Our new Adoptd Chicks

[StrayMagnet]

As Explain in my Intro thread,, A Stray chicken took up residence at my home. Of course I was not upset, as we do enjoy her Daily Visits even if it is for a handout., We call her "chick chick" I have no clue as to what type of Chicken she is.. Abviously what I"m hearing ppl refer to as "free range" well Since Saturday we now have 10 baby chicks and Momma. so that's 11 chickens. when just a month ago we had NONE!. lol. I enclosed the porch where she is "living" with chicken wire. to keep everyone contain in one area and safe. as hubby parks his work truck next to that porch. and he's afraid he will hit one. or an animal will get them.

well now we have it enclosed. n for now i'm letting her use our cat carrier (no cats been in it in a long long time) so if it rains she can get out of it.. beacuse all she did was lay her brood behind a lawnmower bag and the foundation.

2 eggs have not hatched. and I was told they most likely wont if she's been roaming with her baby's. so should I remove them? if so do i just reach in and grab them and the busted shells out. or just the unhatched eggs, how long should the chicks stay with mom? I do not want to remove them to soon. I plan on either selling them or adopting them out. and mabey keeping 1 or 2 and let them free range, being they were "wild born" If the stay they stay.. if they choose to go then they choose to go.

I'm not thinking mom will go far. she already knows where to get fed lol. and she dose let me get close to her.. but no one else in my family can get even close.. well I"m lookin fwd to learning about our new Friends.

 

[MuckyPuppy]

You could grab the eggs and try candling them. I don't (probably not) know if they would still be alive if the hen has been off the nest since Saturday but if nothing else it would be interesting and give you some practice.

I personally would also grab the shells.

 

[mikensara]

are you giving the chicks starter food. since momma is wild and they are too i would recomend the medicated chick starter. they sound so cute post pics

 

[StrayMagnet]

no as of now I just fed them what I been feeding mom, as I had no clue we had eggs on our property till saturday when I found her with baby's. Friday she was running around our front yard. and I was by that porch several times.. so I'm thinkin they hatched sometime Friday eve. and she has been going back to where the eggs are to rest with the baby's.

I will have to go to the feed store tomarrow if we have the money, hubby is self employed and the guy he contracts thru only pays every few days. and it depends on how much he made the last 3 days.. to if I'll have extra money to buy feed. for now I just bought a varity of oats and grains from the sore and mixed them up.. and where they are.. there are lots of bugs. "water bugs. ect" as that use to be where my kids tossed alltheir toys. and you know when things get wet how they attact bugs and stuff. so I carefuly removed the toys and toss them aside to clear it out for her. and the Chicklets.

I priced the feed and I can get a decent size bag for now for 6 bucks.

how do you train chicks to be free range? and to stay away from doggie. he's just a pup so I don't think he'd understand to not bug the little chickens.. he knows what happens when he bugs Chick chick. lol. and I did post pics of the chickens. somewhere I forget.. I think the Story and pic threads

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Make sure they have some grit, too.

What kind of dog do you have? Some are more "trainable" than others around chickens...

 

[jeanniejayne]

I think the chickens will know how to free range naturally, if Mom does. But the babies will be very vulnerable until they are bigger (and even then, hawks, foxes, dogs, cars etc.). If you let them out once theya re grown, the males will mate with the famales and you'll have more chickens. You won't know if you have roos or hens until they start to crow. And you know, if you can't afford to buy chicken food, they will be just fine eating leftovers (not sweets, but leftover non-processed meats, rice, veggies, bread, sour milk are all fine. It might not be optimal nutrition, but you can bet it's better than they would be doing on their own, and you are not raising breeding stock. It's great of you have taken them in, but let's face it, you didn't ask for them, and doing the best you can, within your means, is just fine. In fact, you are a hero!

Enjoy them, and I'm sure you can find homes on Craig's list when the time comes and you are ready.

 

[StrayMagnet]

Thanks! we have decided that we will keep a couple. mabey a Rooster and 2 hens. I have my eye on a couple baby's.. wish I could tell their gender! lol. or wish i could tie a ribbon to their lil fluffy heads.. blue bow for boy. Pink for girl LOL!!!.
one of the unhatched eggs hatched, and the chick is rolling around peeping.. I came in a few cause it's so hot out.. then I'm gonna go back out n re check on him. she also moved around the unhatched egg.. so Im not sure i need to interveen. as I have no clue what to do.. and what the heck is Coddling? lol. and how do u do it.. remember i have realy no extra means rite now.

I'm just doing what i can with what i have.. so they are not left to fend in the wild.. face it mom choose my porch to live. and I am gonna bet even if i didnt close in the porch for her and baby's she' have just kept comming back with her brood. and then I'd have eggs galore anyway!.

I'm hopign soon I cn find out wich are boys. n get them adopted.. then figure from there about if i want 2 hens or more then 2. just got lots to think about.

 

[MaitresseDeNoir]

That sure is an interesting story! What I've found is if the momma and her babies are off the nest quite often, then she's most likely not worried about them hatching or not. Her live chicks are much more important to her than some that might not even be fertile. I would remove the left over shells and try to keep the nest as clean as possible, that way if she is still sitting on them, they're more likely to be healthy and attract way less flies. You could try candling them too, but odds are if she hasn't been sitting on them that they won't hatch. Good luck with the surprise flock!

 

[akcountrygrrl]

If you post pics in about 4 weeks in the "What Breed/Gender" forum, you may get some insight as to the breeds and genders of your hen and chicks. That hen came to you from somewhere since there has to be a rooster who sired the chicks.

 

[StrayMagnet]

yea I hear roosters all the time, I know one is across the highway. (my road turns off a hwy). and then I think a half mile up my road there is someone with chickens. so she abviously came from there.. but I know the ones who are up my road are not free roam. I seen the cages in the back yard.
now the one's across the hwy. I use to see a Rooster and 3 hens. run across the hwy along the side alot.. then they showed up on my side the hwy. but in the junk car lot across the road.. then one day the all disapeard. and a lil after she showed up. so Im thinking she got in the yard quick of the Caged ones and somehow still got some chicka chicka boom boom, and im sure if I let her run again after the baby's are big.. she will go back to him and have more chicken lovin. and if so i'll welcome them lil baby's too..