Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[RoyalChick]

Your chicken sitter sounds like a very special person. Lucky you to find her!

I feel very lucky. She was taking one broody out each day to make sure she left the nest, and dealing with another in the broody cage with trial day release every 3-4 days. We tried two in the cage at the same time but that was not a good situation!
She seems very comfortable handling them and during the heat wave gave them a bowl of crushed ice.
And she sent me pictures of how everyone is doing.
The only weird thing is that they have started laying eggs randomly all over the coop and run (and for all I know out in the bushes too). Not sure what that is about. But overall, I am very relieved and looking forward to getting home!

 

[Molpet]

the predators are the ones that are going to decide who lives and who dies,

I call it crimes of opportunity. Like you say the ones that wander are the first to be picked off.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Tea is ready.

Temperature is in the 70s partly cloudy and 65% chance of rain.

Have a great day!

 

[Sally PB]

According to this paper, chickens' faces blush to indicate a positive or negative emotional state/ valence (and anxiety is an example of the latter)

Thank you for the link. Very interesting reading.

 

[MrsNorthie]

Are you serious?
I think I would rather wait till next spring in your situation, with four youngsters and who knows what to be expected the upcoming months.

Having the groups closer in age can have benefits as well as struggles. I would go for August, so they can fully feather before it gets too cold, but I also struggle with chicken math. ;-)

 

[Molpet]

Are you serious?
I think I would rather wait till next spring in your situation, with four youngsters and who knows what to be expected the upcoming months.

Cockerels have a better life than the grocery store CX.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Three and a half hours today. It hit 20C and dropped to a very easy going 16C late afternoon. 18C and sunny will do me these days. Honestly, I'm turning into such a wimp in my senior years.

Carbon was better today than yesterday but she's moulting, so is Mow.View attachment 3897762
If I was to hazzard a guess these are stress related moults. Fret is behaving like she's entered a harpy competition. Carbon ate some feed today and took a couple of blueberries but she looks completely miserable when she's resting. Been here before with Carbon and I'm really not sure what if anything I can do for her. If she'll eat I can get some quility protein into her but if she goes off her food completely... With luck Carbon won't lay and moult as she did last time.

View attachment 3897750
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I'm digging back a few days into posts; hadn't taken the time to post in a while.

It's interesting that we're seeing some early molting here, too, possibly due to a 4-week stretch of record heat.

The roosters usually kick off molting season by dropping tail feathers...in August. But the ground has been peppered with feathers for the past couple weeks already. Some hens are coming up with pre-molt malaise, slower off the roost in the mornings, though it's not been too bad yet.

With the molt comes the foul moods, so it was no surprise that yesterday was the 3rd Annual Battle of the Laying Hens.

Once a year, Unquestioned and Most Respected and Respectable Head Hen Brahma Donna ticks off her much bigger roommate, Bebe, and they fight half a day.

It happens when Donna and Bebe have to lay at the same time, and Bebe decides she's finally fed up about Donna not relinquishing the favorite nesting box.

Apparently, it takes Bebe a year to forget why nobirdy argues with Donna.

I actually missed the whole thing yesterday while on a work errand. So how do I know it occurred?

During our afternoon coffee break together, Bebe came up to show off the scratches on her face.

Even small injuries on the hens are notable, because they're rare. I was about to give her a thorough check when Donna, Consigliere Eula, and Rooster Stilton marched up. Bebe shot me a look and evaporated into the high weeds.

Then I saw Donna's face, with 2 fat cheeks and a purple earlobe, and knew what happened. Bebe's signature move is to drag her opposition around by the earlobe.

It appears Miss Donna took the worst of it, per usual. But at the end of the day, when Donna wanted my time, Bebe made like a tree and left, so we all know who the victor was.

Everything is peachy again this morning. Of course, while the group was good-morning pecking my clothing, Donna made a point to come stand by Bebe. Bebe froze while Donna pecked my shirt. Then Donna gave frozen Beebs a head peck (translation: "I'm Donna, head hen!") and toddled off to handle other Head Hen duties.

I'd worry more if the group didn't have a rooster they love. During the melee, Stilton must have repeatedly danced between them, giving them time to rest between rounds. If I'm there, I'll toss treats and even carry a hen around to try to make them forget they're beefing. It never works, but they do get to rest between kicking and pecking one another.

Fortunately, Bebe has no designs on being head hen. She's just a tall hen who can't see the point of being bossed around by a small hen, until Donna reminds her.

The amazing thing about Donna is she's no bully. I'll walk down shortly to see if they're laying at the same time again today. If so, it would be likely that Donna has already staked out the best nesting box. It would be just as likely she'd chase Bebe away from it once before grumpily pretending to prefer a different box to let Bebe sneak into the favorite box.

That's the kind of thing you'll see Donna do, if you watch. She's a powerfully worthy little leader.

 

[fuzzi]

Nice the chickens are all okay.

We often have a lot of rain for several weeks too. But the poop always dries out and it never gets very smelly. The trick is probably a combination of :

• - good ventilation, in the top of the coop too.
• - a permeable sand floor in the walk around area in the coop. I only use bedding in the nestboxes and under the roosts.
• - acces to the run from dawn til dusk with an automatic pop door (safe run covered with strong netting).

I think it was throwing the yard cuttings under the roost that started the problem. As I removed the litter it had an "unbalanced compost" smell, not ammonia, but a mucky smell. If I smell it while turning the compost it means my pile needs more carbs, less water and green stuff.

 

[BDutch]

I feel very lucky. She was taking one broody out each day to make sure she left the nest, and dealing with another in the broody cage with trial day release every 3-4 days. We tried two in the cage at the same time but that was not a good situation!
She seems very comfortable handling them and during the heat wave gave them a bowl of crushed ice.
And she sent me pictures of how everyone is doing.
The only weird thing is that they have started laying eggs randomly all over the coop and run (and for all I know out in the bushes too). Not sure what that is about. But overall, I am very relieved and looking forward to getting home!

Compliment for the chicken sitter. And maybe I know why your hens lay their eggs randomly in the coop and run.

Normally I have a fake egg in the nestboxes. But when I gave a stubborn broody I take it out. No eggs, less interesting to sit. But gues what happens nest: I find eggs under the roost. Sometimes in the sand pit. And maybe an egg in the nestbox. The chickens conclusion probably is: the nestbox isn’t a safe spot anymore. So they search another safer spot to lay their eggs.

If your sitter lays fake eggs in the nestbox they might stop laying randomly instantly.

 

[RoyalChick]

Compliment for the chicken sitter. And maybe I know why your hens lay their eggs randomly in the coop and run.

Normally I have a fake egg in the nestboxes. But when I gave a stubborn broody I take it out. No eggs, less interesting to sit. But gues what happens nest: I find eggs under the roost. Sometimes in the sand pit. And maybe an egg in the nestbox. The chickens conclusion probably is: the nestbox isn’t a safe spot anymore. So they search another safer spot to lay their eggs.

If your sitter lays fake eggs in the nestbox they might stop laying randomly instantly.

Good thinking. I am back on Thursday so I will do that. Some of them are laying in the box and some not.