Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

I don't think I said that (and if I did, apologies for sloppy language) and Nicol doesn't either; it's *up to* 30; 30 as about top limit, not 30 as target.

In terms of differences between backyard flocks and jungle fowl, I imagine there are quite a lot. But I can speak from experience about the former, while I've not been impressed with what little I've read about the latter. And this is a forum about the former, not the latter, so I imagine generalizations based on backyard chickens is more relevant to most of us than those based on jungle fowl. So some of it is just moot really.

In terms of hen : roo ratios, I'm sure you're right. But a flock is not like a nuclear human family. Even in the photo (and I'm not at all sure what it is supposed to be exemplifying) there are at least 2 mature and 1 immature roos; my flock has 4 mature and 2 immature roos. Flock size probably correlates with number of roos, but a flock is not defined by a roo.

Am I missing something?

I was just making a general point about behaviour and how much the keeping conditions alter it.
Somewhere underneath all that domestication the jungle fowl still lives.
That's what I'm interested in, how much jungle fowl is left in the modern domestic chicken. If we know that we are in a better postion to understand what ideal conditions are and that should give better guidance to keeping domestic chickens.

 

[Shadrach]

I've had a couple of people PM about my egg song article saying my rooster doesn't do any of those things. I wrote back saying show me how you keep them, One was a ranging arrangement on a medium sized back garden, say quarter acre, and the other was fully confined in a coop and run.
Of course the rooster doesn't respond to the egg song. There isn't anywhere apart from the coop that the hens lay eggs in and he knows there are no other roosters to keep the hens from.
Of course couples don't go nest hunting; there's nowhere to go!
It doesn't mean that given the space they don't naturally do as I describe and that that behaviour isn't embedded in every rooster and hen.

 

[notabitail]

I've had a couple of people PM about my egg song article saying my rooster doesn't do any of those things. I wrote back saying show me how you keep them, One was a ranging arrangement on a medium sized back garden, say quarter acre, and the other was fully confined in a coop and run.
Of course the rooster doesn't respond to the egg song. There isn't anywhere apart from the coop that the hens lay eggs in and he knows there are no other roosters to keep the hens from.
Of course couples don't go nest hunting; there's nowhere to go!
It doesn't mean that given the space they don't naturally do as I describe and that that behaviour isn't embedded in every rooster and hen.

Mine used to do the egg song until they realized they could steal snacks from the garden instead of summoning me and getting a free ride back home.

 

[Ribh]

I was just making a general point about behaviour and how much the keeping conditions alter it.
Somewhere underneath all that domestication the jungle fowl still lives.
That's what I'm interested in, how much jungle fowl is left in the modern domestic chicken. If we know that we are in a better postion to understand what ideal conditions are and that should give better guidance to keeping domestic chickens.

I am late to this conversation & may be off point, however, here goes: Do you think breed has any impact on how much jungle fowl is left in our modern chickens. Thinking of my Campines [& I know you have experience with Fayoumis] who present many more feral characteristics than my other breeds. As lead hen she is now leading everyone else to forage further than they would venture on their own & distresses my new rooster, who is allowed to mate with her but not dictate when & how she moves around the property. That may change, of course, as he establishes his authority on the girls.

 

[Shadrach]

Some time ago I heard a similar arguement from U-stormcrow, this stuff isn't really relevant to backyard keepers. We set up a poll on how the memebership here keep chickens. The majority fell somewhere between chickens ranging for a few hours a day on relatively small plots to fully free range on farms which I think at the time surprised U-Stormcrow.
When it comes to backyard chicken keepers the range of conditions is very wide

 

[fuzzi]

Do you consider to make a second roost?
Or try something else to avoid this fuss?

I have several hens that don’t allow juveniles in their roost spot either. Another roost spot where they can’t see each other works perfect in my flock, and is a great solution to avoid such stress.

I have two roosts, but the chaos I saw that night (including one hen pacing on the ground) led me to consolidate the birds all up on the main roost.

In this photo the main roost is across the back, the A-frame roost is where the three Dominiques and Zack are standing.

 

[Shadrach]

Mine used to do the egg song until they realized they could steal snacks from the garden instead of summoning me and getting a free ride back home.

I had heard hens shouting for a rooster many times early on in the coop run at the field. I didn't see Henry or hear Henry respond once. You can imagine my delight when one day Henry was midway down the field and Matilda was laying an egg. She came out and stood on the ramp and called for Henry. Not only did Henry respond with that hysterical sound reply, he also rushed over to the coop. I've seen it a couple of times since with Fret, but not often. Even the field, now they know it better isn't big enough with enough line of sight restrictions for he chickens to be able to see exactly where the others are once they get to the gate. Even at the back of the coop any inside the run know when the rest are at the back. All the pullets have done the rooster call in panic when they hadn't quite worked out they had to leave the coop run and go around the back rather than trying to rejion the others by trying to push through the fence.

 

[SimpleJenn]

I have a hen who will holler for a rooster, and all my cockerels look around, look at each other, then pretend they heard nothing. I suppose in such a boy-saturated group it would paint a target to respond?
Meanwhile Samara is just a yelling her head off for at least two minutes, before giving up (or if I'm outside I come give her a pat on the wing to shoo her off)

 

[BDutch]

I have two roosts, but the chaos I saw that night (including one hen pacing on the ground) led me to consolidate the birds all up on the main roost.

In this photo the main roost is across the back, the A-frame roost is where the three Dominiques and Zack are standing.

View attachment 3976220

My roost are much smaller. Chickens seem to like it if they can bend their feet over the roost. Not sure if it’s just what people repeat or maybe once upon a time, someone did a test?
But a flat roost is/seems better than a round broomstick.

My roosts are made from construction wood with sanded edges.

Optimised according to a Dutch chickenforum:

 

[Shadrach]

I am late to this conversation & may be off point, however, here goes: Do you think breed has any impact on how much jungle fowl is left in our modern chickens. Thinking of my Campines [& I know you have experience with Fayoumis] who present many more feral characteristics than my other breeds. As lead hen she is now leading everyone else to forage further than they would venture on their own & distresses my new rooster, who is allowed to mate with her but not dictate when & how she moves around the property. That may change, of course, as he establishes his authority on the girls.

Yes I think breed has an impact due to size. In general the smaller the chicken the faster and flightier they are. Both Tull and Syliph spend a lot of their moving from one spot to another and of course coming for treats, off the ground.
As they say "fat birds don't fly."
When it comes to their temperament. I don't know. I've been trying to find this out for years.
For many of the heritage breeds these descriptions of how this breed is were written hundreds of years ago for some breeds and has just got passed on over the years, A lot can change on the evolutionary a scale in a very short time. I'm pretty convinced that whatever characterstics demonstrated by a breed at the breeds establishment isn't what you'll necessarily get after all the breeding, the various "hicups" in the process, all the different environments that breed is now available in, that have happened over the years.