Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Skyeknight]

it was made quite clear to me that it was my responsibility to avoid pissing the creatures of and looking after my personal safety

This! When friends from the city came over made sure that they knew the dangers before getting into the pasture with the cows. Most of the time they are sweet, but can be a little too playfully with their horns or in their fertile period and jump on you with a shopping 500kg.

just let it hammer into my leg and or boot.

My current Ayam Cemani rooster is pretty protective of his hens. He immediately comes running when I enter the run. He doesn't like it when you stand up straight and will kick you once, doesn't seem to be using his spurs. If you just go sit down next to him he will not attack. He also seem to want to kick or chase you down one last time before you leave. I don't always know what triggers it, maybe I am just seen as a threat by default. But I don't mind it as much, you just need to be careful not to get too close and it's fine. I wouldn't cull him over this.

To me it seems like he keeps an eye on the danger (meaning me) and stands between it and his hens. He was more "aggressive" when I checked on the broody Silkie a lot.

 

[Molpet]

I don't always know what triggers it,

My first turkeys were people aggressive. They had imprinted on people before I bought them. Bright colors, florescent colors, reflective strips and mirror sunglasses would set them off.

 

[rural mouse]

Sooo what do you all eat, if you eat meat, if you're not eating cockerels?
I want my food to have a good life. That's why I let the broodies hatch.
I have to admit I don't eat extra hens, I sell them. And I have a bunch of retired old hens and roosters that my life would be easier if I would put them in the freezer. But I figured they deserve a retirement.

Bambi....and cousins (deer, elk (wapiti), antelope)...grass-fed beef....wild turkey, duck, goose, grouse, pheasant, bison if we're lucky enough to get permits, same for moose, bear....the occasional dingaling chicken who REALLY has to earn the "honor"

 

[Skyeknight]

My first turkeys were people aggressive. They had imprinted on people before I bought them. Bright colors, florescent colors, reflective strips and mirror sunglasses would set them off.

Probably should add his backstory a bit. As far as I am aware he was brooder raised and the only Ayam Cemani cockerel. Don't know if he was raised with other breeds. Got him for free from a friend because he was aggressive towards her family, although not towards her.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Probably should add his backstory a bit. As far as I am aware he was brooder raised and the only Ayam Cemani cockerel. Don't know if he was raised with other breeds. Got him for free from a friend because he was aggressive towards her family, although not towards her.

They have a reputation for having a favored human and disliking others.

Mine gives me a wide berth and studies me, but is not aggressive (yet?) Hubby says he's flared hackles at him. He definitely was side-eyeing my mother in law today, but she was using a high pitched voice so maybe he disliked that. He watches the kid closely; but he saw me swat an aggressive cockerel away from her so maybe he feels she is off limits.
I'm definitely keeping my eye on him. He's only just started crowing now that he's the oldest male in the flock.

His position is fairly secure as I am a huge fan of black birds, so hopefully we will have an arrangement of non-hostility.

 

[MrsNorthie]

I used to get drawn into such threads. I realised I was getting very close to the point of writing something less than sympathetic on the "a rooster chased my little boy/girl/husband when I was itching to write, "keep the brats away from the chickens if they can't behave appropriately." When I was late single digits and early teens on my uncles farm it was made quite clear to me that it was my responsibility to avoid pissing the creatures of and looking after my personal safety. I got the tour, with script, numerous ear tweaks to reinforce this or that important point and left to get on with it.
Above all, it taught me to respect the creatures I interacted with and that has kept me relatively uninjured for the past sixty years. A wise view I though; they all bite and sting and eat each other but the human is the most vicious of them all and least able to defend itself naked like the rest of the creatures.

The worst injury I've had from a chicken was from lovely Bluespot when she had just hatched chicks and I was doing my best to encourage the chicks that hadn't made it into the coop with mum (Bluespot) up a ramp. I got one in I think and then the next shouted for mum. Bluespot fired out of the pop door, about the height of my head at the time because I was trying to catch a chick and flew at me feet first. I just managed to block her from my face and received a gash in my hand that required stitches. My bad.

