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WrathofKhan posted:I think that chickens would be all about that as a treat.
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Nov 23, 2011 18:10
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We're going to be rehoming some more ex-battery hens on the 29th. Normally egg producing hens are kept for 12 months or so then sent off to the slaughter for pet food, even though they are capable of laying eggs for another year. Now thanks to groups like BHWT (in the UK) people can adopt them as pets or as an alternative to buying POL birds. Being confined in small cages with other chickens for months, they don't come out looking well. This was Sandy, the worse looking of the original three, on the day we bought them home:  She'd never seen grass before, nor the sky or a even nice nest to sleep / lay eggs in. With good food, some TLC and three months later she looked a lot better...  ... apart from her tail and bum feathers, obviously, which took much longer to come through. Here she is, after a full second moult 18 months on. Sadly, a week later we found out she had tumours all over her liver and had her put to sleep.  Anyway, there's new legislation coming into force on January 1st for battery hens to be kept in 'enriched cages' (just slightly less poo poo than the old cages) so farms are having a clear out just before the cut off. This is where we come in again, with four hens to rehome this time.
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Dec 17, 2011 00:18
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Picking our new four ex-batts up in an hour. They'll be frail, confused little things, but should start to relax & perk up in a day or so.
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Dec 29, 2011 13:07
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spookygonk posted:Picking our new four ex-batts up in an hour. They'll be frail, confused little things, but should start to relax & perk up in a day or so. Dora  Boo  Piper  and Pip  Took them about an hour to calm down and realise there was food and water in the green bowls in the run and the stuff underfoot, grass was also edible. Put them in the nest tonight (they don't understand where they should sleep yet), hopefully all four will still be with us in the morning. edit Now with names! spookygonk fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Dec 29, 2011 |
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Dec 29, 2011 22:03
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All four hens alive and shouting to get out of the nest this morning, apart from Boo who needed helping out. All have been eating and drinking (they're not used to sleeping for 16 hours at a time) and the pecking order is starting. Unsurprisingly, it's Pip who is vying for the top spot as it was she that had the least in captivity. Other news: Two eggs!*  *Yes, I know hens lay eggs and I have a half dozen shop bought eggs in the cupboard.
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Dec 30, 2011 13:15
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luloo123 posted:Glad to hear that they are doing well. Please keep us posted on their progress. How big are they? Dora: 1404g / 3lb 2oz Pip: 1860g / 3lb 11oz Piper: 2135g - 4lb 11oz Boo: 2550g / 5lb 9oz As you can see there's a big difference in size between the smallest & biggest, over a kilo. Dora also has a weak chest and wheezes when she gets stressed (though that's easing off now with the fresh air & good food). Pip laid a 74g egg today, while Piper (bigger hen) laid a 52g egg.
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Jan 3, 2012 19:32
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Update on our four ex-battery hens. Dora is on antibiotics as her wheezing was quite bad, but the twice a day medication is easier now we put the meds in warm, tasty porridge rather than having to syring it down her beak. They've been out sixteen days now and the pecking order is pretty much set, so there's less squabbling. Another thing to help Dora (#4 hen) from being picked on (mostly by Piper, #3 hen), we set up a fence a couple of feet out from the run so the hens had more room to move out & about (and more grass to eat). Was greeted by this sight in the run a day or so ago:  Pip? Piiiiiiiiiip!! Turns out, she was having her first dust bath in a small amount of sand.  Boo on the other hand, has already got dust bathing off to a fine art.  If you ever wondered what a chicken's crop looks like:  All hens are laying, so there's pretty much four eggs every day. Interestingly, the smallest bodyweight chickens (Dora & Pip) are laying the largest eggs.
