Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[kattabelly]

That's a nice little obstacle course right there, complete with a Pit of Despair!

Bertha (their bio mum) has pecked them both hard enough to send them flying down there. Her mini-me (with the eyeliner) was like oh hey, new space to explore! and then flew right back up in her own time to eventually rejoin her broody mum and sibling. The black one ran about doing distressed peeps for a minute, just barely managed to scrabble back up and went running straight back to mum. Their entire personalities so far, summed up right there

 

[kattabelly]

"talk to ffinlo Costain" How is this person's first name pronounced without sounding as if stuttering?

'Ff' in Welsh is pronounced like 'f' in English. A single 'f' in Welsh sounds like an English 'v'

 

[notabitail]

No. This is ancient knowledge. Ever wondered why most woman choose an older man as husband even before the word feminist got into our vocabulary. ?
20 yo boys/men often behave very irresponsible. While most girls/woman think ahead more, and don’t get into trouble (jail) as much as boys/men.

And since we humans are sort of related to chickens, this probably applies for Glais, and your hens too.

Sad thing I've noticed is a lot of the people of my generation don't seem to think ahead as much.

 

[Shadrach]

I appreciate that, but temporary constructions or clutter don't; a couple of pallets set to make a tent for example. There might be something suitable at the field if other users are less than fastidious about clearing up. You recently said several times that the girls didn't want to go out and he just dashed about on his own. Maybe he's got the vibe from them that the field's not safe.

There is also the issue of numbers. Even when all 3 of them are out, that's not many eyes on lookout, especially if they really want to focus on forage; that's where you can come in handy for them, but it's probably less reassuring for him than the numbers of roos on lookout he's grown up with. You mentioned an intention to get more hens; how's that coming along? It might help.

I've got a couple of ideas. I had a look at the possibilities and a bit of a test this afternoon.
There really isn't much I can do out on the field. My plot gives reasonable cover from spring to late autumn which is why they go there as default shelter spot. The corner just outside the chicken coop run is another favoured spot. It's not back to how it was yet, the fencing took down a lot of vegetation in that corner which is growing back. I might try a length of shade cloth at the bottom of the fence just in that corner. Thing is, one just can't beat what grows. Every construction I've built, and I've built a lot, has problems which nature is not going to sort out bar destructive testing. Can't help noticing nature doesn't like most of what we do.

It was a bit better today but I had to work at it.

 

[Shadrach]

I might do. I'd like to include things other people have done (with their permission obvs), so I'd have to check if that's allowed.

Probably won't be in time for the current comp though. I already have loads of things to do and watching chick TV is taking up far too much of my time.

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Looks like I might be testing out a few ideas...
Given you're overwhelmed with chicken drama and not interested in much else currently you could have the pictures I take and use them as well as whatever you knock up.

 

[Shadrach]

No. This is ancient knowledge. Ever wondered why most woman choose an older man as husband

Well, yes I have. I've wondered a lot about women.
There is some truth in what you imply regarding senior hens having the wisdom and receiving the more juniors respect, be they male or female.
I would of course cite Fat Bird as a prime example.
On the other hand there was Barking Bracket who was completely bat shite crazy and couldn't be relied upon to look after her own chicks.

Sooo, let me leave it like this. With hens, I've known quite a few Fat Bird types; with women I seem to have met more Barking Bracket types.

 

[Shadrach]

Woke up this morning...
By the end of the day, my eldest's husband had had a stroke, the youngest had been misdiagnosed with shingles, in fact, after a second opinion, it was found to be another virus, a friend here has a prostate operation go wrong, the rat has been back overnight and my phone keeps switching itself off and, I've got a women at the flats that wants to be my friend and is getting close to stalking me.

Two hours, no rain, some sunshine. Not sure what the temperature was because I had to leave the field quickly to get to hospital.
I got them out. They charged back to the coop after I fed them their meat and a couple of blueberries each. I went and ushered them out but instead of guiding them onto the field I ushered them up the run between the chicken coop and the goose run. I ushered them into the cage for a while and then out around it. They were fine in the cage. I left the door open and stood outside. They seem to know that the cage is secure despite being able to see through the wire. Once they had been out a while, about half an hour in this area, they all settled down and went bug and plant hunting.

