Accidental chicken host

[LarryTheWelsumer]

Good morning, and welcome to BYC. Great insight and suggestions from @DobieLover. Given time, Larry will heal and be a beautiful bird. He would like some hens for company.

I’ve wondered if introducing one or two hens would be tricky. I don’t have enclosures to keep them near each other as they get acquainted but he seems a bit lonely so I’m looking into it. Somebody on Facebook (where I posted in the lost & found pets groups to see if he has a home) told me he might decide I’m his hen because I’ve started feeding him What’s funny is, my sons dubbed my art studio the “Chick Roost” (and their game room was the bear cave) years ago.

 

[DobieLover]

The corn has been a morning treat, then oats the rest of the day.

Neither of these are good for him. He needs a complete balanced diet to heal and thrive.

I’ve wondered if introducing one or two hens would be tricky.

You wouldn't need to do an integration with him once he's healed. Just quarantine the new girls away from him for 30 days to make sure they are healthy and disease free. I'd start with just 2 girls.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Boppo]

Glad to meet you and Larry, who is a handsome fellow. You are a kind soul, indeed, to take care of him. You can find the nutridrench and Flockraiser feed that Dobie Lover mentions above at farm stores like TSC and such. There are probably some in your area.

If you are planning on continuing as Larry's caretaker, you might want to read about rooster behavior.

And if you are planning on doing some sort of coop for Larry, and possibly adding a harem for that fellow, you might want some hints on coop design and chicken keeping:

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

But also know that not everybody puts their chickens into coops, and some folks repurpose sheds, playhouses, and even old cars into chicken coops. Just keep in mind the importance of ventilation! You may even be able to buy a purpose built coop from a nearby handyman on Craigslist (I was!). Be wary of buying a pre-built coop from farm stores, or the Internet because their claims of how many hens it will hold are always exaggerated, and they are often poorly designed and built. Here is a good link about building a coop, with some guidelines about design and size needed.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

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A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

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Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.

 

[Cynthia12]

WELCOME! It's great that Larry came into your life. Sounds like you're going to take good care of him. He'll stick around.

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC! I'm sure Larry will love some hens.
I'd build the enclosure first, put the hens in, and he will be delighted to join them.

 

[N F C]

Hello, great advice from @DobieLover...best of luck with Larry!

 

[LarryTheWelsumer]

Neither of these are good for him. He needs a complete balanced diet to heal and thrive.

You wouldn't need to do an integration with him once he's healed. Just quarantine the new girls away from him for 30 days to make sure they are healthy and disease free. I'd start with just 2 girls.

Thank you. I was simply making do until I could acquire some more appropriate food. He was fed that diet for only two days, and it was clear he had been foraging for whatever he could find prior to my taking him in. I now have an appropriate scratch feed for him and he will have that from now on. I’ll give him some scrambled eggs occasionally per advice given here, as well, for protein. I’m trying to find a way to treat his neck mites, but that’s proving more tricky and will possibly have to wait for a veterinarian.

 

[janiedoe]

When you are in town, you may want to pick up some antibiotic ointment. Get the kind without pain killer in it.
The neck stabbing may be wounds as well, not mites. Good luck with Larry!

 

[DobieLover]

scratch feed

I'm really only trying to help every time I reply like this but scratch is not an appropriate chicken feed. It's extremely low in protein and is basically considered a treat or just candy. That's the last thing he needs right now. He needs a complete balance chicken feed.