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Jan 14, 2012 21:45
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WrathofKhan posted:Speaking of eggs, how is everyone's hens laying right now? Mine are loving the freakishly warm weather, I'm getting between 4 and 5 dozen eggs a week from 11 hens. We're averaging two a day from four hens, as it's midwinter here. Overnight we got six inches of snow, so yesterday evening snow proofed the run (and outside the run) so there would still be grass & extra shelter for when they came out this morning. Our garden looked like this first thing today:  But the hens weren't bothered by the snow for too long (temperature felt less cold than it had done for the last couple of days and there was no biting wind).  We brought Dora, the small, wheezy hen inside for a few hours every day when she was on medication. We've continued this when the weather is cold, damp and windy (not good for her breathing). The warm kitchen soon lets her catch her breath and relax, plus we make sure she gets enough food (she's also the bottom of the pecking order) and a chance to preen and try out new treats the others will eventually get. Best news of all is Pip, who was drat as near bald when we got her. Three weeks after she came here some feathers started coming through on her back:  Fourteen days after that:  No wonder she'd been stuffing her beak so much. Pip's been looking miserable the last week, which is not surprising considering how many feathers were breaking through her skin. It's can't be a pleasant feeling. Hopefully the snow will melt soon and Spring will come along with warmer weather and they can get the whole garden to spookygonk fucked around with this message at 22:50 on Feb 5, 2012 |
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Feb 5, 2012 22:38
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Geokinesis posted:That would be the best suggestion, Naked Necks are quite adorable in their way.  ... but she's feathering up nicely now. 
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Feb 10, 2012 21:40
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luloo123 posted:I really can't believe how much they've improved in the short time that you have had them. When they first arrived they looked so rough: few feathers and droopy, pale combs. They look so much better. *one has managed to get on top of the run without us seeing and leave a large poop to show off her achievement. luloo123 posted:Do they trust you enough for cuddles (although with those feathers coming in they probably don't want to be touched at all)? Or does their previous life preclude any touching?
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Feb 11, 2012 18:51
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Chido posted:Edit: now my leghorn hen is not doing well. Flake is not moving and she is not interested in food, which is really odd because she looooves mealworms, yet she isn't interested in them today. I have her laying down in a lined shoebox in my roo so I can keep an eye on her, but it seems she only wants to sleep
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Feb 22, 2012 21:47
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. I can't see any other symptoms, so I hope it's nothing serious and she'll be better tomorrow
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Our four ex-battery hens have just gone past the two months mark with us and look at the difference with Pip! (click for bigger)
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Feb 24, 2012 22:48
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Inveigle posted:That's awesome! Pip looks great! Are they pretty friendly? Inveigle posted:BTW, that green wire in the photo with Pip...what is that stuff officially called? It's this stuff, chicken netting.
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Feb 24, 2012 23:25
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Maximusi posted:Yep. Just imagine when they get bigger! They poo poo just as much, but their shits are huge. I swear sometimes I'll see a golf-ball sized poo poo.
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Mar 12, 2012 15:50
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Inveigle posted:D'awwww.
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Mar 19, 2012 04:56
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Inveigle posted:Roo's kids are going to be the biggest, toughest street chickens ever!
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Mar 24, 2012 18:58
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Apr 2, 2012 18:54
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. >>> unless it's chickens. luloo123 posted:Chicks are pipping on Chickcam! They want out!
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Apr 5, 2012 09:54
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Ceridwen posted:Chicks are 5 weeks old! The facial feathers on EE 1 are really starting to fill out. They have also all figured out how to drink water out of the chicken nipple waterer I made, so no more nasty water bottle to deal with!
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Apr 8, 2012 16:41
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daggerdragon posted:that copy-paste smile of his is genuinely creepy, 14 years old or not :/
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Apr 9, 2012 20:59
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WrathofKhan posted:Egg binding is one of those things that can happen, but isn't super common. It also happens more often with chickens that are bred for super-high production and large eggs, so you can cut down on your odds of this particular problem by getting heritage breeds.
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Apr 12, 2012 08:57
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CantDecideOnAName posted:My mom is more the chicken person, but she's off her feet for a few weeks so I guess that leaves me taking care of the thing. CantDecideOnAName posted:You guys know chickens--they're not particularly bright at the best of times. vv Good name for a chicken  vv
spookygonk fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Apr 20, 2012 |
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Apr 20, 2012 08:18
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Chido posted:My chickens are pets and I get way too attached to any pet I have.
