i just rescued some chickens and need some help

[Chickenaddict]

awww congrats on your rescue! You appear to have 2 ee hens, 2 barred rock hens, and a rhode island red. Keep an eye on their poop and make sure it looks "normal" no blood or anything funky looking like worms. I'd worm them and be prepared to possibly treat for coccidosis from living in their feces for so long

Give them either chick starter (non medicated) or flock raiser until they begin to lay then give them layer rations and offer oyster shells to keep the shells nice and strong. You can bathe them but like others siad you would have to blow dry them until they are completely dry and that takes what seems like forever sometimes. Give them a good dose of mite powder too just to be on the safe side, get them off to a good start in their new home

You can also give vitamins and electrolytes in their water for about a good week or so. That outta give them a nice boost. You can also feed them treats like fresh greens and scrambled eggs for extra protein in case their previous diet lacks the proper nitrueints they need which it sounds like it did. Good luck with your new girls :d they sure are cuties!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

BekahBear, in case you're wondering why we're excited about you possibly having a pair of EEs, take a look at my EE's pretty egg...

They definitely stand out. And for some reason, her eggs are the easiest ones to peel whenever I have boiled eggs.



As far as a coop situation, last year when I only had 4 chickens I used a large wooden dog house for them to roost in. The had a big, (covered, due to hawks) run for during the day and only needed a place to sleep. This past May my husband put up a wall in our shed so our 14 chickens (they are addictive!) now have a proper coop. Whatever you make for your birds will have to be better than what they had, that is for sure!

 

[azygous]

You are wonderful and brave to rescue these five beautiful little pullets, and my guess also is they are around twelve weeks. They are going to repay your kindness and courage a thousand-fold with, not only the miracle of fresh eggs in just a couple more months, but a degree of joyful entertainment beyond anything you can even imagine right now.

Being me, and not genetically able to tolerate feces encrusted feathers, I'd pop them all into a sudsy warm bath. They tolerate baths remarkably well. It will also serve to give you the opportunity to see if they're harboring any parasites. I predict they're not, though - just a hunch.

Like a previous poster recommended, bring them into the garage or basement or shed until you can build them a secure coop and pen. This site has terrific ideas for those. The last thing you want is for some critter to mangle them after you've brought them this far!

But meanwhile, get them some pine shavings from the tractor supply or feed store. They'll be ever so much more comfortable being able to snuggle down into some fresh fragrant bedding. It would be like a homeless person being given a bed with a down comforter for the first time in their life.

Have you named them yet?

 

[Lee in Michigan]

First of all, welcome to BYC and bless you for rescuing those poor birds!

Since others have addressed the breed and sex questions, I'd just like to say please make sure they have a SECURE place to live, above all safe from predators. Coons are especially devious -- and smart! You can learn a lot about what a proper coop consists of by reading the articles and posts on this site. At least in your area you don't have to worry about keeping the birds warm, like we do where I live. (It's 14 degrees outside now, and 23 in my coop.)

Also please pay proper attention to their nutrition. Give them a good quality "grower" feed for now; "scratch" seed, cracked corn, or birdseed is a treat only. Of course, you'll make sure they always have clean water. You can use some cut-up grapes, raisins, or apple pieces to hand feed them, and get them more used to you. (Of course, if you bathe them, you'll be WELL acquainted by the time you're done!)

You probably won't get eggs from them till spring. Many birds start to lay at around 20 weeks, but since you don't know exactly how old yours are, combined with the short day length of winter (which affects egg production), you'll probably have to wait. That's OK, though, because they'll be healthy and strong by then.

Best of luck to you!

 

[FortWorthChicks]

Quote:
Warm being the key word for me..... man I hate cold baths!! lol.

Your so sweet to save them and yippie tinted eggs soon to arrive! Glad to meet ya!!

 

[BekahBear]

i am surprised with how good they look considering but you can tell they haven't had room to move around. they look ok in the pics but they dont stand for very long before they get tired and lay down(maybe 3 minutes max). they also seem to trip over their own legs every now and then and fall over. its kinda sad/funny since i've never seen a chicken trip before.
i do plan on bringing them in for the night so wild animals cant bother them untill we get the coupe set up. we have a shed that i put them in last night and just finished putting them in for tonight. i had them in the crate during the day so they could be outside in the nice weather and so the dogs wouldn't bother them too much and could get used to them.
i haven't seen any parasites on them so far but i'll bathe them tomorrow and get a better look. their poop is pretty much liquid right now but with what they were living in im not surprised. i'll give them some time to settle in and see if that gets better on its own.
i haven't named them yet. the lemon colored one is my favorite so far. she seems very sweet. if you guys have ideas for names for them let me know.

 

[FortWorthChicks]

the bugs hide down at the base of the feathers if they are there. They need wicked cool names seeing as how they escaped the jaws of a big ol snake!

 

[highcountrychickens]

Wonderful for you to have such a kind heart! You are about to be rewarded with wonderful pets with the most enduring qualities you never expected - and it looks like you have all hens, so they will thank you by keeping you supplied with fresh wonderful eggs when they are old enough.

Lots of good advice here already. Have fun looking around this site for coop ideas with perches and weather protection... It doesn't need to be terribly fancy (unless you have fun with fancy) These girls look like anything will make them happy. I would suggest, as another poster did, making sure the kennel you are using is safe - especially at night. A raccoon will reach in and pull what it can through the wire, and a neighborhood dog will create no end of passionate harassment trying to get into that cage.

Otherwise, you can give them treats of bread, veggies, hen scratch - all kinds of kitchen scraps... always call them when you give them the treats ("chickchickchick") and they'll come running whenever you call them later - especially helpful when you let them out in your yard on a nice day, and they are so overjoyed to have a dustbath that nothing else will rouse them!!

Good luck, and HAVE FUN! Everything you do will be better than what has happened to them so far.

and keep us posted about their progress - we love that kind of thing here!!!

 

[azygous]

Quote:
Yeah! Yeah! You can name them after the ancient goddesses! Lillith, Athena, Diana - those are all I can come up with from memory.

I was kind of feeling resentful toward the snake guy, but then I figured it actually took a degree of caring to put them someplace safe and give them food and water, not to mention going to the trouble of posting on Craig's List. One cheer for Snake Guy!

 

[greenbeandreams]

Congrats! Those are some beautiful birds for everything they've gone through. They look like 11-12 weeks old and look like EEs and Barred Rocks. I've got some 11.5 week old of the same two breeds and yours like identical. Hens too!