I just “inherited” 5 chickens

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MissDolly

MissDolly

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Jan 4, 2020
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We just bought a house and the guy asked us if we wanted to keep the chickens. They looked healthy, so we said yes.
After cleaning out their filthy coop and run & getting the basics covered, we see we need to make it better, larger & more accessible.
I have three chickens I need for dinner tomorrow, LOL. They seem to be aggressive towards the other two, they peck at them. Dolly, my buff Orrington Seems to be afraid of them and spend time hiding under the coop. Not all the time but often enough that it aggravates me to see her in hiding.
Most of them are molting right now and I’m getting one out of every other day. They get a couple handfuls of scratch, fresh water & egg laying feed every day. I hand feed them some grass and greens from outside and any vegetable scraps I have from prepping meals.
Their space is somewhat limited, but I did add a pan of sand and DE edible grade, to help prevent mites. Their nesting material is pine shavings from the local feed store that’s what they recommended, and so is the bottom of their coop.
I’m really loving having these chickens, they know me now and come when they hear me outside. I know I need to make them a bigger run and coop but right now with the craziness of getting this house cleaned up and painted and having to buy all new furniture because we had none, it’s in the middle of the priority list.
I live on the beautiful Treasure Coast of Florida. We also have two shih tzu s and a cat name Raven. I welcome any suggestions or help you can give me, I have a little knowledge but I’m really new to this.
 

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Hello there and welcome to BYC! :frow

Congrats on the new chickens! Did you mix in these new chickens immediately with an existing flock or did all these grow up together? New chickens really need to be mixed in slowly over a period of a few weeks. Quarantine time is also needed for diseases. Cramped quarters will also cause aggression. If these birds have always been together, it's probably a space issue. Don't let the others bully the other until there is injury, if need be, separate out the bully so that the ones lower in the ranks live a stressless life. Add more feed and water stations too so the lower ranking birds can get sustenance.

Good luck with your new flock and welcome to ours! :)
 
Hi! :frow Welcome to BYC! Two Crows has given you some good advice. One thing you can concentrate on for space initially is the outdoor space. If you can take a day to expand the run a little, using 1/2" hardware cloth rather than chicken wire, you can give them more space in a hurry. As a temporary quick addition, I would add it on using t-posts, and close in the top too. Put a small chicken door between it and the coop that you can easily close at night.

If all this is just not possible right now, then you're right. Reducing the number by a couple bullies is an option. But, depending on their age, they may not make the best dinner. You might try rehoming them.
 
Welcome! We inherited a large filthy coop, too! Piles of long fermented chicken poo. Ugh! Our barn was filthy, too. it’s been a challenge but it’s so satisfying to get it all right!

My biggest piece of advice: Don’t buy a white fabric couch. I live on a farm and somehow that was my choice. I recommend leather. Leather. Leather. :frow
 
MissDolly said:
We just bought a house and the guy asked us if we wanted to keep the chickens. They looked healthy, so we said yes.
After cleaning out their filthy coop and run & getting the basics covered, we see we need to make it better, larger & more accessible.
I have three chickens I need for dinner tomorrow, LOL. They seem to be aggressive towards the other two, they peck at them. Dolly, my buff Orrington Seems to be afraid of them and spend time hiding under the coop. Not all the time but often enough that it aggravates me to see her in hiding.
Most of them are molting right now and I’m getting one out of every other day. They get a couple handfuls of scratch, fresh water & egg laying feed every day. I hand feed them some grass and greens from outside and any vegetable scraps I have from prepping meals.
Their space is somewhat limited, but I did add a pan of sand and DE edible grade, to help prevent mites. Their nesting material is pine shavings from the local feed store that’s what they recommended, and so is the bottom of their coop.
I’m really loving having these chickens, they know me now and come when they hear me outside. I know I need to make them a bigger run and coop but right now with the craziness of getting this house cleaned up and painted and having to buy all new furniture because we had none, it’s in the middle of the priority list.
I live on the beautiful Treasure Coast of Florida. We also have two shih tzu s and a cat name Raven. I welcome any suggestions or help you can give me, I have a little knowledge but I’m really new to this.
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i am also on the treasure coast of florida, sebastian...where are you located..id love to have a chicken friend
 

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