Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[HiEverybirdy]

It always encourages me to see how nature can still come back if given just a bit of space and time. Lovely photos, thank you for sharing.

So fast! Earth detoxifies and reclaims space so quickly if we move out of the way.

 

[LTAY1946]

The grass my free ranging chicks run on has gone to seed. They love stripping the seed from the stems. Every breed seems to know just how it is done.

 

[Shadrach]

Shad, what are the options for new hens by approaching an egg producer directly? I'd be tempted to just call a few and see what they say.

I don't know. I have thought about this but for the number of hens I want I doubt they would consider it worth the bother.

 

[Shadrach]

My beets did not do well, but the chard is over a foot tall and looking very healthy!

I reckon I'm on this chard business in the future.

 

[Shadrach]

In the past I had hens who build nests outside the coop, on the neighbours compost pile, under blackberry bushes, behind the trash cans,etc. One hen (Pino) tried every year. Leaving an egg in the nestboxes helps , but was not enough to keep them from doing so.

I got the advice to lock them up for a week after noticing. And I did. Sometimes the whole group, sometimes only the one hen.
I had no problems with them laying elsewhere after that for the rest of the season.

If you don’t want to get crazy that much, building a coop with a run to lock the chickens up, is imho a good solution.

I've tried this in the past and it did work for a while, later they went back to laying in nests away from the coop. In the end I found it a lot less stress all round in the keeping circumstances to just watch where the hens went and listen for escort calls. I found most of the nests. Not too worried about finding all the eggs.

 

[Shadrach]

Got my crew up b4 the my neighbors blew up the hood on the 4th. It was a serious push. We finished the roost around 2pm, then had to drive down and wrangle 34 chickens into cages and then drive them up the mountain 30 minutes.View attachment 3572233View attachment 3572234
These are all hand placed chickens lol. Locks got installed via flashlight.

The next morning momma and chicks were first out of the coop to explore.View attachment 3572235
I have continued to work on their set up- today I cut and installed the ridge for the broody coop for mom and littles to have their own space for eating and recharging. Plus ramps, proper hooks, knobs, buttoning up, spreading mulch etc. View attachment 3572237View attachment 3572239
The work, and the wait, was worth it.View attachment 3572240View attachment 3572241
A little drama with the locals more than a few times, but nothing terrible yet. I am keeping eyes and ears open.
My Spider and dominant feral roo discussing personal boundaries.
View attachment 3572242
There are also very harmonious moments too. Here is Shad blending in... for a few minutes lol.View attachment 3572243View attachment 3572244
Drama, drama, drama.

Wont they all fit in that big coop in picture number 7?

 

[Iluveggers]

I reckon I'm on this chard business in the future.

You can probably plant it now and have some come up. I plant some in early spring here in NY, and it will cut & keep coming until fall. In mid-summer I plant a second batch, and once it is established I pull the spring plants to let the soil rest (& surprise the chickens with extra scraps).

 

[TropicalBabies]

Wont they all fit in that big coop in picture number 7?

Well, they certainly tried...

 

[Shadrach]

You can probably plant it now and have some come up. I plant some in early spring here in NY, and it will cut & keep coming until fall. In mid-summer I plant a second batch, and once it is established I pull the spring plants to let the soil rest (& surprise the chickens with extra scraps).

I put the spinach I rescued from the bolted plants in a slow cooker, beef brisket and prune stew and the toughness associated with bolted spinach wasn't there; rather nice stew in fact. Given the recent weather which looks to be here for a few years as the planet warms I'm going to be wanting something bolt proof and preferably a winter crop. Something the chickens think is revolting and I find absolutely lovely would be an added bonus.

 

[Shadrach]

This caught my eye. I wonder how much of it's true.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/art...rops-33-in-lula-first-six-months-as-president