BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[Perris]

I was told that some vehicles use wire that has insulation made from soy, and it is the soy that attracts the critters for a snack.

well at least it's recyclable then! 1 bit less electrical waste for the world

 

[RoyalChick]

well at least it's recyclable then! 1 bit less electrical waste for the world

Yes! And indeed that was the rationale given to me for why wire insulation is made of soy.

 

[BDutch]

We have the issue with electric cables from both mice and squirrels. I don't know if it is true, but I was told that some vehicles use wire that has insulation made from soy, and it is the soy that attracts the critters for a snack.

Im not sure its soy, but some car factories make it with something natural added, rodents think they can eat. Especially French cars are often targets.

This is what google says: In many cars the wiring consists partly of fish oil (think of the spark plug wires for example). Mainly the young martens are attracted to this. Because the martens think the wiring is edible, they gnaw it to pieces.

Anyway, I'm sure you've posted about the stone marten before; I think it's more commonly known as a beech marten here. I wonder what it is about electric cables that attracts both species to sample them (and presumably get shocked for their troubles!)?

You are right. Google cant translate this species properly. From NL to UK goes wrong, and the other way around too. If I translate beech marten to NL , google translates the two words separately to a non existing species.

 

[RoyalChick]

Im not sure its soy, but some car factories make it with something natural added, rodents think they can eat. Especially French cars are often targets.

There is plenty on line about the use of soy in insulation:
This from the Massachusetts government:
https://www.mass.gov/news/soy-based-wiring

It looks like most auto manufacturers switched to soy-based insulation a long time ago (mid-2000s I think). There was a class action suit against Toyota that was thrown out in 2018 after running through courts for 5 years. It was thrown out not because the insulation wasn't soy-based (that doesn't seem to have been in dispute) but because there was insufficient evidence that it was the soy that was attracting the rats to chew on the wires.

 

[BDutch]

The lady from the Hedge came to pick up Whisky today. She was very pleased with his beauty and told me her chickens are a bantam banyard mix. About the size of my bantam RIR and a little bigger. So he fits very well with her chickens.

She found Whisky’s name fun and wants to keep it. She also likes to have chicks in spring so it’s a great gift if he will become father of another barnyard chicken generation.

Bye byes to Whisky.

 

[BDutch]

Hello first Amrock egg!

One of my pullets has laid a nice brown first egg. Very sure bc no other chicken I have lays brown eggs. This is the first brown egg I ever had from my own chickens. And to my surprise its even a bit darker than the Amrock hatching eggs I had.
The size of this first egg is about the same as the eggs my tiny Dutch lay.

 

[RoyalChick]

Hello first Amrock egg!

One of my pullets has laid a nice brown first egg. Very sure bc no other chicken I have lays brown eggs. This is the first brown egg I ever had from my own chickens. And to my surprise its even a bit darker than the Amrock hatching eggs I had.
The size of this first egg is about the same as the eggs my tiny Dutch lay.

Congratulations!

 

[BDutch]

And the other one followed. Today I had 2 brown presents.

The eggs got dirty bc we had a lot of rain the last week. The path to run was even more slippery as the soil in run. The drainage still works. No puddles.

From top to bottom:
1 Dutch bantam
2 GinTonic
3 Katrientje

 

[BDutch]

Summary and closure of my #5, #6 and #7 hatching adventures.

Whoever started to read and followed from the beginning knows I wanted a few new bantam hens last year because my flock was getting older.

2014 was a successful hatch. I sold most chicks/ juveniles because there were too many. Unfortunately the 2 tiny bantam Dutch hens I kept got lost in space in autumn (predator).

Early spring 2015 I bought 6 bantam Sulmtaler eggs. But it was still cold and the hatch was not what I hoped for. Just one male chick hatched. After his mothers abandoned him he started to sleep in the berry bush al alone. I was happy he found a new home in Friesland.

Last summer, Ini mini and Black were co-brooding and mothering 3 young bantam Amrocks. Because I had troubles in the hen house before when new chicks started to roost, I decided to make a new coop for them (adjusted children's playhouse).

And indeed the troubles started again with this batch and I was glad I had a good and safe alternative for them to sleep without all the fighting.The playhouse became the new home for Ini mini, Whisky, Gin and Tonic. Only Black decided to join the other hens again when I wouldn’t let her roost outside with her juveniles. This triggered her to stop mothering. Ini mini gradually stopped caring less but still accompanies her two daughters at night after 6 months. Whisky found a new home in a free range setting with small barnyard hens of hus own size.

Gin and Tonic have become young layers last week and this make me feel it’s the end of my hatching adventure’s.

I hope there’s no need for another hatch next year. For now I reached the limit for my setup (run space), and have no plans to enlarge the run. Therefore I don’t expect to post here very often in the future. But if there is news I keep you updated in this thread until I decide to make a new one.
Thank you all for the support and advises.

 

[MaryJanet]

Summary and closure of my #5, #6 and #7 hatching adventures.

Whoever started to read and followed from the beginning knows I wanted a few new bantam hens last year because my flock was getting older.

2014 was a successful hatch. I sold most chicks/ juveniles because there were too many. Unfortunately the 2 tiny bantam Dutch hens I kept got lost in space in autumn (predator).

Early spring 2015 I bought 6 bantam Sulmtaler eggs. But it was still cold and the hatch was not what I hoped for. Just one male chick hatched. After his mothers abandoned him he started to sleep in the berry bush al alone. I was happy he found a new home in Friesland.

Last summer, Ini mini and Black were co-brooding and mothering 3 young bantam Amrocks. Because I had troubles in the hen house before when new chicks started to roost, I decided to make a new coop for them (adjusted children's playhouse).

And indeed the troubles started again with this batch and I was glad I had a good and safe alternative for them to sleep without all the fighting.The playhouse became the new home for Ini mini, Whisky, Gin and Tonic. Only Black decided to join the other hens again when I wouldn’t let her roost outside with her juveniles. This triggered her to stop mothering. Ini mini gradually stopped caring less but still accompanies her two daughters at night after 6 months. Whisky found a new home in a free range setting with small barnyard hens of hus own size.

Gin and Tonic have become young layers last week and this make me feel it’s the end of my hatching adventure’s.

I hope there’s no need for another hatch next year. For now I reached the limit for my setup (run space), and have no plans to enlarge the run. Therefore I don’t expect to post here very often in the future. But if there is news I keep you updated in this thread until I decide to make a new one.
Thank you all for the support and advises.

It was a great thread! Thank you @BDutch