Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours out today. It didn't rain while I was there and the wind was much less than yesterday. They came out and stayed out until dusk.
I've named the other Ex Battery hen Ella.

This is more like it. They are moving around much more like a tribe now. Ella who is a bit of an outsider is one of the four most recent arrivals and is now gaining confidence in her relationship with the others. Ella is a big hen and is crouching for Henry and laying. I haven't seen any problem that would prevent Ella's full acceptance by the others despite having spent some time roosting and staying with the three other hens she arrived with for most of her time here.
There is very little friction over food now apart from Henry who prevents the Cream Legbar from eating until the others are done because she isn't laying eggs. You can see in the picture below Henry encouraging the Legbar to eat once the others had finished.

 

[BDutch]

Thanks Shad, for explaining the relations in a flock (tribe). The way things often go between roosters , laying hens and top hens.
I recognize some of the behaviour even with my little flock with a cockerel at the most. My top hen was Pino the oldest/heaviest Dutch for a long time. After her disappearance her task seems to be divided between ini mini (as old as Pino) and Black, a daughter of Pino.
Ini mini the first to eat snack food. And Black being the boss on the roost.

I like the name Ella. And I’m glad to hear they accept her as one of the tribe so quickly. I hope you are happy with this flock as it is now. The numbers seem acceptable for the size of the coop/run with about two hours to free range most days. Hopefully this setting is better for their health.

My tax today, view from a terrace in Silves (without poultry). I was just to late to picture a magnificent stork who flew by.

 

[Shadrach]

I can't see the talked about plan to move the coop and chickens to C's back garden happening in the near future. Apart from the state of the run, life for everybody still remaining including the humans has become much easier.
There was food in the tray again today when I got there. It was in the tray attatached to the indside of the new coop so thats a biosecurity issue and feeding issue improved. The water stays cleaner as does the coop and new coop run. One quarter of the foot fall in the run and coop run will make a difference to the condition of the ground. The coop run is 4m x 4m (170square feet) roughly. Dividing by 5 gives approx 34 square feet in the run per chicken. Get the old coop out and a bit of furniture in the space and it's heading towards the ten times the recommended space in the run I would prefer to see in coop and run keeping.
Cost has been reduced by three quarters. I could feed them on my own if necessary. One bag would last a month.
Cleaning out is easier and uses less bedding.

Most of all, I think Henry and four hens works better for the chickens. Henry will be more attentive to the four hens because he's not running around trying to fertilize the eggs of twenty. In theory at least they'll make a working tribe and in the long term if Fret wanted to sit given she goes broody easily it would be doable in the space.

 

[MaryJanet]

I can't see the talked about plan to move the coop and chickens to C's back garden happening in the near future. Apart from the state of the run, life for everybody still remaining including the humans has become much easier.
There was food in the tray again today when I got there. It was in the tray attatached to the indside of the new coop so thats a biosecurity issue and feeding issue improved. The water stays cleaner as does the coop and new coop run. One quarter of the foot fall in the run and coop run will make a difference to the condition of the ground. The coop run is 4m x 4m (170square feet) roughly. Dividing by 5 gives approx 34 square feet in the run per chicken. Get the old coop out and a bit of furniture in the space and it's heading towards the ten times the recommended space in the run I would prefer to see in coop and run keeping.
Cost has been reduced by three quarters. I could feed them on my own if necessary. One bag would last a month.
Cleaning out is easier and uses less bedding.

Most of all, I think Henry and four hens works better for the chickens. Henry will be more attentive to the four hens because he's not running around trying to fertilize the eggs of twenty. In theory at least they'll make a working tribe and in the long term if Fret wanted to sit given she goes broody easily it would be doable in the space.

There are so many wins in this post, Shad. I'm delighted for the tribe and its humans!

 

[micstrachan]

I've never seen a rooster have any influence on who is the top hen.
How top hens establish themselves in a starting group I don't know having never seen it, or read much reliable about it.
A couple of studies go by body weight; the heavier the hen the more likely she is to be top hen.
With a rooster introduced to an existing group, I believe the hen who is top when the rooster arrives stays top.
In established multi generational groups it's usually the eldest hen who is top ime, but different keeping arrangements may change this.


