Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

This makes sense to me. Doris got very cranky before he died last summer. I'm pretty sure he had, had a heat stroke. He started pecking on the little chicks, which he had never done before. I moved him into a pen with his favorite girls so he wouldn't get beat up, for bullying.
I'm thinking maybe I should move my husband into his own space? He's getting a little cranky in his old age.

I vote for that with husbands.

 

[Shadrach]

I haven't been happy with the coop pop door arrangement. The chicken guard works well enough but the plastic door that came with the coop and it's runner arrangement mean that while the door opens without problem, sometimes when it closes it doesn't go all the way down and leaves a small gap at the bottom.
I've tried making it a bit heavier which helps but in the end I thought I would try one of these. It arrived today.

https://www.strangfordincubators.com/product/chicken-guard-self-locking-door-kit/

 

[Shadrach]

It must be happy week right?
I was on my way to the allotments. My rucksack had around ten kilos for feed plus a few tools in it. I had Just got out the flats block door and was passing the bench outside the community room and a few residents I sort of know were sitting there so I went over for a quick chat, you know, a bit of light hearted gossip perhaps given it wasn't raining and the sun was attempting to shine. Guess what the topic of converstaion was; who had died last week. Three deaths apparently. All of them younger than I am. Two of the dead I knew a bit.
I get to the bus stop and bump into another resident who is a few years older than I am talking about their new dance class. She uses a walking frame ffs.
She does three classes a week plus a cooking course, plus still does her own shopping and does all this by bus.

 

[Sally PB]

I want to be like her!

 

[Ladies-Eight]

How do you find her personality in comparison to the standard size RIR?
Just curious. I had some standard rhode island hens, in the past, who didn't get along well with my more gentle hens.

My Rhode Island Reds are very aggressive and I will not get any more.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

As one who lives in the jungle (and has learned to keep skin covered most of the time), I can attest that humans are definitely prey animals. And you know what's more likely to eat you than a jaguar or anaconda? Ants. That's right. Millions of tiny carnivorous ants will compost a human in short time. Meanwhile, I've seen my chickens go straight into an anthill for "snack time"...

Our chickens love ants too. Rarely see many anthills in our backyard.

I wish my chickens developed a taste for fire ants

To all of you my chickens will dig up a fire ant hill in a hurry.

They have 2 hills they are exploring now.

I dust the hills with Cinnamon and they move to another area.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good afternoon one and all!

Temperature is in the 70s.

Have a great day!

 

[Iluveggers]

My FBCM has done a great job sitting. She took to sitting about the time my SF gave up (2 weeks in), but after I candled the eggs she took over they were all ruined. So I gave her a couple that I took when chicken sitting for my neighbor with two roosters. She has a few days left until they are due to hatch. I candled yesterday and 2 still look good. The others were sloshy so I tossed them in the woods. She’s set so well, I hope at least one chick hatches. She’s plucked all her belly feathers. She isn’t super mean to me, but none of the other chickens will go near her. Hopefully that’s a good sign.

 

[becstalls]

Thought I’d share a sweet observation with all of you because it has to do with a rooster and with chickens keeping to their own breed. Also because my husband’s eyes glaze over when I talk bird observations

So this evening I added an extension onto our brooder. We had planned to put the chicks out in the coop at 3 weeks and finish brooding them in the coop until they were big enough to range. Life happened and we didn’t get the roof on the coop repaired in time. So I added this box to the 50 gallon tote we started with:

As soon as the dust settled, the two Salmon Faverolles decided they were glad to finally be able to keep themselves to themselves. They went and bedded down in a corner of the box, while the rest settled under the heat lamp as usual. Star, our oopsie-roo, realized they were gone, and went to find his ladies.

He stood watch over them while they went to sleep. When I snuck down later after the main lights were off, he was still there.

 

[janiedoe]

Thought I’d share a sweet observation with all of you because it has to do with a rooster and with chickens keeping to their own breed. Also because my husband’s eyes glaze over when I talk bird observations

So this evening I added an extension onto our brooder. We had planned to put the chicks out in the coop at 3 weeks and finish brooding them in the coop until they were big enough to range. Life happened and we didn’t get the roof on the coop repaired in time. So I added this box to the 50 gallon tote we started with:View attachment 3482109

As soon as the dust settled, the two Salmon Faverolles decided they were glad to finally be able to keep themselves to themselves. They went and bedded down in a corner of the box, while the rest settled under the heat lamp as usual. Star, our oopsie-roo, realized they were gone, and went to find his ladies.View attachment 3482110View attachment 3482111 He stood watch over them while they went to sleep. When I snuck down later after the main lights were off, he was still there. View attachment 3482112

They look pretty well feathered. They most likely do not need the heat lamp. At the very least, you should move it up quite a bit.
You're going to have a beautiful flock.