Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[MaryJanet]

strong preference for sand

This makes me feel very lucky that my neighbourhood was built on sand. The hens have several bathing spots and in five years of consults, the vet has not yet found traces of mites or lice.

 

[Sally PB]

Both of my roosters only have one sickle feather remaining as well... they look pretty dreadful right now, bless them. Hope you're feeling a wee bit better!

My rooster, Snowbird, had 2 sickle feathers on Monday. Yesterday, he was down to one. Today, zero. He looks quite a bit shorter, front to back.

 

[TropicalChickies]

You should name one of the cockerels Dolly Parton

Or Britney Spears.

 

[fluffycrow]

Or Britney Spears.

That's another great one! Got a few more that just popped in my head, Ke$ha, P!nk...I was about to recommend Lady Gaga. My few and far between braincells are screaming for some sleep time

 

[Shadrach]

coming back to the use of sulphur / sulfur, Nicol says the following about its use during a discussion of the benefits of dustbathing:

p.91 “hens that used an available dustbath reduced their mite and lice infestations by 80-100% within a week in comparison with non-users, with sulphur a particularly effective substrate in this regard… strong preference for sand over rice hulls, wood shavings or paper [for dustbath substrate]… long bouts of dustbathing that incorporate all of these possible elements [viz., scratching and raking through substrate, lie down, turn on side, raise feathers, wing shaking, head rubbing, more raking and scratching, lying, rubbing, before standing and shaking out] are a good indicator of positive welfare.”

Nothing is said there about respiratory harm caused by the sulphur in the dustbath - which doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but since her interest is hen welfare, I think she'd have mentioned it if she thought it was a significant hazard.

Yes but, there is a world of difference between having some sulfur in a dust bath, which I'm going to assume is not inside the coop and hanging bags of sulfur at the pop door which the hens bash into as they come and go.

 

[Shadrach]

Four hours today. On and off rain. Wind gusts of 35mph late afternoon.
The chickens don't like the wind.
Fret was on the roost bar when I looked in this evening and one of the chicks was beside her. I listened but didn't hear anything that made me think Fret got back down, there is usually a bit of squeaking as the chicks settle. I didn't get a picture because I didn't want to disturb them.
Poop was clear of any signs of blood again when I cleaned out this morning.
I'm still testing positive but felt a bit better this evening. I'm very tired of this bug now.

I had a phone call from my housing providor telling me a flat where I've asked to be moved to will be available on 16th October and was I still interested in moving. I said I was and am now waiting for an appointment to go and view the flat. I can't say I'm looking forward to the move itself assuming it all goes through.

 

[Shadrach]

Covid has the reputation for dulling some senses; smell and taste for examples.
According to my sister, her husband who is normally quite a jovial sort of chap, has lost his sense of humour. This may have something to do with the fact that my sister infected him with the bug.

I unwisely got involved in one of those right on discussions about self expression with a couple of people who I believe are described as "woke" these days. I managed to endure a few minutes of the bollocks these people were spouting and when asked what I thought about the subject, I mentioned that I was very much in favour of self expression. After all, if one doesn't let people express themselves in a manner of their choosing one may never find out just how collossally vacuous and unpleasant people are.

I was pleased to note my sense of humour doesn't seem to have suffered under Covid.

 

[Little Tala Bug]

Yay! I hope all goes well with the flat =)

 

[BDutch]

.
I'm still testing positive but felt a bit better this evening. I'm very tired of this bug now.

Getting slowly better.Hope you recover soon.

I had a phone call from my housing providor telling me a flat where I've asked to be moved to will be available on 16th October and was I still interested in moving. I said I was and am now waiting for an appointment to go and view the flat. I can't say I'm looking forward to the move itself assuming it all goes through.

Hope that you fall in love with this opportunity to live close to you family and the allotment! A nuisance to move, but think how it will be after you moved in.

 

[ManueB]

good obs; typically I don't see clouds of dust while they're actually dustbathing, but only when they shake on exit, as you say. It's hard to imagine they can avoid breathing while dustbathing, especially given the length of time some of them spend on it!

It has to do with the nature of the soil and the degree of dryness. Here chickens make dust clouds the whole time of the bath, except when they stay unmoving which they do for a long time.
Unfortunately they sometimes dustbathe in the coop, usually if it's wet outside or if a hen wants to be on their own. I can't go inside the coop then because of the dust.

Four hours today. On and off rain. Wind gusts of 35mph late afternoon.
The chickens don't like the wind.
Fret was on the roost bar when I looked in this evening and one of the chicks was beside her. I listened but didn't hear anything that made me think Fret got back down, there is usually a bit of squeaking as the chicks settle. I didn't get a picture because I didn't want to disturb them.
Poop was clear of any signs of blood again when I cleaned out this morning.
I'm still testing positive but felt a bit better this evening. I'm very tired of this bug now.

Good for the recovered chick and for the roost attempt!
My chickens also hate the wind, unfortunately for them, because while rain is rather rare strong winds is a common occurrence here.

I had a phone call from my housing providor telling me a flat where I've asked to be moved to will be available on 16th October and was I still interested in moving. I said I was and am now waiting for an appointment to go and view the flat. I can't say I'm looking forward to the move itself assuming it all goes through.

View attachment 3646883View attachment 3646882View attachment 3646881View attachment 3646880

If it works out, it's a very short delay. Do you need to move in by the 16, and if so would you have time to make the formalities to leave your current flat ?

Covid has the reputation for dulling some senses; smell and taste for examples.
According to my sister, her husband who is normally quite a jovial sort of chap, has lost his sense of humour. This may have something to do with the fact that my sister infected him with the bug.

I unwisely got involved in one of those right on discussions about self expression with a couple of people who I believe are described as "woke" these days. I managed to endure a few minutes of the bollocks these people were spouting and when asked what I thought about the subject, I mentioned that I was very much in favour of self expression. After all, if one doesn't let people express themselves in a manner of their choosing one may never find out just how collossally vacuous and unpleasant people are.

I was pleased to note my sense of humour doesn't seem to have suffered under Covid.

Even though the term woke is also used here now, it's so politically tainted (conservative right) that I am still not honestly sure what it originally means. Is it correct to say that it is an excessive use of what was called "politically correct" in the US before ?