Not that I've seen. With Henry at the allotments, Matilda was top hen. Henry mated with all the other hens, some much more often than he did Matilda.
Matilda was still boss.
There are of course many other dimensions to chicken relationships, many which are unresearched and not understood. Some pairs make stable long term relationships. With some you can see that affection is present, others not so much. Notch had no sexual relationship with Gedit; she didn't lay eggs. I never saw any signs of affection between the pair but Gedit was top hen until she died.
Fat bird had a few roosters come and go, some she was more willing to mate with than others. She was top hen for almost a decade. One could see some affection between Major and Fat Bird when Major was alive and it took Cillin, years later, a long time before Fat Bird would crouch for him.
New layers tend to get a lot of attention from the roosters. One of the few accurate discriptions of a rooster and his hens is calling his hens his harem. How humans consider harums operate is pretty close to how chickens do it as far as I've seen.

My view is much of chickens social interactions become much clearer when one stops thinking flock and start thinking tribe and family.


Choose for what?
Current favourites that are laying get most sexual attention. It doesn't change their rank. It's the job of the rooster to make the hens eggs fertile. This may not have anything to do with relationships as we think of them. Not all favourites are top hens. Favourites tend to come and go but the roosters relationship with the top hen and perhaps one other have seemed pretty solid despite "the other hens."

My experience of chickens makes them as complicated in a social sense as humans.

Thanks, Shad. This is all very informative. Have you seen non-sexual friendship bonds between roosters and hens? Is that what you meant with Notch and Gedit?

Oh, and by “choose,” I meant choose to mate with. You answered the question.

As you know, I only have experience with an all-female tribe. Bridge, the oldest, has been top hen since Margo died years ago. Buttercup, the biggest, and in the next age group, is second in command. She is very jealous of other birds and attacks them after I handle them affectionately. Except she backs down to Bridge.

Bridge seems to have befriended Flo, one of the youngest. I see Flo being top hen someday, but we’ll see.

Here are the birds mentioned here, for tax purposes, since I haven’t been posting much. All photos are current, except for the one of Bridge as a check on my arm.

Bridge - top hen and the special chick who was “mine” when my husband brought home four chicks seven years ago and we each chose one:

Margo - former top hen

Buttercup - Beta girl

Flo - possible alpha in the making

 

[micstrachan]

I can't see the talked about plan to move the coop and chickens to C's back garden happening in the near future. Apart from the state of the run, life for everybody still remaining including the humans has become much easier.
There was food in the tray again today when I got there. It was in the tray attatached to the indside of the new coop so thats a biosecurity issue and feeding issue improved. The water stays cleaner as does the coop and new coop run. One quarter of the foot fall in the run and coop run will make a difference to the condition of the ground. The coop run is 4m x 4m (170square feet) roughly. Dividing by 5 gives approx 34 square feet in the run per chicken. Get the old coop out and a bit of furniture in the space and it's heading towards the ten times the recommended space in the run I would prefer to see in coop and run keeping.
Cost has been reduced by three quarters. I could feed them on my own if necessary. One bag would last a month.
Cleaning out is easier and uses less bedding.

Most of all, I think Henry and four hens works better for the chickens. Henry will be more attentive to the four hens because he's not running around trying to fertilize the eggs of twenty. In theory at least they'll make a working tribe and in the long term if Fret wanted to sit given she goes broody easily it would be doable in the space.

Fantastic, Shad! I look forward to seeing how this unfolds.

 

[Iluveggers]

or the variety of carrot called Deep purple - I grew that last year and discovered it dyes everything it's cooked with that colour (deep purple) - nice for a carrot-cum-red-velvet-cake, not so nice for a beef stew

I made mashed potatoes with purple potatoes once since we didn’t have any white or yellow. They were delicious, although we were all reluctant to try the greyish/lavender mush.

