd be big parties later on once the kids were in bed, with folk getting dressed up in all kinds of costumes and going out, bonfires, drinking, some of the old divination traditions and plenty of pranks (it's often called "mischief night" or "devilment night") that could end with the road full of hay bales or a boat on someone's roof.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I got speaking to someone here yesterday who was complaining about the opposite! Back in the day there'd be big parties later on once the kids were in bed, with folk getting dressed up in all kinds of costumes and going out, bonfires, drinking, some of the old divination traditions and plenty of pranks (it's often called "mischief night" or "devilment night") that could end with the road full of hay bales or a boat on someone's roof.

Ha, yep, we definitely learned it from you guys!

 

[Shadrach]

Two hours. It didn't rain while I was there. It felt cold at 9C when I left.

Feathers are coming off. Not exactly a fast, or a thorough moult the way Sylph is going.

On my plot. I let it do what it wants more or less over the winter. The chickens like the cover from the fruit bushes and what grows up around them. The only thing that really needs taking out is the grass clumps. Once they get a hold one lose a lot of soil getting them out. I know it sounds odd, but we are short of soil on most plots for exactly this reason; grass has grown pretty much all over, the roots go down four inches or so and when one digs them out making sure all the soil gets knocked out of the roots makes the job tedious.

The usual preferred cover spot.

Glais in the middle again.

 

[kattabelly]

Ha, yep, we definitely learned it from you guys!

I can't reply to this because apparently there isn't a neep (turnip) emoji

On my plot. I let it do what it wants more or less over the winter. The chickens like the cover from the fruit bushes and what grows up around them. The only thing that really needs taking out is the grass clumps.

During the summer I kept being shocked at how brown and dry it looked down there and now I keep being surprised by how green it is! Everything here is wet and brown. It's been raining so much, I can't remember the last time I needed to refill their drinking water.

Those thick clumps of cocksfoot grass are a blessing here because they grow back better after continuous grazing and tend to have a bit of green hidden under all the old dead grass even at the end of winter. A cluster of clumps also makes a great nap spot or nest in the summer.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I can't reply to this because apparently there isn't a neep (turnip) emoji

During the summer I kept being shocked at how brown and dry it looked down there and now I keep being surprised by how green it is! Everything here is wet and brown. It's been raining so much, I can't remember the last time I needed to refill their drinking water.

Those thick clumps of cocksfoot grass are a blessing here because they grow back better after continuous grazing and tend to have a bit of green hidden under all the old dead grass even at the end of winter. A cluster of clumps also makes a great nap spot or nest in the summer.

Is cocksfoot grass somewhat like crabgrass, low to the ground and spreading out from a central point?

If our girls ate crabgrass, we’d all be very happy. But they just seem to want the perennial rye.