Gas Station Hens--Attemping a Rescue

[herefordlovinglady]

Okay, so i have been trying to rescue a hen from the local gas station (Henrietta). The owner did not want me to take her because she has grown attached to her. I made sure she knew how to take care of Henrietta (and felt sure all was okay--there are woods and cover for her and the customers like having her around). So today I go in the station and ask her how Henrietta is doing. She tells me that she is fine but there is another hen a red hen that has made a home at the dumpster and is sitting on about 14 eggs. I told her that since there wasn't a rooster then the eggs would not hatch, well she then tells me that she has seen a game rooster hanging around. I asked her long the hen has been sitting and she wasn't sure. I think I have her talked into letting me take Henrietta and the gang home with me.

What do i need to do to get prepared. Although my name is Robin, I have never had the pleasure of hatching eggs.

I have a total of 16 hens, and two roos. 8 of the hens roost in the coop at night, free range during the day. the other 8 hens, free range all the time, roosting in the trees along with the roos. my coop is a 10 x 12, so i have plenty of room for more in there. i have a brooder and all the necessary equipment. I have not candled eggs before, but would think i need to to be sure there are chicks in the eggs, right?

What else, and what about moving the hen and the eggs? OMG Quarantine -- I will have to quarantine them...oh that is going to be a challenge.

 

[chickenlady08]

Well I didn't have the same situation as you, but I had a broody hen that was sitting on eggs in the coop and I brought her into my garage last week. Luckily because she had one hatch on Thursday the 3rd. Hopefuly you don't live to far away and it won't take you long to get to your home after gettin ur chickens and her eggs. I used a large heavy duty round basket. It was weaved with like branches and had air circulating. I have used this to move and hold the Momma and the eggs of other hens as well. I put pine shavings in the basket and then placed the eggs on the pine shavings and then picked up the Momma (surprisingly she didn't take my arm off). She stayed in the basket and she was very devoted to those eggs so I had to get her up off the nest and make her go to the bathroom, so I had to take the basket outside with her and the eggs in there.

I use a LED flashlight to candle my eggs. I do it at night and of course to me it is easier to see through the egg with the light shining through.

These chickens are lucky that you are going to take them home to live much safer than a gas station.

Good Luck

 

[MissJenny]

Yes, you absolutely must quarantine -- especially since these are "wild" birds. Lots of ordinary things will serve as a temporary coop. Like pallets or a play house or a very quick dog-house like structure. A chicken wire run is fine so long as they are very secure at night when the really nasty predators are most likely. Make sure they are secure at night. You really can do this in a day.

I am waving my magical wand for you, for Henrietta and for the Dumpster Mama.

Jenny

 

[herefordlovinglady]

The owner of the station said the hen that is sitting is in an area where she should be easy to catch with a net, and Henrietta will get fairly close to her. I was thinking of putting the red hen and Henrietta in a dog crate and putting the eggs in a nice warm basket for transport (about a 25 minute drive). then when i get them home put a nest in my brooder and let the hen sit on the eggs. Henrietta can go out into an area i can fence off until quarantine is up. if i knew there would be enough room and there wouldn't be a problem, i could put both hens and eggs in the brooder, it is a cage about 4.5 x 3.5 x 4. what do you think?

 

[chickenlady08]

I wouldn't put the hens together with a bunch of eggs. I let my first hen stay in the coop until the babies started hatching last year and I took them and let her stay on the nest in the coop because I tried to move her on numerous occasions but she wouldn't sit anymore. So I finaly just left her alone but he other hens kept going into the nest that we fenced in and they kept breaking it down and busting the eggs prob when they jumped down. Henrietta may do that as well or else she will lay eggs under the red hen. Oh and make sure you mark the eggs she is laying on and hope they have close to the same hatch time and that they are fertilized.