Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[MROO]

Thank you for sharing!

I'd read (online, so taken with a big grain of salt) that a bachelor coop can't accept newcomers, i.e., grown male chickens will never, ever accept new male roommates they didn't grow up with. AND that bachelors can't peacefully co-exist if there are hens anywhere nearby. But it sounds like your boys live directly next door to the girls?

That's interesting how acclimating through the hardware cloth smoothed the guys' transition to the bachelor pad (unless Nankins are just total teddy bears and would find any reason to get along ).

You're totally welcome! That's what BYC is all about, sharing ideas! The hardware cloth idea isn't mine. It's a classic "look-don't-touch" set-up. It doesn't work for actual quarantine, because illness issues can still get through, but I have a big rabbit hutch for that. The Bachelor Pad is great for the last step of integration. It also works great as a broody pen. By the time the youngsters are ready to go into the main area, they're no longer a novelty, so most of the adults leave them alone.
And Nannies aren't total teddy bears, they're just really mellow. I can honestly say that, out of several hundred birds over the past ten years, I've only had one with behavior issues - and he has since settled down considerably. I know I'm dating myself, but the little stinker has earned himself a new moniker. He's little, flashy, sassy, feisty, a singer and a ladies man. He's Sammy Davis, Jr.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

We use the "howdy" setup, too, to let groups co-exist before moving in together.

Here's baby Stilton trying to prove something to Miss Eula. They're 3 months apart. The integration of their 2 groups went great, but it would be at least another year from this photo before she had time for him. Eula's no pushover.

Stilton and Eula hanging out 4 years later:

 

[Shadrach]

We use the "howdy" setup, too, to let groups co-exist before moving in together.

Here's baby Stilton trying to prove something to Miss Eula. They're 3 months apart. The integration of their 2 groups went great, but it would be at least another year from this photo before she had time for him. Eula's no pushover.

View attachment 4024647

Stilton and Eula hanging out 4 years later:
View attachment 4024657

It looks like Stilton is saying to Eula, "so, what's wrong with me then?" in the first picture.

 

[Shadrach]

Still hovering around freezing. It felt even colder today.
We got out for an hour and a half. We will all e glad if the forcasted rise in temperatures arrives after the weekend.

 

[MROO]

Still hovering around freezing. It felt even colder today.
We got out for an hour and a half. We will all e glad if the forcasted rise in temperatures arrives after the weekend.

View attachment 4024869View attachment 4024870View attachment 4024871

We're waiting for a break from a nasty cold snap, too. These cold temps may be proverbially "for the birds," but definitely not chickens!

 

[Canadian Wind]

We're waiting for a break from a nasty cold snap, too. These cold temps may be proverbially "for the birds," but definitely not chickens!

Our cold snap finally broke, although for most folks (yes, looking at YOU Shad!) this will still be too cold! Supposed to go to 0c on Monday during the day, and the rest of the week is around the mid minus single digits (again, celsius).

Egg laying has tapered off, only have one of the Chantecler laying right now, every other day. Got a few eggs from one of the OEGB hens last week, but nothing in the last three days. One of my almost-daily layers, a Silkie mix, decided that the middle of a polar vortex was the PERFECT time to moult so she stopped laying too.

Ducks stopped laying last October, and I don't expect anything from them until March.

Here's one of the OEGB I hatched out mid-December. Not even four weeks old and look at that comb and those wattles! Little bugger, too.

 

[ManueB]

I had far fewer probelms with bantams, not because they were more docile, they just seemed to be better at livng together with minimum conflict. The Marans/bantam crosses were more difficult but not impossible provided they didn't share accomodation.

Possibly because they share the same coop as the standards, the small chickens that live here all have very strong temper. They seem to believe that tiny should rule. I've shared these before :

20240518_Theo_fights_back.mp4

• ManueB
• May 18, 2024

(Being on the small side myself, I can attest that it does not make me more apt at living peacefully with others.)

Thank you for sharing!

I'd read (online, so taken with a big grain of salt) that a bachelor coop can't accept newcomers, i.e., grown male chickens will never, ever accept new male roommates they didn't grow up with. AND that bachelors can't peacefully co-exist if there are hens anywhere nearby. But it sounds like your boys live directly next door to the girls?

That's interesting how acclimating through the hardware cloth smoothed the guys' transition to the bachelor pad (unless Nankins are just total teddy bears and would find any reason to get along ).

I've also read that type of comment on BYC. I supposed they were general guidelines that could have exceptions... but if it's like the saying that friendly cockerels become evil roosters, then maybe it's just a conspiracy theory against roosters being repeated and spread ?

@MROO if I'm reading the photo right, it seems that your little guys also contradict the saying that roosters need a lot of space to live together - they seem to live on close quarters ?

I'm always interested in learning something about bachelor's flocks, because it's something I could eventually consider if we let some hens hatch again. I used to be totally opposed to it because the roosters I've seen here are utterly miserable when separated from the hens, and also because it seems ...artificial ? But I've come to ask myself if the rooster's reproductive drive is really more important than their survival instinct.

While bachelor flocks aren't really an thing in my country, I've seen an example of one being established in my village with a setting slightly similar to @MROO . Our old farmer friend to whom we rehomed our cockerel Pied-Beau last year, has moved the majority of his flock into what used to be his sheep's stables, and he keeps in the previous coop and run a flock of excess cockerels and young roosters, to which he adds temporarily any broody that hatch chicks. His farm is on a steep slope, so the cockerels are a level underneath the main flock. Their run is enclosed by a mesh which separates them from the other chickens ; the main flock, which has four roosters, free ranges, but can not access in the bachelor's run. It seems quite harmonious, both in the main flock and in the male-only run, but then a male that really would not get along with the others is either rehomed or eaten. And the bachelor's run is big enough that there are lots of place to hide, about 300m2/3200 sq feet.
Pied-Beau is now dominant of the main flock . This was a few days before he left with his girlfriend Lilly.

