Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

Porridge for breakfast for the flock this morning, to ease the shock of icy winds from the north, after an about 5 C above-average November hitherto. Q used it to warm her feet too

 

[kattabelly]

Porridge for breakfast for the flock this morning, to ease the shock of icy winds from the north, after an about 5 C above-average November hitherto. Q used it to warm her feet too

Same here with the hot breakfast. We have snow!

 

[Perris]

why some of us don't put our faith in bureaucracy.

I am no fan of bureaucracy, but it's hard to make things better if we aim at the wrong target. Bureaucrats exist to implement laws, they don't make them. Bad laws are the real issue, aren't they?

I just posted on the UK thread the new rules for backyard keepers in our recently-announced nation-wide AI prevention zone measures (here for the very interested, https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/uk-member-please-say-hi.655508/post-28915011 ). I hope the rule makers here continue to show such good sense.

 

[RoyalChick]

I am no fan of bureaucracy, but it's hard to make things better if we aim at the wrong target. Bureaucrats exist to implement laws, they don't make them. Bad laws are the real issue, aren't they?

I just posted on the UK thread the new rules for backyard keepers in our recently-announced nation-wide AI prevention zone measures (here for the very interested, https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/uk-member-please-say-hi.655508/post-28915011 ). I hope the rule makers here continue to show such good sense.

That is definitely an improvement.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

But this discussion was about pecking ME and I don’t have a lot of protective feathers in my hands.
Today Mr. Chips behaved beautifully, but Calypso put my entire thumb in her mouth and tried to yank it off my hand. I now see why they have no trouble swallowing mice whole - the tip of my thumb must have been well into her esophagus before I managed to pull back my arm.

I have input! Merle Hagbird was a bad biter, from the random hard peck to trying to wrench off whatever he had a hold of (jeans, shoe, hand, etc.).

Having no reaction helped some; I think Merle was testing how to control/move me. Hens might make a loud noise and run off, but I was a rock when pecked, which wasn't satisfying his purpose.

However, what worked best came from sheer instinct one day when he bit me really hard, and I quickly booped his beak, tapping his beak with my finger just hard enough to push his face down some. It's sort of what @Mother of Chaos mentions: a form of pecking back.

He'd think for a moment, bite again, get booped, think about it, bite again...Within days, hard pecks became light pecks, and bite-boop became our game. I did post about the booping 2 years ago here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rescued-chickens-thread.1502267/post-27158786

And of course this is what it's like with him now. Around 0:25, there's a peck-boop series. You can see how gentle it's become.

I'd love to know if this kind of thing works with birds other than Merle.