Accidental Chicken Owner

[BevLand]

Good Morning -

I live in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon. We are just outside the city limits of a small rural farming town. We live on about one acre, but are surrounded by fields worked by area farmers. My shed, was a chicken coop about 20 years ago, we use it for our mower etc. storage. Well, we used to -

About six weeks ago a beautiful Ameracuna hen showed up in my shed. She is very skittish, rarely leaving the shed. I checked the all the chicken owners in my area and she did not belong to any of them, so she is mine. I have no way of knowing her age, and she has yet to lay an egg but I am hopeful. I have sectioned of an area of the shed/coop for her and built an outside run for her. Encouraging her everyday to go out by only feeding her treats (meal worms) in the outside run. I plan on adding a few more hens soon.

This is how I became an accidental chicken owner.

BevLand

 

[boskelli1571]

Congratulations! You are one of the 'chosen ones'....

Obviously the chicken decided your place is it and a great place to hang out. Now all she needs is some friends..........

 

[lindalouly]

Awwww you will be a good chicken parent. It was meant to be. I agree she needs a friend.

. She's probably scared from whatever great adventure she went on and may miss her friends. She will adjust!!!

 

[BevLand]

That is the plan - looking for someone who wants to re-home or thin their flock. I'm not really set up to raise from chicks as much as I would like to.

 

[BevLand]

I hope so, she is so pretty and occasionally will let me get close enough to pet her.

 

[lindalouly]

I recommend talking to some of your neighbors for one bird about her size. Introduce just the one so they can bond and she won't be picked on by an established flock... Then I would add others later. Pecking orders can be hard to watch....

 

[BevLand]

Great information - I was wondering how to add one or two more - thanks -

 

[trailrider330]

 

[BevLand]

Thank you -

 

[drumstick diva]

Nice to meet you Bev, Welcome to Backyard chickens. the "Look but don't touch," method of integrating new birds to established ones is usually the safest approach.

You can find out about it, if you enter that into the search box.