Considering giving up my chickens

[citychicks99]

It pains me to think about this but it's been such a rough summer with my chickens having issues since June. It started with mites and lice, then scaly leg mites and now bumblefoot, along with my rooster drowning from a foot soak. Three out of 6 hens have bumblefoot and two are limping. One looks badly infected. I'm not sure I have the energy or time to keep up with the treatments and I think the vet might cost too much.

I almost made a post on a Facebook group offering them up but I had a hard time posting it. The hens' age range from 2-4 years old and even though all of them are still laying, I have a hard time thinking people wouldn't want to just slaughter them.

I know I can't control what people do once I give them up but how do I at least try and vet for a good home for them? TIA.

 

[Tracyree]

Sorry it’s been rough. No shame in rehoming. They aren’t bringing you joy and I assume that was the point in having them.

I rehomed a flock about 10 years ago when we had to make an unexpected move to where I couldn’t keep chickens. I found their home on a local chicken facebook group. I would look at their pages of the people that were interested and chose one whose page showed she kept chickens as pets and spoiled them.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Wow, that's a lot to deal with in such a short time. I'm really, really sorry. People will start knowing me around these parts as the Rehome Queen, so you won't get any judgement from me.

And it's okay to make a Facebook post. You're not committing to anything. Be honest about their condition and what you're looking for in a home. Authentic people will be willing to go back and forth over DM, and you'll get a good feel for the type of person they are and if it would be a good fit. There are absolutely people out there that would be willing to help your flock get healthy again. They might not be able to take six all at once, but if you could split into triplets or pairs, you might be more successful.

I'm sorry it's come to this. It's heartbreaking when you feel like you can't keep up with their needs.