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Apr 30, 2012 19:43
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Chido posted:Edit: and now she laughed at me after seeing the first aid supplies I bought for Roo. Spending money on my chickens is so dumb because they are just chickens and it's silly how much I worry about their well-being.
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May 22, 2012 10:44
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Ah sorry to hear about Moe. 
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May 29, 2012 19:34
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Captain Foxy posted:Insulate insulate insulate your coop!
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Jun 8, 2012 09:25
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Chido posted:Also, bonus picture of Roo with one of his footies bandaged
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Jun 14, 2012 11:22
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Vaga42Bond posted:
We trimmed one of our ex-batts bums as her poop was mostly wet and matting her feathers. Just held her carefully and used sharp scissors to trim the feathers back far enough. Quick job and some treats afterwards for the indignation.
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Jun 23, 2012 10:13
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You have to do that for some chickens? How? And I'm guessing they're none too fond of it?
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Our four ex-batts will tolerate most birds in the garden except magpies, but anything pigeon sized and smaller are ingored (or even welcomed if they kick seeds off the bird table). One of our regular juvenile wood pigeons was seen to be sitting in the same place on the ground for hours and it became obvious it couldn't fly. So we put it in a box with food and water and hoped it was just stunned after flying into something. The next day it was the same and we took it to a wild animal shelter where the woman in charge found it had broken its wing in three places. She said the wing joint was fine and she hoped she could splint the wing and get it to heal. When we mentioned the chickens, she said, "Do you want a rooster?" Someone had rung her to see if she'd take him in, but she said the sanctuary she run was for wild animals only. That night the rooster was thrown over her gate. To add to the problem, she has only bantams and he's very forceful with the tiny ladies and more importantly the rooster will attack anyone in his eyeline. She cannot find someone to take him. Other news, Dora our smallest ex-batt has started mislaying eggs: soft shells, whites and yolks without shells. So we took her to the vet and he has given her what is basically the pill in implant form. This will shut down her ovaries and prevent more problems for her, but we do expect some more times when she'll be feeling poorly as her body expells the last of the current batch of eggs. It's a simple procedure and the vet now does it without having to anethatise the hen (unless it is very stressed/frightened).
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Jul 2, 2012 21:28
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Chido posted:Is the feed in mash, crumbles, or pellet form? I usually buy pellets because it's less waste, but my chickens won't eat much of it unless I add some water so it gets mushy (dumb chickens don't like dry mash *sigh*). Maybe try adding a bit of water, or switch the form -from pellets to mash, or to crumbles.
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Jul 4, 2012 08:53
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Chido posted:Also, I have a question about grit. All my chickens have free reign of our backyard, but most of the earth is dusty. Should I have extra grit available for them? (silly question)Can fish tank pebbles be used for grit? I have a bag of white aquarium gravel somewhere in my room that I never used, would it be ok to toss it outside for the chickens?
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Jul 5, 2012 09:22
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Chido posted:Spaghetti has lost weight and I'm probably gonna have to force feed her some baby food to help her recover. She does eat some feed, but she's been picky about treats. She won't eat mealworms but she'll devour watermelon and cucumber. I'm rather bad at her previous owners for not taking better care of her, she's such a sweet hen
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Jul 6, 2012 10:13
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Greycious posted:You did what you could, and showed her a much better life than her previous owners had given her. Sorry for your loss.
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Jul 7, 2012 18:52
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Vaga42Bond posted:Did Georgia do the chicken thing of picking it up and running around, clucking loudly about the treat he has, while the others chase him? Amazing what goes into a free range egg, isn't it?
