Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

Shadrach

Roosterist
Jul 31, 2018
21,765
189,010
1,612
Catalonia, Spain & UK
My Coop
My Coop
In April 2021 I returned to the UK having spent the last ten years living with and studying various groups of chickens on a small holding In Catalonia Spain.

Some of you may have read some of my posts and seen pictures of what I call The Tribes, in my house and free ranging on the land. I’ve written a number of articles here on BYC based on my observations of these tribes and there is an as yet unpublished book that deals with the lives of these chickens and what I have learned from a decade of observing them and the experience of helping out with the care of free range chickens on my uncles farm in my youth.

I had decided even before leaving Catalonia that should I have to leave the tribes and my home what I would like to do was look after ex battery chickens and rescues given the opportunity. That opportunity arose in September of this year 2021.

A family member, knowing how much I miss the Tribes, mentioned that she though she knew where there were some chickens and one evening when out walking we visited the site. There was a rather old and partially illegible sign on the notice board at the entrance to the site asking for someone who would be prepared to help looking after the chickens. I contacted the person concerned and this thread is in part a record of the subsequent events.

The sign.
IMG_20210904_145031_895.jpg
 

BY Bob

Proprietor, Fluffy Butt Acres
Premium Feather Member
6 Years
Jan 1, 2016
39,090
379,793
1,547
Hershey, PA
My Coop
My Coop
In April 2021 I returned to the UK having spent the last ten years living with and studying various groups of chickens on a small holding In Catalonia Spain.

Some of you may have read some of my posts and seen pictures of what I call The Tribes, in my house and free ranging on the land. I’ve written a number of articles here on BYC based on my observations of these tribes and there is an as yet unpublished book that deals with the lives of these chickens and what I have learned from a decade of observing them and the experience of helping out with the care of free range chickens on my uncles farm in my youth.

I had decided even before leaving Catalonia that should I have to leave the tribes and my home what I would like to do was look after ex battery chickens and rescues given the opportunity. That opportunity arose in September of this year 2021.

A family member, knowing how much I miss the Tribes, mentioned that she though she knew where there were some chickens and one evening when out walking we visited the site. There was a rather old and partially illegible sign on the notice board at the entrance to the site asking for someone who would be prepared to help looking after the chickens. I contacted the person concerned and this thread is in part a record of the subsequent events.

The sign.
View attachment 2906940
I am very much looking forward to following alone. I know there will be heartbreak but there will be many victories no matter how small. 👍👍
 

Shadrach

Roosterist
Jul 31, 2018
21,765
189,010
1,612
Catalonia, Spain & UK
My Coop
My Coop
The first thing that struck me as we stood outside the run fence that night was there was a rather dirty Light Sussex rooster with a Light Sussex hen perched one side of him and a grey hen perched on the other side on a roost bar in the corner of the covered run area of the coop. The next thing that struck me was there was no door on the run area of the coop so the rooster and the two hens only predator protection was the outer run fence (I’ll write more about this fence further on).
At that time I had no idea that there were another 22 hens inside the coop itself!

I didn’t take any pictures that night but below is a picture of the rooster and one of his favourite hens on the roost bar settling down for the night.
P9290313.JPG


I’ve kept a short written diary each day since I started looking after these chickens and taken quite a few photographs over the past three months. Many of these photographs I’ve posted on By Bob’s, Ribh’s and Mary Janet’s threads. My apologies for reposting them here.

A couple of days after speaking to the person who has the small holders licence that covers the keeping of the creatures and the allotment style plots, I had new keys cut for the padlock on the main run gate and was finally able to see better what it was I had taken on.
 

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