Can someone help me to see the gender of my rescue chicken?

[TheOddOneOut]

Hi, thank you so much for you help.
I’ve read through your comment about having them in a cage and I understand it’s quite unfair for them. However right now I don’t really have a better alternative - no family or friends with gardens are willing to take them, or farms to accept them. All I will do now is to try my best to improve their living environment and diet according to what people on this thread suggested and make them live happier.
Thank you again for your suggestions, I really appreciate them.

I understand better now. I hope you can figure something out for them.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

They were more like 2 or so weeks when you found them. If you've had them for 6 1/2 months they are girls. They're not laying because they haven't had a proper diet. Do you have a farm store near you?

x2

 

[black_cat]

Hi, thank you so much for you help.
I’ve read through your comment about having them in a cage and I understand it’s quite unfair for them. However right now I don’t really have a better alternative - no family or friends with gardens are willing to take them, or farms to accept them. All I will do now is to try my best to improve their living environment and diet according to what people on this thread suggested and make them live happier.
Thank you again for your suggestions, I really appreciate them.

If you could get a puppy exercise pen, some linoleum flooring, some dirt, some bird netting, some pine shavings, and some cardboard, you could probably rig up something to give them all day balcony access while having space to move around. What type of door do you have to your balcony? Do those material sound doable?

 

[DogAndCat36]

Those are not “farm” chickens. Those are egg production companies.

There are also farms. My gram lived on a big farm when she was little. They killed old hens and killed the sick dogs. These farms still exist.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Yikes ok there seems to be confusion on what I meant. I meant chickens are not dogs and cats. They can't live in an apartment. My chickens are pets more than anything else. I wouldn't care if I never got another egg from them (they started laying a couple months ago). Sorry for the confusion. I meant they need to live outside and be treated differently than house pets.

Yes. I agree. But why say me and @DogAndCat36 are unfit to care for our birds? Mine live outside, and outside only. Doesn’t stop me from calling them pets.
If I misunderstood, I apologize.
I hope this can stay a friendly discussion, everyone!
My odd little flock...

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Hi, thank you so much for you help.
I’ve read through your comment about having them in a cage and I understand it’s quite unfair for them. However right now I don’t really have a better alternative - no family or friends with gardens are willing to take them, or farms to accept them. All I will do now is to try my best to improve their living environment and diet according to what people on this thread suggested and make them live happier.
Thank you again for your suggestions, I really appreciate them.

I would start by giving them a sand bath on your balcony. As well as maybe growing some plants for them to dig through. @Hei 20 might have some advice. (Sorry Hei20 if I'm being annoying and you don't want to respond)

If you can find them a farm, you may want to try bringing them there and seeing how they do. They will likely be much happier then being in a teeny cage.

 

[FuzzyCritters]

I think that you are mistaken. They are animals that are domesticated by human beings. My chickens live in a coop. There are 14 chickens living fat and healthy. Safe from the cooking pot and safe from mistreatment. I am knowledgeable about almost everything that can happen to them, prolapsed vent, mites, fowl pox, Marek's disease, and even predators. Farm animals are raised for a profit, that one difference does not mean that my chickens are not being mistreated. I am fit to raise my chickens, they are my pets, my family, my soul. This misconception that chickens only purpose is to lay till they die needs to stop. Most farmers do not care for their chickens wellbeings, rooster are culled on day one of hatching, and hens are debeaked, overcrowed, and die without seeing the sun.

This is what most farm chickens endure.
View attachment 2448211


What my chickens "endure"
View attachment 2448213
View attachment 2448215

The first picture is a commercial factory farm. OP could not take her chickens to a commercial farm because they do not take in outside chickens, due to bio-security issues. Any farm that OP took her chickens to would be a small farm or hobby farm, where chickens live on grass like yours do. Saying most farms abuse and mistreat their chickens is really disrespectful to small farmers who raise chickens humanely. It's commercial farms that abuse chickens, not every farm ever.

 

[JadeFarms]

Most big farms do though. Those are small communities that are kind. The world is big dogs eat small dogs sadly. I have seen dogs killed because the farmers do not want to pay for the operation of kidney failer, tumors, and broken legs,

Okay but the animal at least stopped suffering. The expense is great and it’s painful, they were put out of their misery. If they fight chickens or have tons and tons of chickens then that’s not good, but that’s not how a farm works. A farm would be a good place and if these are 6 months and hens then maybe a farm would take them. It would be way better than an apartment.

 

[chickenhappy1233]

Yes. I agree. But why say me and @DogAndCat36 are unfit to care for our birds? Mine live outside, and outside only. Doesn’t stop me from calling them pets.
If I misunderstood, I apologize.
I hope this can stay a friendly discussion, everyone!
My odd little flock...View attachment 2448235

pretty birds

 

[JadeFarms]

I would start by giving them a sand bath on your balcony. As well as maybe growing some plants for them to dig through. @Hei 20 might have some advice. (Sorry Hei20 if I'm being annoying and you don't want to respond)

I second this. They’d love a sand bath.