Windy hill chickens - first flock(s) of my own

[kattabelly]

Eggs from both Hylines and both Sussex today (good strong shell from the one that had been laying soft shells). Wasn't around to see what time they went to roost.

 

[kattabelly]

It's raining,
It's pouring,
The bits of Orkney that aren't on a hill sloping down to the sea are flooding.
And apparently I'm better at alliteration than rhymes.

Went up for a quick look around when I got back around 21:30 last night, because one of the new girls had stayed out too late and got "stuck" behind a chicken wire fence that wasn't visible in the dark the night before. Those two were fine and the littles were happily piled on top of each other but one of the dafter Shetlands was roosting on the back of a chair. Absolutely no shelter and it was raining steadily and due to get heavier over the night, so I did decide to override her choice and stuck her on a roost next to one of her pals.

Even thinking this makes me feel like some kind of awful skull-measuring eugenicist bigot but these two really aren't the brightest. They were the only ones that were very obviously going to be tappit right from hatching. I'm not sure if these are slightly vaulted skulls or if so, whether there's any link? I've been trimming the feathers back from around their eyes, so I don't think it's just that they can't see properly.

 

[Perris]

I think chicken phrenology is probably as fanciful as human. Swedenborg's skull (or one of them, anyway ) wound up in a phrenologist's shop in Swansea, of all places... the stories are funny ha ha but the 'science' is funny peculiar.

 

[kattabelly]

I think chicken phrenology is probably as fanciful as human. Swedenborg's skull (or one of them, anyway ) wound up in a phrenologist's shop in Swansea, of all places... the stories are funny ha ha but the 'science' is funny peculiar.

Happy to be corrected but I was under the impression that it is a recognised fact that the ones with very vaulted skulls can be more at risk of brain damage ( / neurological problems in general?) due to the skull being paper-thin or even holey in places.

But yeah, wasn't being entirely serious there. Though I stand by my claim that those two are numpties, whatever the reason.

 

[Perris]

the ones with very vaulted skulls

I've seen the photos too, and ones with holes in them, but I've had lots of crested birds and never had one with a vaulted skull. I think the impression comes from a false generalisation to 'all crested birds' from a handful of examples in maybe 1 or 2 highly inbred crested species (Polish come to mind) who probably had multiple genetic issues. I've not read original papers on it though, so if you know of one, do please pass on the ref.

 

[Perris]

those two are numpties

I have some planks too. I think there's a lot of variety in intellectual capacity in chickens just like in people.

 

[kattabelly]

I've seen the photos too, and ones with holes in them, but I've had lots of crested birds and never had one with a vaulted skull. I think the impression comes from a false generalisation to 'all crested birds' from a handful of examples in maybe 1 or 2 highly inbred crested species (Polish come to mind) who probably had multiple genetic issues. I've not read original papers on it though, so if you know of one, do please pass on the ref.

Oh yeah I know crests - even huge ones - don't necessarily mean vaulted skulls. I'm not sure if they ever occur in Shetlands, though I have wondered how much of an issue lack of genetic diversity is with them more generally. Hopefully won't get the opportunity for a good few years yet but I might have a look at the skulls of the very tappit ones when their time comes.

I've not read much research into it beyond scanning a few papers and abstracts (which I've mostly forgotten by now) when I was wondering about it in relation to something else ages ago, sorry.

I have some planks too. I think there's a lot of variety in intellectual capacity in chickens just like in people.

Definitely agree with you there!

It shouldn't be relevant, since it has no effect on their ability to chicken, but tbh I find it endearing in the ones I like anyway and frustrating in the ones I'm not so fond of (usually because they aren't so keen on me)

 

[Perris]

It shouldn't be relevant, since it has no effect on their ability to chicken, but tbh I find it endearing in the ones I like anyway and frustrating in the ones I'm not so fond of

I feel exactly the same way

 

[kattabelly]

Whole plot is like this despite being forked over regularly (not turned, just broadforking but with a garden fork) and within the last week.

One of their favourite dust bath / shelter spots, after I'd pulled most of the soaked hay & straw out AND stabbed a load of drainage holes in the sludge beneath

We're on a hill and the rest of the community garden just below has had some drainage work done; the ground is just totally saturated. (This is coming from the north east, btw. Prevailing winds are theoretically south west.)

I had loads to do today but apparently I'll mostly be here, building pontoons.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

...I had loads to do today but apparently I'll mostly be here, building pontoons.

Maybe an ark instead...