PLEASE HELP US!!!

We live in Desert Hot Springs, California and we thought we were on the outskirts of the city limits....it turns out we aren't and we have to now rehome our 3 red sex-link hens, 1 white rooster of unknown breeding, 3 large Pekin ducks and 1 Mallard. All are female but the rooster and they are as tame as ducks and chickens can be. They eat from the hand, and they aren't violent or mean. They haven't started laying eggs yet; we bought the chicks back in April, so it should be soon as we've been feeding them layer feed for about 3 weeks. Our granddaughter is heartbroken as she has bonded with each one of them, so I have promised I would find them a home that wouldn't eat them for dinner and that would be kind to them. We will be happy to transport them to you, or if you have a truck (we don't) and you have a way to transport them, we'd be happy to reimburse for gas to pick them up. We aren't asking for any money; only the promise that they will be well cared for. Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested. We only have 13 days to find them homes (we've been trying to find them a home without BYC - now I am trying here because I'm getting desperate) so please let us know asap...thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.

Just a side note if your feeding layer crumbles and they are not laying you could be causing harm to your pullets.. Too much calcium when they don't need it..

Shipping in the summer is nearly impossible due to high temperatures, not to mention it's roughly $70 per bird in shipping costs that are usually the receivers responsibility...

I am unsure what the charges would be, but it is in the 100-120's here in the desert where I live currently. I'd be willing to ship them if it were winter and more temperate as far as heat goes, but I fear you'd end up with a crate of dead chickens and that would make us very sad indeed. I thank you for the suggestion however!

If we can figure out transportation I'd be happy to take everything except the rooster. We already have one rooster and he is gentle with the hens but intolerant of other roosters. We live in the Puget Sound area so if we could find somebody (a trucker?) driving up the coast it wouldn't be too hot for them. We have kind of an informal sanctuary... a dozen chickens, 8 ducks, turkeys, mini donkeys, a pony and they are all beloved pets. Nobody ever gets eaten, though the eggs are fair game! The chickens and ducks are free range during the day under the watchful eye of our two guard dogs and at dusk go behind an electric fence where they have a coop, a large meadow and a 40'x90' pond. We supplement them with Patriot grains, scraps from our gardens and hand feed them bread to keep them tame. I can send you pictures of our place if you'd like.

Hello,

Have you successfully re-home your flock? I am in San Diego, CA and might be able to rescue them. Please let me know.