Chicken bald back

[Tutti Frutti]

Edited April 8, 2016 by Guest

[Guest]

re your Q, that's absolutley fine and take no notice of the article. You only have to see the joy with which the girls run round the garden to see it's god for them!

 

This is a video we took of our original ex batt girls enjoying freedom for the first time, do they look happy to you?

 

 

 

funny to see how much our garden has changed in the last cple of years, not to mention the girls' run which is much bigger now!

[Laura & CTB]

Well said Poet - and it was lovely to watch the video of your girls again

[Lydia]

Gosh I had no idea that when all my ex-batts were purring away in their dust baths or sunbathing or chasing bugs around that they were being stoical and doing it just for me! What absolute tosh!

 

Tutti Frutti you're doing nothing wrong. Half an hour free ranging is not harming them in the slightest, nor is an hour, 4 hours or 10 minutes or whatever you're able to give them. Nor is keeping them in the run which sounds like a perfect playground.

 

I see that the authors of that article (http://www.blackrockhens.co.uk/) have a commercial interest in selling Black Rocks and marketing them as "The perfect free range bird for garden". I guess they may well be a little upset that ex-batts are gaining some of their market advantage then.

[sjp]

mine had half hour yesterday pat of which was in the near dark with just the outside light on. they've just gone in after having just over an hour they only went in becauce I herded them I think they had a good time rooting about under the rasberry canes and cutting the lawn they certainly weren't being stoical you carry on doing what you can but above all enjoy

[Tutti Frutti]

Brrrrr just got in from all day in the garden - thanks for your quick replies! I have to say, our girls are happy as Larry! This afternoon, Mr Frutti was crouching in the WIR (he's extending it AGAIN to enclose their dust bathing area ) and, when I got up close, I saw the smallest, baldest barnie HOP UP ONTO HIS LAP as he screwed and hammered away They do like to "help"!

 

That article just sowed the seed of doubt and made me question if I was being mean, especially to Roxy ("the perfect FR bird") who does pace and complain when she's in the WIR! So thanks for the reassurances

 

Poet, love your garden! I guess it's changed a lot c/o your lovely ex-batties

[Egluntyne]

I would say that half an hour is definitely better than none.

 

The article has some merit I suppose, inasmuch as it would be foolish to pitch newly released ex-batts out on a freezing cold croft in the North of Scotland on a winters day, before they had chance to re-feather and put on some bulk. As a permanent way of life for them, I would say it was nonsense.

[chelsea]

 

Tutti Frutti you're doing nothing wrong. Half an hour free ranging is not harming them in the slightest, nor is an hour, 4 hours or 10 minutes or whatever you're able to give them. Nor is keeping them in the run which sounds like a perfect playground.

 

 

I agree, you do what you feel you can do for your chickens. Compare all our chickens on here to a commercial laying hen and they live the life of luxury.

[Guest]

.....

Poet, love your garden! I guess it's changed a lot c/o your lovely ex-batties

 

well, it's more thanks to my husband who has extended the run 3 times, built a path down to the veg patch and a fence around it and planted loads of new fruit canes, trees, veg etc etc.

 

But, in a way, it is thanks to the girls as we never really used the garden before they came

 

Ours only free range occasionally and they pace up and down because they think you've got a tasty treat for them!

 

this is what it looks like now...

 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3563850&l=57269f5d07&id=568396756

 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2912479&l=4a384b6b1e&id=568396756

 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2897514&l=afb27de365&id=568396756

 

so, just a bit of a change!

[Tutti Frutti]

it is thanks to the girls as we never really used the garden before they came

 

Wow! Your garden's lovely, I love your WIR and cube and Eglu combo!

 

We never used our garden much either! Then the girls arrived and we're up and down the garden all the time! We've also put decking down so, in the summer, we can sit out with a Pimms and watch the girls FR - can't wait!

[Guest]

thank you, it's all down to my fab hubbie

 

 

..... We've also put decking down so, in the summer, we can sit out with a Pimms and watch the girls FR - can't wait!

 

sounds great! I love a nice glass of pimms and combined with chicken watching, bliss!!! hope we see some photos come the warmer weather!

[coco]

My ex batts are always first in line to get out of the run, they love being out and are always last to bed. As for being kept in a protected enviroment Lola regularly escapes under the netting and has a wander round, usually next door. Good job we live in a quiet cul de sac.

[Chucky1]

Tutti Fruiti - I think you're doing a great job as everyone else has said.

 

I was a little cross at the article until I read Egluntyne's point of balance - I can think of far unkinder things for battery hens, like the life that they originally lead

 

I agree, our gals like to help on any construction jobs too

[Sarahsausage]

Aaah Poet, your videos made me smile, it's lovely seeing ex-batts exploring the world for the first time and being so inquisitive It's funny how we adapt our gardens to suit our chickens! Your garden looks lovely and I'm envious of your WIR! My garden looks like a mud bath at the moment!