abandond chickens?

[Rachel's Hobby Hatchery]

I wasnt sure where to post this but I need help. the nextdoor neighbors mooved away. they left there 6 chickens (2 roosters!!!!). I have been checking on the birds every other day or so... bringing them food & water. & making sure they stay healthy. 2 of the hens look prety beet up & skinny. on monday (the first day I checked on them) there was a fresh core of a lettice head & about a cup of dry dog food... there hasnt been any new food since then & they sometimes eat the dogfood but usually just leave it alone. I dont know what I can do for these birds. I would take them & keep them but I dont have my coop in sc built (we are in SC now on vacation before school starts). I dont know if they intend to come back for the birds or leave them to die. there is one small egg in the coop.. been there for a while. the roosters have been very quiet lately & the hens are apperently not laying. one of the hens is VERY skinny but has a very big brest (as if it just ate). Whenever I open the door they all rush there to eat what ever they can grab before I close the door (bugs/weeds/bits of grass). I have been thinking about leting them out but I dont know that I would be able to catch them or to get them back in there coop. If they are still there by the 13th we will take them to Michigan with us... Im just worried about how we will get them there because it is several hours to get to MI & we are spending the weekend with a friend that lives near novi.

there is a Rhode Island Red rooster & hen, 2 possible Isa brown hens, and a BEAUTIFAL rooster that I dont know what breed it is (smaller than the RIR Roo but not a banti. cream colord with red sholders & saddle, long bare Orange leggs).

 

[Chief]

I cant believe someone would just leave them behind locked in a pen! If nothing else they could have set them free to fend for themselves! If you can find a place to buy some feed, I would get them some food. As far as the trip home goes, they can handle being in a box for much longer than you would think. Usually if I am traveling with birds I will give them orange or apple slices to pick at. And make sure they are not overheating. If you aren't able to take them along I would simply let them free to fend for themselves. They have a better chance at survival that way. At least they wont starve in the pen.

 

[heatherindeskies]

if you cannot take them with, can you contact your local humane society for advice? they may not take in the birds, but may know of a bird rescue nearby.

 

[Rachel's Hobby Hatchery]

thanks for your quick replys... I want to go get some food for them but everything is closed over the weekend. Im feeding them left-overs from dinner but there isnt much, at least its somthing, right?

 

[ChixPix]

can you get them some cat food temporarily?

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Make 'em some biscuits. Cheap & easy. Maybe you'll get some eggs too. Water, food & shade. If not, let them be free.

 

[NellaBean]

Go buy a bag of wild bird seed from a 24 hour store (walmart, grocery store, etc). Will hold them over just fine until you can get "real food" for them.

 

[MissJenny]

Chopped up bread, grapes, broccoli, beans, hardboiled egg, tuna. I hear they are not supposed to have citrus fruits or potato peels -- pretty much everything else is fair game. A bag of feed costs about $15. They will travel just fine in a box with air holes and something moist like watermelon or cantaloupe -- better than being left to starve.

I would consider calling animal control to report them -- in many jurisdictions abandoning an animal is at the very least a misdemeanor. These people really should be called on the carpet for this one. (This isn't just bone-headed or thoughtless -- it's mean and borders on evil.)

Best of luck to you and those chickens,
Jenny

 

[drumstick diva]

how rotten that they abandoned them. If you do decide to take them home with you they will have to be quarantined from your flock, until you are sure they aren't a health threat. Is it possible there are neighbors in that area that also have chickens and might take these in?

 

[LeezyBeezy]

ugh, disgusting. What did those people think the birds were going to do? Keep us posted, and what a generous soul you are to care about them. Oh, makes me MAD.