Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

An oft posted picture that kind of sums her up here: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f5/76/95/f576953df00bf1f6754b6783ee1d29cd.jpg
What else would one wear to feed the chickens?

Thanks for the belly laugh that delivered

 

[Perris]

The holiday season is coming soon, I've been meaning to ask people here for chicken books they recommend.

I will leave the serious books to Perris and others

Here are some I've got a lot from in one way or another:
J Ackerman, The Bird Way 2020, and The Genius of Birds 2016
J Barber (ed) The Chicken A Natural History 2018
T Birkenhead, Bird Sense 2012
G Damerow, Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens 4th ed 2017
C Nicol, The Behavioural Biology of Chickens 2015
W Tong, How to Read a Bird 2020
H Ussery, The Small-Scale Poultry Flock 2011, and
M Brooke and T Birkenhead (edd) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Ornithology 1991.

 

[Shadrach]

Three hours this afternoon. The weather wasn't inspiring although 16C is fine by me.
There are some signs that Glais may be missing the space he used to have. I'm not sure about this, the energy he expends when out of the run is something to watch. He runs and flies and as you can see in the pictures, making use of space above head height. He is one of the most energetic cockerels I've known.

But neither Glais or Mow and Sylph seem comfortable out on the field without me in close proximity. Could be the fireworks, something to do with moulting perhaps.

Glais isn't really hassling Mow and Sylph to mate. He tries but doesn't make an issue of it when refused. The jackdaws scare him but today he chased a couple off. Mow and Sylph aren't bothered by the jackdaws.
If there were serious problems I wouldn't expect to see Mow and Sylph put up with him in close proximity. Sylph will go and seek him out and Mow isn't really bothered unless he makes a grab for her and even then she doesn't move far way from him.

Something I'm very pleased about is there isn't much fuss at roosting time.

 

[fuzzi]

Glais is very handsome.

 

[fluffycrow]

RIP Uppsala. She was absolutely fine this morning - as it happens I got a photo of her dustbathing while I was stalking the cockerels to get photos of them for the current compo - and she just now had a seizure at tea, and died within a minute in my arms. 3 years 4 months old.
View attachment 4247005
Edited to add some more photos of her: she was 2nd in the large fowl non-APA competition just 2 months ago
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/non-apa-aba-large-fowl-hen-show—2025-byc-summer-fair.1670297/post-28797991

Oh I’m so sorry Perris . Losing a bird like that is absolutely devastating. She had an amazing life with you, and you’ll have all her wins and gorgeous photos to remember her by

 

[kattabelly]

Glais is very handsome.

He really is! Gorgeous boy. Though I swear those wattles have doubled in length in the last few weeks

 

[fuzzi]

He really is! Gorgeous boy. Though I swear those wattles have doubled in length in the last few weeks

He has new girlfriends to impress!

 

[fluffycrow]

Congrats @kattabelly on your photo getting picked for this week’s Caption Contest!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...n-contest-11-07-25-pic-by-kattabelly.1679616/

 

[HiEverybirdy]

they've never been bothered by the mail drone which flies much lower overhead.

Mail drone!?

I looked it up and realize I'm late to the game in realizing mail drones fly in 11-ish countries, particularly for deliveries to remote places like Orkney. Welcome me to the future, I guess

The chickens barely notice my photography drones. I've wondered if that's just another thing they've grown accustomed to, or if the drones' lack of eyes mean the chickens don't see them as predators.

Are humans used to the drones yet? When neighbors and real estate agents [accidentally?] fly drones over our property, I'm unnerved. I'm careful not to fly uninvited like that.

I was surprised that ours weren’t freaked out on Halloween,

Was actually wondering about this. So many people. It's funny what concerns the chickens and what doesn't.

 

[fuzzi]

Was actually wondering about this. So many people. It's funny what concerns the chickens and what doesn't.

My chickens have seen our feral cats their entire lives, have never been attacked by them. But my roosters still make concerned noises when a cat runs past the coops.