Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

Wow - I also notice the water consumption and had no idea why.
Fascinating.

I thought both water containers started to leak.

My 4 layers probably go through a barely visible moult (yet).
The mothers: Ini mini moulted during/right after hatch. Black a month later, she regained her tail in the last 2 weeks.

I suppose they are eating feathers because I don’t find many in the coop.
The juveniles are loosing some feathers too.

 

[Perris]

Last chapter of Jenni and Winkler is various strategies birds use to fit the moult into the bird's annual cycle.

If they have any choice in the matter, a bird has to decide between the need to moult because of declining feather quality or change of appearance required, set against the need to perform other tasks with a tolerable reduction in plumage performance, that is, without moulting. For many species, the best compromise is after breeding, when offspring are developing, which usually coincides with the best, or at least benign, environmental conditions of the year for that species (comfortable temperature, plenty of food etc.). Most moult once a year, but some up to 3 times a year, and some so partially that they are effectively moulting all year round, a feather or three at a time. Much depends on whether or not they need to fly or be waterproof, and whether they migrate or not.

There are 6 principal patterns to juvenile moults. Most have a partial post-juvenile moult and get into the adult pattern for their species in the 2nd year; in some large species with incomplete serial moult, juvenile remiges may be retained until they are 5 or 6 years old!

With that chapter the book ends and I'll bring this summary to a close.

 

[RoyalChick]

Last chapter of Jenni and Winkler is various strategies birds use to fit the moult into the bird's annual cycle.

If they have any choice in the matter, a bird has to decide between the need to moult because of declining feather quality or change of appearance required, set against the need to perform other tasks with a tolerable reduction in plumage performance, that is, without moulting. For many species, the best compromise is after breeding, when offspring are developing, which usually coincides with the best, or at least benign, environmental conditions of the year for that species (comfortable temperature, plenty of food etc.). Most moult once a year, but some up to 3 times a year, and some so partially that they are effectively moulting all year round, a feather or three at a time. Much depends on whether or not they need to fly or be waterproof, and whether they migrate or not.

There are 6 principal patterns to juvenile moults. Most have a partial post-juvenile moult and get into the adult pattern for their species in the 2nd year; in some large species with incomplete serial moult, juvenile remiges may be retained until they are 5 or 6 years old!

With that chapter the book ends and I'll bring this summary to a close.

Many thanks for doing that. It was very interesting.
Time I paid some tax. My ladies got struck down by an urgent need to sunbathe.

 

[ManueB]

Many thanks for doing that. It was very interesting

Indeed. Thank you @Perris !
(It makes me wish there was a section of the site devoted to books on poultry.)

 

[Perris]

Many thanks for doing that. It was very interesting.

Indeed. Thank you @Perris !

You're welcome. I thought it would interest many who follow this thread; it doesn't often happen that something you read suddenly makes sense of something you've seen many times but didn't or couldn't connect with anything else, as multiple things in this book did for me. I now feel I have a much better handle on moulting.

 

[fuzzi]

Last chapter of Jenni and Winkler is various strategies birds use to fit the moult into the bird's annual cycle.

If they have any choice in the matter, a bird has to decide between the need to moult because of declining feather quality or change of appearance required, set against the need to perform other tasks with a tolerable reduction in plumage performance, that is, without moulting. For many species, the best compromise is after breeding, when offspring are developing, which usually coincides with the best, or at least benign, environmental conditions of the year for that species (comfortable temperature, plenty of food etc.). Most moult once a year, but some up to 3 times a year, and some so partially that they are effectively moulting all year round, a feather or three at a time. Much depends on whether or not they need to fly or be waterproof, and whether they migrate or not.

There are 6 principal patterns to juvenile moults. Most have a partial post-juvenile moult and get into the adult pattern for their species in the 2nd year; in some large species with incomplete serial moult, juvenile remiges may be retained until they are 5 or 6 years old!

With that chapter the book ends and I'll bring this summary to a close.

Thank you for doing that summary. I found it informative.

 

[Perris]

Sully has extraordinarily green legs; I wonder what colour eggs she will lay... not for a while though; 12 weeks old today.

 

[fuzzi]

Tax:

After corn on the cob the gals enjoy some fresh straw. Zacchaeus takes the opportunity to eat some feed, and Abigail (far right) perks up enough to scratch in the litter. She looks terrible close up, poor girl. The hard molt is indeed hard on her.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

do you want to keep him if he isn't claimed? Are you allowed to keep him where you are?

Else, isn't there an animal control organisation there that would come catch him and take him away for you?

I do not want a rooster, although he is beautiful.

I could keep him if I want too.

I am not sure if animal control does chickens.

 

[Perris]

I am not sure if animal control does chickens.

Maybe the American Humane Society might be able to find him a home?