I have NO idea what I'm doing! I just rescued a bonded pair of chickens that someone apparently dro

[Gramapam]

Hi! I am a single lady who raised 2 wonderful adults and now have 4 (and one due next month) grand children. I live with my rescue Yorkie, 3 fancy rats, and fish tank of tropical fish. Yesterday, I noticed these 2 beautiful birds hanging around a fenced area near my home. Today, when they were still there, I saw that the rooster was frantic as the hen seemed trapped inside a fenced area. I decided to try to help them. I was able to coax her out of the fence and, with the help of a friend, throw a towel around them (separately, of course) I put them into dog crates. I came home and quickly threw together a fenced area and covered it with netting and an umbrella. I guess I'm onto a new adventure. I'd appreciate any and all help and ideas. ( I did go to the local feed store and was instructed on what I should feed them).I live on a 1/2 acre lot in Lakeland, FL I am just hoping my neighbors don't complain if/when the rooster crows. He's been very well mannered so far.

 

[sourland]

Hey, life is all about new adventures - welcome to BYC, and good luck with your new birds.

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to Backyard Chicken and congrats on getting your first chickens (even if they were the ones that adopted you first)! Sounds like you have a good start. If you plan on keeping them, the next thing I would recommend would be to make sure they have a predator proof area to roost in at night. There are so many critters out there that would love a free meal. (However, you may also want to check your township ordinances to make sure that you can legally keep chickens on your property before investing a lot of time or money.) You can also take some time to visit the Learning Center here on BYC to assist you in learning all you can about your new pets. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Do you have any neighbors that might lost them? They should eat a good chicken feed that has 16 to 20% protein. Most people feed layer feed to hens, or you can feed all flock or flock raiser if you put out some crushed oyster shell for extra calcium for the hen. Always provide clean water daily, and keep it shaded. They need to be locked up at night in a predator-proof pen, preferably with good ventilation and 1/2 hardware cloth over windows, and around the run. The hen will need a nest box in the coop to lay her eggs. Teach the yorkie not to go near the chickens, so you don't get any injuries. There are some good threads to read at the top of this page under The Learning Center, and a good book for general chicken care would be Storey's Guide To Chickens. You can also ask specific questions here at any time, since most of us love to help other chicken people.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. If you haven't already done so, please visit the Learning Center. It will answers questions that you haven't even thought of yet.

If you post photos of your rescued birds we may be able to ID the breed for you. Chickens get dumped for many reasons - most likely the owners couldn't care for them any longer or they had to get rid of them because of HOA, etc. restrictions.

 

[jrjoplin]

Welcome to BYC. The people on here are great and there is a ton of information. It's a lot to read through but there are always friendly members around to help when you have questions.

 

[Brookliner]

ty

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!