Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

Not just folk traditions specifically but how people used to live more generally. Particularly in relation to more rural communities and related subjects - farming, food production/preservation, self-sufficiency type stuff.

I've looked into historical farming and food practices. Most of the things now labelled 'sustainable' or 'regen' or suchlike are there, without the hype or the price tag And chickens go back as far as historical records do

 

[kattabelly]

I have raised cockerels together, twice in the last three years. In each instance one cockerel became boss, and the other was second fiddle. Two were hatch mates, the next two were six weeks apart but raised together. The current roos are father and son, the younger raised from hatch in the flock. They are not free range, but contained in a 16' x 8' hoop coop. No fights so far.
View attachment 4272102

Oh yeah I know it can work. Just depends on the individual birds (plus background stuff like how they're living, obvs).

My older boy grew up with other cockerels at various times but he only met the Rhode Island Red pair when they were already somewhere around 15-16 weeks old. He's mostly just ignored them so far and they keep their distance but seem less scared of him than they are of the older pullets. They've just reached the clumsy neck grabbing stage though - saw it for the first time yesterday, though they don't yet seem quite sure what to do next - so I imagine that's likely to change soon. I've noticed that out of the two RIR pullets, one is paying a lot more attention to the older Light Sussex cockerel (and vice versa - he's been chatting and wing dropping but I've never seen him attempt to mate with any pullets who aren't laying yet) while the other is mostly ignored by him and sticks with the others her own age.

 

[Shadrach]

With suet, or vegetarian?

https://rootsandwingsorganic.com/collections/seasonal/products/christmas-pudding

 

[Shadrach]

I'm going to viewed as a miserable old bastard by some but I've got to write that this Christmas on the family present side was a tragic waste of money. Lovely to see sit and eat with them all; see the eldests husband had made progress, all the social stuff lovely. But, the presents!

Christmas it seems is one of those times where honesty, no matter how tactfully put, just doesn't go down well.
Family. "What do you want for Christmas?"
Me. "Nothing."
Family. "You must want something!"
Me. "Of course there are things I would like but you wouldn't be able to wrap them and put them under the Christmas tree and you couldn't afford them and neither can I so..."

I got enough chocolate to send me into a diabetic coma, despite telling everyone I've stopped eating any chocolate except dark 90%. I've been giving it away to the people at the flats.

Yeah, I know, it's the thought that counts.

J did the chickens today because there was zero public transport going West out of Bristol city.
The chickens got out for an hour. I know how cold it is there at the moment so J gets hero points for enduring it for a bit over an hour. J was shocked by the rat damage to the coop.

 

[kattabelly]

I feel exactly the same about presents. Especially as I don't even celebrate Christmas or my birthday and stuff still turns up in the post from my mum when I'm not even seeing her around then. It's frustrating when it's clearly more about the feelings of the person giving the present, and asking for what you actually want (nothing) somehow makes you the rude and selfish one.

The best strategy I've come up with is asking for things like socks and shower gel - stuff I use all the time, but slightly nicer or better quality versions that would feel extravagant as an everyday purchase for myself.

 

[notabitail]

If someone wants to get me a present cash is usually the best thing. I oftentimes need some weirdly specific thing that most people who aren't tech nerds won't know what on earth it is, and I don't want them spending their money on something that I already have or can't use.

Tax:

 

[kattabelly]

I try not to ask for cash because those requests seem to go down better if it's phrased as "cash towards [expensive thing I wouldn't ask someone to pay the whole cost of]" - and then I feel guilty when my plans change or I just never get round to buying the thing, and I end up spending my Christmas/birthday money on boring groceries or bills that I could already afford to pay for myself.

Tax: all these two got for Christmas was their mum deciding they're big chickens now and they can look after themselves.

 

[Molpet]

Christmas it seems is one of those times where honesty, no matter how tactfully put, just doesn't go down well.
Family. "What do you want for Christmas?"
Me. "Nothing."
Family. "You must want something!"
Me. "Of course there are things I would like but you wouldn't be able to wrap them and put them under the Christmas tree and you couldn't afford them and neither can I so..."

Things they can go in together and buy
Chicken Feed

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I'm going to viewed as a miserable old bastard by some but I've got to write that this Christmas on the family present side was a tragic waste of money. Lovely to see sit and eat with them all; see the eldests husband had made progress, all the social stuff lovely. But, the presents!

Christmas it seems is one of those times where honesty, no matter how tactfully put, just doesn't go down well.
Family. "What do you want for Christmas?"
Me. "Nothing."
Family. "You must want something!"
Me. "Of course there are things I would like but you wouldn't be able to wrap them and put them under the Christmas tree and you couldn't afford them and neither can I so..."

I got enough chocolate to send me into a diabetic coma, despite telling everyone I've stopped eating any chocolate except dark 90%. I've been giving it away to the people at the flats.

Yeah, I know, it's the thought that counts.

J did the chickens today because there was zero public transport going West out of Bristol city.
The chickens got out for an hour. I know how cold it is there at the moment so J gets hero points for enduring it for a bit over an hour. J was shocked by the rat damage to the coop.
View attachment 4272519

I tell my kids that I neither want nor need anything, but if they’re going to do it, it’s $20 tops.

Our Christmas got postponed by a combination of flu and a nasty but short GI bug (I love my grandchildren; really I do, little disease vectors.) We are trying again this Sunday and we’ll see how it goes.

Just don’t give me a disease for Christmas.

 

[BDutch]

We didn’t do presents this year. Bot me and my husband got a few for hosting a Christmas dinner anyway.
A bottle Chardonnay. Candles. And more chickens to help with the dishes.

I was very pleased bc I don’t like receiving useless expensive presents too. These towel are a perfect match and were given by different family members not knowing this from each other .