Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

Lulea is farthest back in the middle, and that's Merioneth on the far left?

yes, that's right. You're better than members of my family at recognizing who's who!

 

[Perris]

I don't know that I've ever seen lacing like that

her mum had/has fabulous plumage

She and her best friend here (Janeka) are apparently thriving in their new home. They even have a polytunnel to explore and keep warm in now!

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

she's heading into Heinz (57 varieties) territory

That's the goal, right? She's not a Penedesenca or Araucana, she's a Perris Chicken

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

that actually made the news here, as a 'weird news to end the broadcast' item. Usually it's cats predating birds. Can't say I'm sorry to see one of them receive what they typically dish out to countless other species - even insects, it turns out. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-social-media-threat-domestic-cats.html

I can't help but feel sad for the cat, who didn't ask to be born into an environment where its natural instincts are destructive. If people were more responsible with how they cared for their pets, then neither the birds nor the cats would need to suffer.

Also, when pointing out the effect that outdoor cats have on insect populations, it's important to contextualize it with the fact that we all love to let Southeast Asia's Amazing Bug Eater Extraordinaire run rampant in our gardens

 

[Perris]

fair point! I'm not sure about domestic cats' natural instincts though; wild cat family members don't maim and kill for fun, and aren't brought up by owners using 'toys' that look and are moved like prey.

 

[RoyalChick]

fair point! I'm not sure about domestic cats' natural instincts though; wild cat family members don't maim and kill for fun, and aren't brought up by owners using 'toys' that look and are moved like prey.

I confess I feel only passing sorrow at the mice my 90%-indoor cats lay out on the kitchen floor for me to admire.

 

[kattabelly]

That's the chicken spa.

Do you have any photos that show the whole structure?

Two of the favourite "chicken spas" here are underneath rotting old (unused!) coops, so I'm going to need to set up replacements when I finally get round to tearing them down.

 

[Perris]

Do you have any photos that show the whole structure?

This is from the front

this from the back after moving it this summer

the hedge affords protection from almost all wind and rain coming from the open (south) side, and the glass overshoot works surprisingly well to shelter the big vent at the top. More surprisingly, the whole thing has survived several named storms, including Darragh (Dec 24) which snapped a tree less than 3 metres away to the (right) west.