Craigslist Rescue Mystery Chicken

[Wingleader]

You only need to put the hen in with a week for him. If he isn't showing symptoms. You wither have to choose one and take the chance or take the chance with your whole flock

Yeah, that's what I was probably going to do. We have some young speckled sussex roosters that need to be rehomed, so I'll probably offer one of those up as the sacrifice. It's kind of horrible, if you think about it, but I don't want to lose my entire flock and one (relatively) unwanted rooster is much better than all of my girls.

Right now the guy is secluded in a corner of my sun porch away from all of the other birds (save for a hen with a recurring vent gleet issue that is in a separate cage a good number of feet away). I plan on keeping him inside until he gets his strength back up. His comb IS very pale, and that does have me concerned. He's drinking and eating, though, so that's a bonus. I don't know how long he was in the care of the previous "owner" but I DO know that they were not taking very good care of him. Bread isn't the best thing to feed chickens in the first place, even as treats, and that's all he had to eat for at LEAST four or five days.

Thanks for your help! I'll be keeping everyone appraised of this situation. And I accidentally named the little guy already, so I'll probably start referring to him as "Sausage" from now on.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Yeah, that's what I was probably going to do. We have some young speckled sussex roosters that need to be rehomed, so I'll probably offer one of those up as the sacrifice. It's kind of horrible, if you think about it, but I don't want to lose my entire flock and one (relatively) unwanted rooster is much better than all of my girls.

Right now the guy is secluded in a corner of my sun porch away from all of the other birds (save for a hen with a recurring vent gleet issue that is in a separate cage a good number of feet away). I plan on keeping him inside until he gets his strength back up. His comb IS very pale, and that does have me concerned. He's drinking and eating, though, so that's a bonus. I don't know how long he was in the care of the previous "owner" but I DO know that they were not taking very good care of him. Bread isn't the best thing to feed chickens in the first place, even as treats, and that's all he had to eat for at LEAST four or five days.

Thanks for your help! I'll be keeping everyone appraised of this situation. And I accidentally named the little guy already, so I'll probably start referring to him as "Sausage" from now on.

Try putting some electrolytes and vitamins in his water. Save a chick would even work. Someone on here had hens that had pretty pale combs, they put them on the save a chick and in a week and a half they said there combs were as red as their roosters.

I agree bread is definately not good for them. Try giving him a scrambled egg.

I wouldn't have him on meat bird feed. Something more like and all flock raiser.

Heck, you probably already know half this stuff lol. Good luck with him, hope he gets healthy and strong soon.

 

[Wingleader]

Try putting some electrolytes and vitamins in his water. Save a chick would even work. Someone on here had hens that had pretty pale combs, they put them on the save a chick and in a week and a half they said there combs were as red as their roosters.

I agree bread is definately not good for them. Try giving him a scrambled egg.

I wouldn't have him on meat bird feed. Something more like and all flock raiser.

Heck, you probably already know half this stuff lol. Good luck with him, hope he gets healthy and strong soon.

Yeah, right now he's eating regular chick feed because that's what I have on hand. I've got rooster booster as well as some save-a-chick, which I probably should put in his water. He's bouncing around and very energetic even without it, though. He's chirping excitedly at every little thing, digging around in the straw, and I even made him a perch out of a thick maple sapling (all of my perches are natural wood to help prevent bumblefoot) which he uses successfully. He's not acting ill at all, so I know he'll most likely swing around. He's also probably going to end up being a little cuddlebug because he hasn't been around other chickens much and comes to me like I'm a mama hen whenever I enter the room. So far so good, though, and as long as he plays nice with my other roosters when he's grown up, he can certainly stay.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Yeah, right now he's eating regular chick feed because that's what I have on hand. I've got rooster booster as well as some save-a-chick, which I probably should put in his water. He's bouncing around and very energetic even without it, though. He's chirping excitedly at every little thing, digging around in the straw, and I even made him a perch out of a thick maple sapling (all of my perches are natural wood to help prevent bumblefoot) which he uses successfully. He's not acting ill at all, so I know he'll most likely swing around. He's also probably going to end up being a little cuddlebug because he hasn't been around other chickens much and comes to me like I'm a mama hen whenever I enter the room. So far so good, though, and as long as he plays nice with my other roosters when he's grown up, he can certainly stay.

He probably thinks he is in heaven. Assuming he was orginally from tyson or something, he wouldn't of had a good life. Crowded, dirty, possibly underfed, etc. And the girl off craigslist doesn't sound like she was giving him proper care.

 

[WellDunnFarms]

How is he doing?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

How is he doing?

X2. Give an update frequently if you feel like it. I am interested in the progress of the "little" guy

 

[Wingleader]

Haha, oh my! I didn't think people would be so interested in "his" progress!

Sausage is doing well! He/she is getting less clumsy by the day, I'll be choosing one of the other youngsters to put in with him/her this evening after it gets dark (hopefully), just to make sure of Sausage's health.

I'm still quite unsure of the gender, to be honest. I would have thought that after a week of being pampered indoors that any paleness due to stress would have gone away, but the comb and wattles remain a pale pink (though much softer and even in hue and not powdery looking like it had been). I'm very much hoping to have a little hen here, but only time will tell! He/she certainly doesn't act "cocky" but he/she doesn't really act too much like your average chicken, either.

That aside, the scuffs and scrapes on his/her legs are healing up nicely and the little one has been successfully using a thick maple sapling I converted into a perch. Very shaky it for the first few days, but now he/she is a master percher. I will need to add some very low perching areas in my coop, however, because most of mine are quite high up (that's how my flock likes 'em) and I don't want Sausage unnecessarily straining his/her legs.

I should have some more photos tonight!

 

[Griffinsong]

Good to hear he/she is doing well. She definitely has a better life with you than wherever she came from.
I noticed on the older photos there is a flap of what looks to be loose skin under the beak, between the wattles, I wonder what is causing that. Does that seem like just fat, or maybe he has some bearded bird blood somewhere?

 

[Wingleader]

Hey all. Sausage is doing well, and I have had a buddy in with him/her for the last week or so. So far there have been no signs of illness in the "test" chicken (a little buff orpington x ee cockerel). How long would everyone recommend keeping the mystery chicken and "Orange" quarantined? I really don't want to risk Marek's on my property and I would like to move these two outside asap.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Hey all. Sausage is doing well, and I have had a buddy in with him/her for the last week or so. So far there have been no signs of illness in the "test" chicken (a little buff orpington x ee cockerel). How long would everyone recommend keeping the mystery chicken and "Orange" quarantined? I really don't want to risk Marek's on my property and I would like to move these two outside asap.

A week is normally what I do.