On the other hand I've had numerous roosters try to flog me but I've been more alert, one gets to know the bad boys quickly, and batted the rooster away or just let it hammer into my leg and or boot.
The worst I've had from a rooster was from Major. We were sat side by side on the edge of one of the terraces watching Tribe 2 below us and reached across to stroke Major and he gave me a hard peck on the back of my hand with an open beak. Open beak pecks are meant to hurt. It did. I never tried to touch him with due warning and respect again and he never pecked me again.
See, I'm not to dumb to learn.

If Blue and Pip were not causing an unpleasant and violent chaos with the rest of the chickens, I would have have never culled them, despite the repeated attacks. Everyone was visibly stressed.

The chickens are all much happier now, and Spud is a much better dominant than Blue. It took a couple of years to really see how disruptive they were to the rest. Spud keeps everyone managed without any violent behaviour. He even protected the turkey poults when they would flap over into chicken land. The 4 boys that are in with him are adopting his gentle, protective nature, but 2 of them are definitely his off-spring, and the other is Goldie's who is also an excellent rooster, except where Spud is concerned..lol

 

[MrsNorthie]

Most of the time they are sweet, but can be a little too playfully with their horns or in their fertile period and jump on you with a shopping 500kg.

I grew up on a dairy farm, where it was my job to tend the calves, when they grew up, they still wanted to cuddle, the problem is, when 50 heifers all try to cuddle you at the same time, it gets a little dangerous.

I was going to take my horse for a ride, but she was ignoring me, so I took her bridle and went walking through the pasture to look for her and all my bovine babies who were almost a year old, came and wanted to be petted and hugged. Luckily there was a taller rock formation in the field for me to get up on, and then my horse showed up, pushed her way through the crowd and I rode her, bare back, no bridle, all the way back to the barn. LOL She had some sass.. the heifers followed us down and they all got fed handfuls of grain.

I was a little more cautious in the future and after my grandmother got Pumpkin the white faced Hereford, (and she was built like a pumpkin..lol), I stopped walking through the pasture. Funny enough, the horse always came when I called her, after that.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I grew up on a dairy farm, where it was my job to tend the calves, when they grew up, they still wanted to cuddle, the problem is, when 50 heifers all try to cuddle you at the same time, it gets a little dangerous.

I was going to take my horse for a ride, but she was ignoring me, so I took her bridle and went walking through the pasture to look for her and all my bovine babies who were almost a year old, came and wanted to be petted and hugged. Luckily there was a taller rock formation in the field for me to get up on, and then my horse showed up, pushed her way through the crowd and I rode her, bare back, no bridle, all the way back to the barn. LOL She had some sass.. the heifers followed us down and they all got fed handfuls of grain.

I was a little more cautious in the future and after my grandmother got Pumpkin the white faced Hereford, (and she was built like a pumpkin..lol), I stopped walking through the pasture. Funny enough, the horse always came when I called her, after that.

Is that a new profile picture?

If you've already had it forever, I apologize - I blame it on my phone! I can see so much more on my laptop.

 

[Ribh]

Space is indeed the thing. The more space, the fewer problems, apart from one post I recall where the OP posted they had lots of space, over half an acre I believe and when they were asked if they could post a picture the space was one large bare lawn.
Getting people to understand the importance of cover, preferably natural, has proven quite difficult. It's a problem at the field, especially out on the plots and there is no obvious solution. I can fix, in time, the extended run.
Chickens like safe zones. It doesn't really matter if they need them for predator protection or not, they are a lot more relaxed and a lot more comfortable under stuff when they're not foraging.

Cover is my issue @ present. I have plenty of large trees giving shade or dappled sunlight but no decent sized bushes. I have 2 I'm hoping will grow significantly come spring but for now the chooks hug a corner of the coop. This area has the neighbour's shrubbery they like & my 2 shrubs. I've managed to hoy some largish logs in & everyone's grass clippings go over the fence. My neighbour is happy to oblige & doesn't mind my fence hoppers either but I will be a much happier camper with shrubbery.

 

[Ribh]

Sooo what do you all eat, if you eat meat, if you're not eating cockerels?
I want my food to have a good life. That's why I let the broodies hatch.
I have to admit I don't eat extra hens, I sell them. And I have a bunch of retired old hens and roosters that my life would be easier if I would put them in the freezer. But I figured they deserve a retirement.

I don't eat meat. It is less an ethical consideration than a hormonal one. First indication of pregnancy Just the smell of meat made me sick. Couldn't eat it. Easier just to give it up & I never began again.