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Aug 7, 2012 10:11
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We had our first fox attack this evening. About 8:30 Boo started one of her 'egg dance' crowing and my other half went out to quiet her down and then shouted "Fox!" I'd, as luck had it had followed her into the kitchen with the teapot and that's what got thrown at the running fox which had a huge mass of feathers in its mouth. Three of the hens had bunched together, standing tall and then ran staight into the kitchen but we couldn't find Pip, just a trail of feathers, so many loose feathers. Then she appeared from behind some bins outside the kitchen door. She was the one attacked. All four safe though. Checked her over, while she stood trembling and slightly gasping. She has a large patch of feathers on her underside pulled out and at least three bite/tooth holes on her upper torso under the wing. No dripping blood, no skin tears. Seems the huge amount of feathers she grew meant the fox didn't get a good grip on her. The other three scoffed live meal worms while this was going on, so they weren't the ones the fox went for. Pip then had some meal worms (yay!) and a drink of water, I carried her back to the covered run and locked them all in. They all went into the nest shortly after. We will see how she is in the morning and if in any doubt book her a vet appointment. We were lucky this time. Is it the case once a fox has found livestock to go for it will return again & again?
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Aug 8, 2012 21:41
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Inveigle posted:Yup. Predators know when there's easy pickings and they'll keep returning until the food supply is exhausted and will also check back periodically to see if food has returned.  And there's a further fence up setup circling the run which they stay in until midday:  but we were obviously lax in putting them back in the fenced off are and then the run as evening drew on, which was our (big) mistake. The fox caught Pip in the back of the fenced off area which she couldn't escape from. Inveigle posted:You could also try to trap the fox. Best thing to do is hire someone to trap the fox for you (if you want to be nice to the fox find someone who'll trap it and then take the captured fox and release it somewhere, rather than killing it).
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Aug 8, 2012 23:30
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piscesbobbie posted:Hey Spookygonk, how is Pip doing since the attack. Is all well? She's fighting the fight. Our usual vet (an hour's drive away) wasn't available so we rang round for an alternative and found one that deals with chickens only a 10 minutes down the road. We got an appointment within an hour of calling. This meant way less stress for Pip. He checked her over carefully and found more tooth punctures including a deep one that pierced her air sack on the right hand side, so her skin had puffed up. Luckily the skin had already healed there (and the other bies had clotted) so he was able to draw the excess air (150ml) out with a syringe. She was put on Tylan to stop any infection from the bites (foxes have reallly grotty teeth) and brought home. The rest of Thursday was in the nest after we fed and medicated her in the kitchen. Friday she hobbled / hoppped out of the nest so it looked like her right leg was either too sore or there was something else there. She was still wolfing down live (white) maggots and mealworms with grated cheese and blueberries (seperate bowls) so her appetite is still good. Saturday morning was a repeat trip to the vet. He gave her legs bones and joints a full going over, but said there was no damage to them. More likely the wounds from the bites or the struggle to escape from the fox has hurt the leg. We have Metacam, an anti-inflammitary / pain killer to give her daily as well now. Sunday morning and she hobbled out of the nest and after a an hour or two walked slowley out of the run. She's slow at everything and tires easily, but we're seeing the Pip we know, especially the sharp eyes she has. And her appetite is still in full force. It's going to be a long recovery, but I think Pip's going to pull through. Thanks for asking, I'll update in a couple of days. Just got to trap the fox that did this now.
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Aug 12, 2012 19:41
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Chido posted:Is there anything a chicken won't try to eat? 
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Aug 18, 2012 11:09
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Nettle Soup posted:We paid £100 for the big chicken house we're using at the moment, and around £300 to get a fence put across the garden so they stopped destroying everything. We also have four dogs, though, so foxes are deterred, and the garden is fenced in on all sides by 6-foot fences. We were ok with the original £100 house on it's own so long as we remembered to lock them in early, except for the fact we didn't know the nestbox floor was a liability. We've just bought this run so our hens have a large secure area to move around in when we're not about to let them free range over the rest of the garden. Going to be better for us as well with not having to crawl on our hands & knees to refill the food bowls (and trying to navigate the poop minefield that goes with that). Does mean this will be a static run, rather than the current smaller one that gets moved around the garden every so often.
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Aug 20, 2012 14:39
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18 days after being attacked by a fox, Pip finally laid an egg again this morning. Such a relief, was concerned her egg system had got backed up and she was possibly heading towards egg peritonitus.
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Aug 26, 2012 14:13
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