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.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

A separate low-key chicken behavior question: do chickens talk to themselves when foraging or otherwise eating?

We just opened up a tiny strip of cereal rye for the girls to destroy eat on, and there are lots of murmured buk-buks and all. I can’t tell if they’re saying some version of “mmm, this is good” to themselves or comparing notes with one another, since they almost always feed together.

Anyway, it’s very cute .

 

[fuzzi]

My Sussex are very chatty, but they really raise the volume when they see me approaching!

"Whaddidyoubringme?"

 

[Mother of Chaos]

My Sussex are very chatty, but they really raise the volume when they see me approaching!

"Whaddidyoubringme?"

Tessa is deeply suspicious around me, but yes, she has some serious volume!

 

[Shadrach]

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.

I read the post you linked to when you posted it. I don't think there's any doubt pecking back can work. There have been posts advocating this method from other BYC members.

 

[kattabelly]

A separate low-key chicken behavior question: do chickens talk to themselves when foraging or otherwise eating?

We just opened up a tiny strip of cereal rye for the girls to destroy eat on, and there are lots of murmured buk-buks and all. I can’t tell if they’re saying some version of “mmm, this is good” to themselves or comparing notes with one another, since they almost always feed together.

I think at least some chickens do both.

I especially like the happy baby foraging location-ping peeps, and the way some cock(erel)s will tidbit really enthusiastically to themselves while scarfing all the food when there isn't even another chicken around.