Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ribh]

California is a big state. I did find breeders in northern California, but if I drove that far and was in Europe, I'd be three countries over!

Possibly more...I think we went through France, Luxenbourg, Belgium, Netherlands, across the top of Germany & into Denmark all in one day~ but Europe seemed so tiny compared to Australian distances.

 

[Windrider]

Well, I can recommend the Australorp bantams. They lay well & their egg is medium sized rather than tiny. What about Wyandotte bantams? They are super pretty, lay reasonably & aren't fliers. Their eggs do veer more on the small side though. One of the discussions that seems to crop up regularly is the difference in breeds across nations. MJ & I have commented that your Australorps don't look much like ours & Shad has mentioned French Marans so I probably shouldn't recommend breeds as there may be major differences.

TAX: Pebbles.
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Aww Pebbles!

I have mentioned before that the difference in Australorps seems to rest in the big hatcheries. I've seen breeder pics from the US that look like your Australian birds. There is an out of state breeder I've book-marked that ships eggs from his BBS show stock.

Bantam wyandottes? Ribh, I have seen videos of your gal when she is broody!
(kidding, I do love the chocolate partridge bantams that Greenfire was selling).

 

[Ribh]

Bantam wyandottes? Ribh, I have seen videos of your gal when she is broody!

Wrold is an anomoly ~ & yes, vicious. Alpia is sweet though & Lottie never went broody @ all. You could do worse. I have Shuri, who is a frizzled GLW, broody just now & she is more like Wrold than Alpia. I get screamed @ just for entering their shed & heaven forfend I should fish any eggs out!

 

[ManueB]

I think Paprika is conflicted: she saw Eve leave her chicks and return to the flock last week, but she's not quite ready to follow suit, so she spends the day with them but then, when they're all tucked up in the nest boxes she skips out of that coop and goes to roost with the grown ups

When Chipie left the chicks there were also three days when she was on and off with them, but during the day. I had the impression it was to make the transition easier for them. That may be a human interpretation!

This reminds me of this TED talk from 2013 about desertification. While research has refuted some of the ideas, much of it stands.

Allan Savory's TED Talk

Speaking as a biologist, so much of our world's problems are simply that our population has grown far beyond the carrying capacity of the planet without "borrowing" from the future. This is because our economic system is wholly based on growth. Nature doesn't let ANY animal have unending growth, but somehow humans don't think the laws of nature apply to them.

I have lots more to say about these interesting subjects you good folks here have been debating, but I have to get caught up. I've had some changes in my life and STILL HAVEN'T FOUND CHICKENS!

Nice to see you back on the thread.

It's very intriguing for me with no scientific background whatsoever, how things that would seem to me pretty factual are debated by scientifics, as is the case for all the questions surrounding regenerative AG and grazing. I understand that there can ethical, economical and even political debates around this subject, but it would seem to me (again, without knowing anything about it from a scientific viewpoint) that evaluating the state of the soil and of the pasture would be pretty straight forward data ?

I feel fortunate that I live in "crazy California" the butt of jokes all over the US for our "weird ideas", but where many trends on sustainable eating get started. We have massive problems here, to be sure, but I well remember the near war that California had with (I believe) Arkansas several years ago, when it was decided that all eggs and meat sold here would be cage free and being out of state didn't exempt a company from the ruling. As far as I could see, the only thing that happened was regular eggs went up $1 per dozen, and up $2 per dozen for pasture raised.

Also... I am astounded that our governor actually had the guts to pass a referendum on phasing out fossil-fuel cars and actually set a date (even though it is too far in the future IMO).

You hate it or you love it, but the year I spent in Berkeley when I was 15 definitely changed me for the better and left me the fondest memories. Having Vietnam vets turned hippies as high school teachers was something. Going shopping at Whole foods...telegraph avenue.. that surrealistic debate about a student that insisted on attending his courses naked at UC Berkeley....

It is just humans being a social primate and banging on their chests to show others how magnificent they are. It is hard wired into the species, though being "sapiens" you'd think we'd grow to understand ourselves a bit more.

I grew up in a conservationist and environmental family. I remember being a teenager and seeing Mick Jagger perform and thinking he was just like one of those Birds of Paradise doing ridiculous moves to impress the females. And whenever I see a certain blo-vating demagogue speak, I am reminded of a has-been old silverback rampaging, banging on trees, and hooting to try to get his tribe to respect him again.

Is it any wonder I am not married? Showing up for a date in a Corvette just made me roll my eyes.

Well, I don't think the "appearance show" is an exclusive male thing, far from it seeing from all the economic sector centered around making women look pretty, young, hairless and smelling of perfume!
And also, I don't see how today showing some of these aggressive signs of wealth can be found so attractive - basically it's as if one was going around screaming "hey look at me I'm doing all I can to destroy the planet! "

Well, I can recommend the Australorp bantams. They lay well & their egg is medium sized rather than tiny. What about Wyandotte bantams? They are super pretty, lay reasonably & aren't fliers. Their eggs do veer more on the small side though. One of the discussions that seems to crop up regularly is the difference in breeds across nations. MJ & I have commented that your Australorps don't look much like ours & Shad has mentioned French Marans so I probably shouldn't recommend breeds as there may be major differences.

TAX: Pebbles.
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Pebbles is gorgeous. I think I find Australorps really beautiful!

 

[ManueB]

Does a rooster have secret life ?

My partner was at the agricultural shop yesterday and he sent me the picture on the right with the caption : "Théo has been modelling for commercials behind our back" !!
What do you think ?

 

[Perris]

When Chipie left the chicks there were also three days when she was on and off with them, but during the day. I had the impression it was to make the transition easier for them. That may be a human interpretation!

you may be right! we're on day 4 of this day on-night off pattern here today, so I'll keep a close eye to see how it pans out.

I owe tax, so here's Amadeo, who is beginning to show the lemon and blue plumage that makes him an isabella (rather than a lavender) leghorn. His earlobes are an extraordinary light primrose colour. He seems to be navigating his teen years quite successfully; luckily he has some great role models to follow

 

[Perris]

evaluating the state of the soil and of the pasture would be pretty straight forward data

ah - if only! They conduct tests in labs precisely because it's so variable in the real world. You can eliminate all the variables in the lab. Of course the result you then get only applies for that atomised thing in those unreal conditions, but it does seem to be the way we've gained so much understanding about how the natural world works. And the more complex a system, the less useful are the lab results about an individual component in that strictly controlled environment.

 

[ManueB]

you may be right! we're on day 4 of this day on-night off pattern here today, so I'll keep a close eye to see how it pans out.

I owe tax, so here's Amadeo, who is beginning to show the lemon and blue plumage that makes him an isabella (rather than a lavender) leghorn. His earlobes are an extraordinary light primrose colour. He seems to be navigating his teen years quite successfully; luckily he has some great role models to followView attachment 3244518

I'm obviously not able to tell if he's conform to the standard but he is stunning! I hope you keep him !!

 

[Ribh]

Pebbles is gorgeous. I think I find Australorps really beautiful!

It's the eyes. Campines have that completely dark eye too. I find it irresistible. Unfortunately I haven't seen any more blue Australorp bantams & I find the standards a bit domineering for my tribe though MJ has a very laid back black.

 

[MaryJanet]

It's the eyes. Campines have that completely dark eye too. I find it irresistible. Unfortunately I haven't seen any more blue Australorp bantams & I find the standards a bit domineering for my tribe though MJ has a very laid back black.

Speaking of whom... (thanks for the opening Ribh!)