Abandoned Chickens in My Yard!

[whatsthequestion]

I arrived home last night to find to sacks with chickens dropped in my backyard near my coop. From an observer, an elderly person dropped them off around noon. They had been in the sacks for at least 8 hours, were covered in manure, and were clammy and stressed. The rooster had double spurs which were overgrown and ingrown. Their skin was very red but there were no mites, lice, etc. on them. The size and health indicates straight corn feeding and a possible protein deficiency. I had a friend from the vet check them out. Their backsides were irritated from sitting in feces all day. I was fairly livid. I have more roosters than I need and am still sorting out what to do with them while we recoup them.

Are chicken owners a magnet for covert chicken dropoffs? I've had this with cats and dogs but chickens, really? Anyone else have this issue?

 

[CSolis]

Too bad you can't identify where they came from and call local authorities.

 

[The Happster]

Good job taking care of them.
Poor birds.

 

[HappyClucker7]

That's so sad. Those poor birds. Good job taking care of them though!

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Insane!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I haven't had this happen. I have other animals dropped off: cats, dogs, and pet rats, but no chickens. This makes be very upset with the unworthy owner and sad for the chickens. I'm sorry this happened to you. Thank you for taking care of them, every animals needs someone to care about them.

 

[whatsthequestion]

An update on the two chickens that were dropped off. They had a rough couple of weeks. My nephew said he'd take them. We quarantined them in a huge crate in the coop for 6 days. During this time my nephew's wife left him for someone else and he was in no state to care for them. After driving back and forth a few times a day I found I was growing fond of them and hated them being "cooped up". So I brought them home and housed them in 2 giant crates in my basement. Wow, do big chickens ever make a mess!

During this time we built a 6' x 8' hoop hut coop and began the process to put a separate run (about 20' x 20') within my existing chicken yard. The transitioning has been a bit tough on them. I'm sure their diet is different. They had diarrhea from which they appear to be recovering. We put them on the same 16% layer crumbles I'm feeding my other chickens supplementing with a 6 grain scratch grain, some freeze dried garden veggie seed mix with oregano in it, and some fresh fruits and veggies. I added vitamins with electrolytes to their water and will start AC vinegar tomorrow.

The rooster's feathers look a bit rough and their feet look a bit knobby and scaly. I'm thinking scaly mites. When we took him out of the sack his bum was really red. At first we thought it was from sitting in manure but now wonder if he may have some burrowing mites. I have them in a smaller fenced area for a couple more days until the fence is done. My niece, with the local vet is coming by Monday to check them out and to look at spur removal. We may need to wait a bit more. I'm looking for worms in their manure. We may get a sample checked. Im not a seasoned chicken expert by any stretch so it's been a long two weeks for all of us. We've grown fond of them. It appears they are light Brahmas. His feet show signs of having perhaps been feathered but there are no feathers left. She is lovely. Both are understandably timid but gentle. We named them Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy and dubbed their coop Penberly. He appears to be 4 or 5 years old and she about 2. A lot of people said we should just off them but after all they'd been through we didnt have the heart.

Any thoughts on treating them for mites or otherwise? Thanks for your encouragement. ❤

 

[LadiesAndJane]

An update on the two chickens that were dropped off. They had a rough couple of weeks. My nephew said he'd take them. We quarantined them in a huge crate in the coop for 6 days. During this time my nephew's wife left him for someone else and he was in no state to care for them. After driving back and forth a few times a day I found I was growing fond of them and hated them being "cooped up". So I brought them home and housed them in 2 giant crates in my basement. Wow, do big chickens ever make a mess!

During this time we built a 6' x 8' hoop hut coop and began the process to put a separate run (about 20' x 20') within my existing chicken yard. The transitioning has been a bit tough on them. I'm sure their diet is different. They had diarrhea from which they appear to be recovering. We put them on the same 16% layer crumbles I'm feeding my other chickens supplementing with a 6 grain scratch grain, some freeze dried garden veggie seed mix with oregano in it, and some fresh fruits and veggies. I added vitamins with electrolytes to their water and will start AC vinegar tomorrow.

The rooster's feathers look a bit rough and their feet look a bit knobby and scaly. I'm thinking scaly mites. When we took him out of the sack his bum was really red. At first we thought it was from sitting in manure but now wonder if he may have some burrowing mites. I have them in a smaller fenced area for a couple more days until the fence is done. My niece, with the local vet is coming by Monday to check them out and to look at spur removal. We may need to wait a bit more. I'm looking for worms in their manure. We may get a sample checked. Im not a seasoned chicken expert by any stretch so it's been a long two weeks for all of us. We've grown fond of them. It appears they are light Brahmas. His feet show signs of having perhaps been feathered but there are no feathers left. She is lovely. Both are understandably timid but gentle. We named them Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy and dubbed their coop Penberly. He appears to be 4 or 5 years old and she about 2. A lot of people said we should just off them but after all they'd been through we didnt have the heart.

Any thoughts on treating them for mites or otherwise? Thanks for your encouragement. ❤

You are a lovely human being with a big heart. Bless you!
You can treat lice/mites with permethrin powder or liquid. The vet may have more tips. You have to retreat after one week. Scaly leg mites can be treated with vaseline on the legs, it smothers the mites. Good luck and those birds are so lucky the prior owner dropped them with you.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

When I was a kid we were the only small hobby farm in town and we would often find new animals in the yard that people dumped over the fence (accessible from the street). We got a very mean rooster that way and also a muscovy duck. These though were not mistreated by prior owners, just unwanted. I guess people thought we wouldn't notice!

 

[NatJ]

It appears they are light Brahmas. His feet show signs of having perhaps been feathered but there are no feathers left. She is lovely. Both are understandably timid but gentle.

She looks like a Light Brahma (feathered feet, pea comb, Columbian color pattern).

I think the rooster is some kind of a mix. His single comb proves that neither of his parents was a pure Brahma--maybe a Brahma grandparent, maybe not. Other chickens with similar color patterns include Columbian Rocks, Columbian Wyandottes, Delawares, Light Sussex, and some sexlink roosters. None of those is quite right, but he could have one or more among his ancestors.