Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[kattabelly]

I have just wasted a ridiculous amount of time trying to imagine a Zoom chicken meeting. For one thing, they would never mute themselves!

It did make me flash back to this amazing cartoon:

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I actually met someone a while back who made a load of money back near the start of covid by taking bookings for her goats to join people's zoom meetings for a small fee

Sometimes I put my phone's camera on selfie mode, hold it at chicken height and hit the shutter button every few seconds once it's caught their attention. Usually get a few good or funny photos before the inevitable last-thing-seen-before-being-eaten-by-a-chicken shot.

Iirc she ended up perched on the edge of my phone right after that.

 

[BDutch]

I'm very excited to announce a new way to harass broodies: a portable, USB-charged, clip-on camping fan, aimed right at the nest box! The fan looks huge in the pic, but it's just the perspective: it's maybe 7"/ 18 cm tall, smaller than the chickens.
At least she has stopped panting...
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The chickens favourite nestboxes are hang-outs with a lid in the sun in the afternoon. I covered it with some isolation since it got real hot a few weeks ago, and it has 1cm air flow space under the lid (ventilation). They have another nest-box on a shady spot. If it’s getting real warm, my chickens lay most eggs in the shady nest-box.

I noticed the bigger Amrocks are panting a lot more in hot weather than the slim Dutch. The Amrocks are getting smarter and are the first to lay in the shady spot with rising temps. The dark spots on their combs have all vanished now.

 

[BDutch]

We need to set up a zoom meeting or something for them to explain this to my lot.

Feels like they've realised the solstice has passed and they need to take advantage of every hour of daylight now before days get much shorter.

My lot seem to organise a happy hour each evening around sunset since solstice.
The chickens gather in the extension where 4 chickens sleep at night and face each other as if they have a group conversation.

Ini mini and Janice do not join every day. I often find one of them alone in their sleeping quarters (converted playhouse) But the 2 Amrocks are joining in the extension every evening.

Shortly before its getting darker and the pop doors closes, the playhouse bunch move to their own bedroom.

Roost-room 1 : extension with Kraai, Black, Pearl and Katrientje
Roost-room 2 : playhouse with Ini mini, Janice, Gin and Tonic (the Amrocks).

 

[kattabelly]

My lot seem to organise a happy hour each evening around sunset since solstice.

Sunset is still after 10pm here, most of them aren't up quite that late thankfully!

Recently the two 10 week old Light Sussex that are definitely cockerels have been taking themselves to bed early while all the rest run amok.

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

I'm very excited to announce a new way to harass broodies: a portable, USB-charged, clip-on camping fan, aimed right at the nest box! The fan looks huge in the pic, but it's just the perspective: it's maybe 7"/ 18 cm tall, smaller than the chickens.
At least she has stopped panting...
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Millie the Pekin has been panting through the UK ‘heatwave’ then decided that 30+ c would be a good time to go broody! Put a well wrapped freezer block in her nest and a cordless fan and she just tried brooding the freezer block! Guess it cooled her down a bit. Bless her she is a serial broody and will go broody 6 to 8 times a year. If she starts looking rather bedraggled she goes into broody jail. Despite the magnificent fluff there’s not a lot of chicken under there

Tried planting herself…

Mrs pancake in a previous broody moment. Her favourite nest is in a cat carrier so not easy to take a picture

 

[Perris]

she is exceptionally pretty @L-plate chicken mum

So is the verdict on a freezer block as broody breaker 'fail'?

 

[RoyalChick]

Millie the Pekin has been panting through the UK ‘heatwave’ then decided that 30+ c would be a good time to go broody! Put a well wrapped freezer block in her nest and a cordless fan and she just tried brooding the freezer block! Guess it cooled her down a bit. Bless her she is a serial broody and will go broody 6 to 8 times a year. If she starts looking rather bedraggled she goes into broody jail. Despite the magnificent fluff there’s not a lot of chicken under there
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Tried planting herself…
View attachment 4175690

Mrs pancake in a previous broody moment. Her favourite nest is in a cat carrier so not easy to take a picture

Wow - what a pretty chicken!
With Tassels I use actual ice so she gets wet as well as cold. Need her feet to be able to avoid it so she doesn’t get frostbite.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Wow - what a pretty chicken!
With Tassels I use actual ice so she gets wet as well as cold. Need her feet to be able to avoid it so she doesn’t get frostbite.

And she STILL doesn’t break?!

 

[RoyalChick]

And she STILL doesn’t break?!

Well every time I have deployed ice she has given up within 1-2 days.
So my impression is that it works.

Tassels-on-ice:

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Well every time I have deployed ice she has given up within 1-2 days.
So my impression is that it works.

Tassels-on-ice:
View attachment 4175729

Wow! I flinch in female sympathy!