 

[Iluveggers]

Shad I find your synopsis of the chickens and their behavior fascinating. Reading your stories has made me so much more observant when watching my own flock. I am headed to the farm this weekend, and the 50+ chickens have been free-ranging there every day. Curious to sit back with a cup of coffee and just watch them. There are 4 maturing cockerels, along with 18 hens and 30ish maturing/laying pullets in 2 large barn/coops. The weather was not the most accommodating over the holiday, and I have not been over to help in a few weeks.

I had time to let my lady flock out for about an hour after work today. It is interesting, the one I consider “top” started cackling as it got dark. Almost like a signal to wrap it up. I usually shake my little container of cracked corn when I want them to return to the run, and they all follow me inside within about 10 seconds which is quite handy. Still waiting on 5 to lay. The other 5 are giving us 3-4 eggs daily. I can’t wait til it get lighter out in the afternoon so my days aren’t so hurried with them!

I will have to pay tax the next time I am out with them. I thought about it at dusk but it was too dark to take any pics.

 

[ManueB]

But as it's a once daily thing, it can't overtake your time

But I have french and English.
I did the french in 3 yesterday the word was Harem! Funny how the mind works, I'm much better at games with letters than with numbers even when they have nothing to do with math or writing just like it's the other way around for others.

My frizzles channeling the spirit of their jungle fowl ancestors.

View attachment 3367569

What a lovely photo. Not sure BYC photo contest is your thing, but you could submit it for picture of the week. Is this Chippy and Skeksis junior ?

How top hens establish themselves in a starting group I don't know having never seen it, or read much reliable about it.
A couple of studies go by body weight; the heavier the hen the more likely she is to be top hen.
With a rooster introduced to an existing group, I believe the hen who is top when the rooster arrives stays top.

In my original hen-only six ex-batts tribe or group that grew up together, the biggest, most agile and first layer, Nougat, was last in the pecking order, countering what we were expecting. She had a very calm and tolerant temper when young, not wishing to fight or act up for things like food or roosting, and I think this was the most determinant factor.
When they were two years old, Théo arrived as a young cockerel and the top hen Vanille stayed top hen.
When he gradually took his place as a rooster, the only thing that changed was that Nougat, who had hated and bullied him seriously in the beginning, was the first to understand the tidbitting thing and so she was the first hen to become friend with Théo and let him mate her. She stayed bottom hen but she had a friend.
My individual experience doesn't mean these studies you mention are wrong off course but like with human sociological findings does not always explain individual behaviours.

My experience of chickens makes them as complicated in a social sense as humans.

I believe this to be true.

I can't see the talked about plan to move the coop and chickens to C's back garden happening in the near future. Apart from the state of the run, life for everybody still remaining including the humans has become much easier.
There was food in the tray again today when I got there. It was in the tray attatached to the indside of the new coop so thats a biosecurity issue and feeding issue improved. The water stays cleaner as does the coop and new coop run. One quarter of the foot fall in the run and coop run will make a difference to the condition of the ground. The coop run is 4m x 4m (170square feet) roughly. Dividing by 5 gives approx 34 square feet in the run per chicken. Get the old coop out and a bit of furniture in the space and it's heading towards the ten times the recommended space in the run I would prefer to see in coop and run keeping.
Cost has been reduced by three quarters. I could feed them on my own if necessary. One bag would last a month.
Cleaning out is easier and uses less bedding.

Most of all, I think Henry and four hens works better for the chickens. Henry will be more attentive to the four hens because he's not running around trying to fertilize the eggs of twenty. In theory at least they'll make a working tribe and in the long term if Fret wanted to sit given she goes broody easily it would be doable in the space.

Now you are giving us hope again that you have a future in those chicken's lives ?
I would love to believe this.
Even if it doesn't work out, it does look as if most of those chicken's fate will be better due to that split up. This is a great confort.
It also reminds us of how essential space if for animal's wellbeing, I think.

 

[Perris]

But I have french and English

being able to do word games in another language is impressive ( getting it in 3)

It also reminds us of how essential space if for animal's wellbeing

indeed it does. Overstocking is the easiest error to make.