I can make a couple of cage type structures. I have some of those U shaped canes which will do for one and some stock net I can make another with. These should be light enough to move around to find where the chickens like it and easy enough to make windproof.
The dog house hasn't proven to be of any interest to any of them.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I've got a couple of ideas. I had a look at the possibilities and a bit of a test this afternoon.
There really isn't much I can do out on the field. My plot gives reasonable cover from spring to late autumn which is why they go there as default shelter spot. The corner just outside the chicken coop run is another favoured spot. It's not back to how it was yet, the fencing took down a lot of vegetation in that corner which is growing back. I might try a length of shade cloth at the bottom of the fence just in that corner. Thing is, one just can't beat what grows. Every construction I've built, and I've built a lot, has problems which nature is not going to sort out bar destructive testing. Can't help noticing nature doesn't like most of what we do.

It was a bit better today but I had to work at it.

With Glais, maybe he's just going through various phases as a youngster and is still adjusting to the difference in terrain and to his new responsibilities, as well as the loss of his old chicken family?

We adopt a new "old brown dog" every time one of our old, old brown dogs passes away. They always go through a string of inconvenient phases while adapting to a new life with us.

We don't have the benefit of knowing where they came from but can generally assume our home is the calmest environment they've ever encountered, and still they have a hard time settling in.

One was afraid of doorframes (had probably never been allowed indoors). Another was highly reluctant to set foot outside when temperatures dipped under 50F/10C. That lasted 2 years; we think she had lived outside so hated the cold.

The latest lady – a skinny redbone snatched by animal control after walking into a grocery store on a scorching day for the air conditioning – has been with us 3 months. She paced nonstop the first month. Then she went through a brief housebreaking issue, and this week she's taken up digging and keeps tracking red dirt into the house. All while slowly marching towards what appears to be happiness with us and friendship with the other brown dogs. Hunting dogs usually live with a pack of other hounds, so I imagine she's lost many friends. She seems to be grieving something.

Anyway, maybe right now, Glais is doing his "extreme caution around jackdaws" phase, and next month he'll decide to overturn the feeders every day, and the following month he'll sleep facing the other direction, that kind of thing. And all you can do is continue to be consistent and kind.

Tax: long-tailed, squirrel-treeing chicken.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I've got a couple of ideas. I had a look at the possibilities and a bit of a test this afternoon.
There really isn't much I can do out on the field. My plot gives reasonable cover from spring to late autumn which is why they go there as default shelter spot. The corner just outside the chicken coop run is another favoured spot. It's not back to how it was yet, the fencing took down a lot of vegetation in that corner which is growing back. I might try a length of shade cloth at the bottom of the fence just in that corner. Thing is, one just can't beat what grows. Every construction I've built, and I've built a lot, has problems which nature is not going to sort out bar destructive testing. Can't help noticing nature doesn't like most of what we do.

It was a bit better today but I had to work at it.

With the winds you experience there, you’ve got a real challenge!

Are the high winds (40-50) almost always coming up the Bristol Channel, or are they from all over as in @kattabelly ‘s setup? If they’re generally from the southwest, you could set up lean-tos with the low end facing into the wind, but even then, you’d probably want 4x4’s set into the ground in concrete.

If winds are unpredictable, anything you built of wood would be at high risk for becoming a heavy wooden sail, causing destruction downwind. Probably into one of those expensive houses surrounding the patch.

You might be down to cinder block or some such in an L-shape, and even then, the roof would be a head-scratcher.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Woke up this morning...
By the end of the day, my eldest's husband had had a stroke, the youngest had been misdiagnosed with shingles, in fact, after a second opinion, it was found to be another virus, a friend here has a prostate operation go wrong, the rat has been back overnight and my phone keeps switching itself off and, I've got a women at the flats that wants to be my friend and is getting close to stalking me.

Two hours, no rain, some sunshine. Not sure what the temperature was because I had to leave the field quickly to get to hospital.
I got them out. They charged back to the coop after I fed them their meat and a couple of blueberries each. I went and ushered them out but instead of guiding them onto the field I ushered them up the run between the chicken coop and the goose run. I ushered them into the cage for a while and then out around it. They were fine in the cage. I left the door open and stood outside. They seem to know that the cage is secure despite being able to see through the wire. Once they had been out a while, about half an hour in this area, they all settled down and went bug and plant hunting.

I can make a couple of cage type structures. I have some of those U shaped canes which will do for one and some stock net I can make another with. These should be light enough to move around to find where the chickens like it and easy enough to make windproof.
The dog house hasn't proven to be of any interest to any of them.
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Yikes! Hope everyone is alright!