3 New birds

[NoSkiveez]

Hubby brought home 3 new chickens last night. Sometimes I want to wring his neck, but I know why he went ahead and brought them home without saying anything to me. They are banty cochins. I think they are hens, they dont appear to be roosters. He said the people that gave them to him said they were meat birds (cornish) but there is no way. They debated over weather they were 5 months old or 8 months old. They werent taken very well care of. They admitted to forgetting to feed them from time to timeI'd say they are on the thin side. They gave my husband a bag or hampster food. Its like little compacted grass pellets. They said the chickens dont lay eggs and thought they were roosters. They told my husband that they dont crow either. This morning I listened and didnt hear anything other than chatter out of them. To me, they look like cochin bantams but they do not have any feathering on their feet. We have them seperated from the rest of our chickens because who knows if they could have something that could be transmitted to our birds. I havent handled them much but will be going out to handle them and take a closer look at them, clean their cage and inspect their poo later. Other than seeming under weight and a bit shy they didnt seem to have anything else wrong with them.

Being either 5 months old or 8 months old and being fed hampster food, what would I need to do to fatten them up to a healthy weight and should they be eating starter/grower or layer food? Should I be giving them oyster shell? I put some grit down in their cage and gave them starter/grower and water. I took their food away after about 30 minutes out of fear they would over eat and returned it to them an hour later. They seemed so hungry.

Another question I had was, my husband said these people had several big dogs that would jump against their enclosure and dig at the sides and whine and bark at the chickens. He said that the people told them that they used to do that all the time and that once their dogs got in there and killed several chickens. If they are 8 months old, could this be a reason why they arent laying any eggs?

I can post pictures later, if I can find something to rob of its batteries for my camera.

 

[untamed_spirit]

Poor chookies

We get a lot of our hens from battery farms that do a massive cull when they stop laying their best, so we rescue as many poor girls as we can. They are often very thin and have a lot of plucked feathers. We feed them layers pellets, which seems to fatten them up and add condition pretty quickly. Probably they arent laying due to poor nutrition. Hamster pellets dont contain the right nutrients for chickens.
Hope this helps

 

[fldiver97]

I would quarantine them for 30 days...sounds like you already made arrangements.

As far as feed goes, I don't think I would use grower feed. They may not be laying due to season/age/stress/poor nutrition or a combination of all. Suspecting they are at least 5 months old, girls and not properly fed, I would use layer feed, offer free choice oyster shells and grit, offer some greens and some protein treats (feed some scrambled eggs back, BOSS, youghurt or cottage cheese are always a hit for my girls). Some have used calf manna, others mentioned mixing game bird feed in to increase protein. Just being in a safe, clean environment without the stress of the dogs, getting proper nutrition and care they should gain some weight and hopefully start laying. My chickens started laying anywhere between age 5 months to 9 1/2 months, so if they are 5 month old it may be normal not to have eggs quite yet. If you can post pics, maybe some folks can help with the gender question/breed question. If there is a roo amongst them he may start crowing if he does not have other roos with him that are 'higher up' in the pecking order. Good luck with your new kids, they must be happy to have found a good home!!

 

[NoSkiveez]

What is BOSS and Calf Manna?

 

[fldiver97]

BOSS = black oil sunflower seed. Mine love it, they get some for treats daily. I keep some in a mason jar and if I need them to come to the coop I just shake it and they will come running from wherever they are..... I have not used calf manna but read some posts where folks have added it in smal amounts to give a boost. I have seen it at the feed store but as far as I know they only sell it in big bags, like feed. If I would need it I would try to get someone that has a farm to sell me a smaller amount. I only have a few backyard chickens. Oh, I buy the sunflower seed in the shell, not the shelled type....