It's serendipity, we've been adopted for the 2nd time...

Collbunny

Chirping
6 Years
Aug 24, 2016
19
0
80
Hi, about 2 years ago, our neighbors brought 4 chicks home, but did not train them to roost. So they slept in the maples and redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains. Sadly, the sole survivor, jumped ship and came to us as winter set in. We never had chickens, but I feed wild birds, so the owners gave us their bag of food, and we hesitantly did the best we could. Rosy still slept in their yard. She decided to return home after about 4 months. (I had picked her up and brought her out of the rain several times.). She finally disappeared.
;(. It's one year later. I wake up to a chicken on our front stoop, (a different one.) I give up, it's meant to be! 3 doors down, neighbor bought 6, this one took off b4 they could get them in the coop. He said if I can tame her to pick her up, I can return her, or keep her. Alleged Ameraucana, (I say Easter Egger.) Big surprise, now that she's eating from my hand, she's gonna stay! We are erecting a small pre-fab coop. She is roosting in our maple tree, so we named her Maple. I call her wee beasty and Lady Hawk. I joined the site for the wonderful support group, you so obviously are. Will send photos etc. when I learn to navigate. She's mostly black ruffled head and neck, big eyes, beautiful brown maple body, black short tail. I don't see that color for Ameraucana. 1st question, she is very tentatively exploring the little coop. When we finish all the coon proofing, any ideas about training this as a new sleep space? She's probably about 4 months...
 
Sleeping in trees may be for the wild birds but, not good for chickens. It's a great way to get picked off by owls or raccoons. She would do best with a enclosed run with top, to put a stop to her wandering. You can lock her in your coop for a few days - with food and water, so that she imprints on that is her home.
 
Hi and welcome to BYC - hope all goes well with your EE and that you get some nice blue eggs from her. S/Cuddles has given you some good advice on how to coop train her. I personally do not keep my birds coop bound for so long, but we all do things differently.

Here comes the best bit of advice - chickens are social animals and thrive in the company of others of their own kind. My advice is to get another couple of birds of the same age, to help her be a happy camper. No better excuse for chicken maths
smile.png


Best wishes
CT
 
Thank you, I am worried about her "loner" status. I spoke to her original owner about that, and our local feed store people. As I am retired, I spend a lot of the day out watching her and handing bits of melon, blackberry and corn. Max, our cat, had warm oatmeal this morning, with Miss Maple, directly from my fingers. (I also have angst about too many treats, so while I do feed her the treats by hand, several times a day, it's pretty little bits.) Her staple is bar ale. Max wanted in on the action, doesn't seem to be aggressive at all, in fact, she has run up to him a couple of times and told him what for, with very little reaction. She chases the chickadees away from her bowls, and she and Max ganged up on a rat, literally they both charged at it, as it ran and hid in the ivy. Both chicken and cat stayed, cheek by jowl, at the edge of the ivy, watching to see if ratty would come out. He didn't. Long story long, she's not lonely, tho true, she has no chicken friends. The feed store has an only chicken and they seem to think she will be ok, if she gets lot's of attention. We are nearly done with her little coop. Maple has been it it, tho she hasn't gone up the ramp. I haven't pushed it, as I feel it should be critter proof b4 she depends on it. I think we'll be done this weekend. I am anxious about closing her in it for days in a row, but as she has homed on the tree, it sounds like a must.
She let me pet her today...
 

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