Here the Rosca de Reyes is a tradition. First person to find the Baby Jesus figure in the cake has to pay for next year's.

Sadly the quality of the cakes here went downhill, and I had one that was bad enough to ruin a trip (Rosca de Grosca. It smelled bad too). Rosca hasn't been the same since then, but I still enjoy the presents and egg nog.

Is this the epiphany ?
In France we have a slightly similar tradition with two different cakes, the south does the brioche des rois (king's bun) and the north does the galette des rois (frangipane pastry). Hidden in the cake there is one or two santon (any nativity figure) and/ or a bean. When serving, the youngest child has to hide underneath the table and say to whom will go each piece. Those who get the bean and the santon have to wear a crown, and pay or bake the next.
I'm a galette fan, I bake one twice a week, up to candlemas (which is when bakeries stop selling them). The traditional recipe calls for inverted puff pastry ( this one is pretty close). I usually do a lighter version where some of the butter is replaced by cream cheese. I'm one of those people who don't really like the taste of butter.
Before cooking

Done.

@Shadrach, if it's not too personal, are you baking without sugar because of health issues, or to experiment, or both ?

 

[Molpet]

I've also read that type of comment on BYC. I supposed they were general guidelines that could have exceptions... but if it's like the saying that friendly cockerels become evil roosters, then maybe it's just a conspiracy theory against roosters being repeated and spread ?

Depends on the birds.
I have had bachelor cockerel grow out coops. One bunch decided a certain cockerel was the girl for the rest. He kept getting over the fence and I didn't realize what was going on for a while. He was the smallest. I left him out and was surprised they didn't gang up on another.

 

[Shadrach]

Possibly because they share the same coop as the standards, the small chickens that live here all have very strong temper. They seem to believe that tiny should rule. I've shared these before :

20240518_Theo_fights_back.mp4

• ManueB
• May 18, 2024

(Being on the small side myself, I can attest that it does not make me more apt at living peacefully with others.)



I've also read that type of comment on BYC. I supposed they were general guidelines that could have exceptions... but if it's like the saying that friendly cockerels become evil roosters, then maybe it's just a conspiracy theory against roosters being repeated and spread ?

@MROO if I'm reading the photo right, it seems that your little guys also contradict the saying that roosters need a lot of space to live together - they seem to live on close quarters ?

I'm always interested in learning something about bachelor's flocks, because it's something I could eventually consider if we let some hens hatch again. I used to be totally opposed to it because the roosters I've seen here are utterly miserable when separated from the hens, and also because it seems ...artificial ? But I've come to ask myself if the rooster's reproductive drive is really more important than their survival instinct.

While bachelor flocks aren't really an thing in my country, I've seen an example of one being established in my village with a setting slightly similar to @MROO . Our old farmer friend to whom we rehomed our cockerel Pied-Beau last year, has moved the majority of his flock into what used to be his sheep's stables, and he keeps in the previous coop and run a flock of excess cockerels and young roosters, to which he adds temporarily any broody that hatch chicks. His farm is on a steep slope, so the cockerels are a level underneath the main flock. Their run is enclosed by a mesh which separates them from the other chickens ; the main flock, which has four roosters, free ranges, but can not access in the bachelor's run. It seems quite harmonious, both in the main flock and in the male-only run, but then a male that really would not get along with the others is either rehomed or eaten. And the bachelor's run is big enough that there are lots of place to hide, about 300m2/3200 sq feet.
Pied-Beau is now dominant of the main flock . This was a few days before he left with his girlfriend Lilly.
View attachment 4025405


Is this the epiphany ?
In France we have a slightly similar tradition with two different cakes, the south does the brioche des rois (king's bun) and the north does the galette des rois (frangipane pastry). Hidden in the cake there is one or two santon (any nativity figure) and/ or a bean. When serving, the youngest child has to hide underneath the table and say to whom will go each piece. Those who get the bean and the santon have to wear a crown, and pay or bake the next.
I'm a galette fan, I bake one twice a week, up to candlemas (which is when bakeries stop selling them). The traditional recipe calls for inverted puff pastry ( this one is pretty close). I usually do a lighter version where some of the butter is replaced by cream cheese. I'm one of those people who don't really like the taste of butter.
Before cooking
View attachment 4025383
Done.
View attachment 4025400

@Shadrach, if it's not too personal, are you baking without sugar because of health issues, or to experiment, or both ?

A bit of both.
Rightly or wrongly, I've come to believe that sugar and cetain fats and oils are at best eliminated from my diet or at least drastically reduced. Type 2 Diabetes has become a major health problem in the UK and it's one of those things that doctors are testing for and recommending a change in diet to help reduce the problem.
The experimenting part has to do with my drive to improve my diet, improve my cooking skills, make more interesting food and improve my social skills.
I experimented. I kept a rough count of the sugars I ingested over a couple of weeks. I read all the labels, made estimates where the quanities were uncertain and was horrified by the results. Same with the oils and fats, but I'm already pretty good compared to most on that front.

 

[Shadrach]

One and a half hours today. It's still cold but by the time I left the eldests it felt like the temperature had risen a couple of degees above freezing. I uncovered a few spots where stuff has been covering the ground for the last couple of months. Chickens were straight on it. Lots of bugs apparently.