i somehow acquired 2 runaways and i have questions. please help

[pollipazzi]

We’ll need a video of that…

i’ll see what i can do

 

[RoyalChick]

wait! and is that the one that was laying eggs in the collar thing?

weirdly the one that laid her egg up in the rafters never actually went on the roof. The roof flyer has grown up to be very pretty and I think she now thinks such shenanigans are not part of her image.

 

[pollipazzi]

weirdly the one that laid her egg up in the rafters never actually went on the roof. The roof flyer has grown up to be very pretty and I think she now thinks such shenanigans are not part of her image.

sure someone might look up her tail feathers

 

[RoyalChick]

sure someone might look up her tail feathers

She isn’t above begging for treats though. Excuse my ugly work shoe.

 

[pollipazzi]

She isn’t above begging for treats though. Excuse my ugly work shoe.
View attachment 4127382

she sure is pretty!

 

[pollipazzi]

also. work shoes are meant to be ugly or you wouldn’t want to be working in them.

 

[BDutch]

Don’t count on it.
One of mine went on the roof and was clearly terrified. But yup. She went back up! I think it may have been a dare.

It’s a necessity to be able to fly a bit to survive too. So its a good thing they practice to fly high.

I give my tiny Dutch a better chance to survive a dog or fox attack than the heavy bantam Amrocks. The Dutch can fly on top of the run, over the ivy hedge to the neighbours, in the pear and cherry tree. The Amrocks need the coop (halfway up) to get on top of the run.

 

[pollipazzi]

It’s a necessity to be able to fly a bit to survive too. So its a good thing they practice to fly high.

I give my tiny Dutch a better chance to survive a dog or fox attack than the heavy bantam Amrocks. The Dutch can fly on top of the run, over the ivy hedge to the neighbours, in the pear and cherry tree. The Amrocks need the coop (halfway up) to get on top of the run.

louise (the boss) is a bit bigger than thelma and she’s always the first to fly, but tiny thelma always follows and then goes higher. i think she’s just showing off.
they hadn’t been going up on anything for months, but they are making up for it now

 

[pollipazzi]

hey guys! just checkin in.
in case anyone wanted an update...
it's been weird.
as soon as the run was built, like the very next day, louise broke her nail, and was bleeding all over the place. i was trying to throw corn starch at her foot but she was having none of that and was running away, leaving a blood trail behind her.
i tried to get her to let me help her and she would not.
so i ran out looking for a wound spray for her. maybe i could sneak up on her and spray her foot.
after 4 different shops i found something, but by the time i got home, the broken part fell off and the bleeding had stopped. she wouldn't let me touch her. or spray her.
i kept an eye and luckily she seemed ok.

but.

she went in the coop the next day and wasn't coming out. i figured it has to hurt and maybe she's just recuperating.
she was coming out for eating and drinking and pooping.
kept an eye on her foot. one foot looked weird and fat. not the broken nail foot. the other foot. it has looked like that for a while. maybe it was the way she stands on it, i thought. or maybe she just has a fat foot.
a couple days go by and i get my last egg. lol! she's broody! and now thelma is broody too. i don't have a broody jail or the heart to do it. (i know some people disagree with this, but it felt like it was the right way to go for them with all of the recent big changes)
i have been taking them out a few times a day so they can
eat drink poop.
TAKING them out!
i pick them up!
even louise!

i'd been giving them a look over while they are out to see everything is ok.
but it wasn't.

both have scaly mites.

(i am blaming the food stealing sparrows, who now have their own feeder out the front of the house. they are always on it. maybe even sleeping in there. )

picking the chickens up and putting them on the ground is much different than picking them up and putting vaseline on their legs!
i watched videos on how to hold them properly and i put my big girl pants on and i have been doing it!
i still tremble every time, but i am being consistent.
and nobody has pecked me to death.
or at all!

the chickens seem to be growing on the husband and he was asking about introducing a couple more! this is a shocking surprise!
i think a guy at his work has chickens and has been explaining things to him in guyspeak, so it's sinking in.
but there would need to be adjustments made for space.
maybe they will have bantams at the farm show in august.
hopefully everything will be normal by then!

as far as the legs go, they are looking a bit better after a little over a week of vaseline, but they do have some spots on their legs now where it looks bare. no scales at all. and sort of pink and smooth.
is this normal? i do see them preening and they are picking around the scales. are they just easily coming off? i have pics.

i ended up doubling up the hwc on the run about halfway up because of occasional fox and cat appearances at night. and my worrying head.
nobody is getting in there now. not that they could before, but, you know. just in case.

hopefully they will stop being broody soon.
they are staying out a bit longer and are eating a bit more.
they haven't even had a chance to really check out the new run. but they must like it because now when i have them out and it starts to rain, they seem almost offended and go running back in. it is dry in there. i am so glad we did a solid roof.

i think that's the full update. it's mostly been like i have chicken statues, other than the occasional crisis.

how are you guys?

 

[tlcmurphy]

I’m sorry your girls are giving you trouble, but it looks like they’re doing better now!

I can only catch 2 of my 4 birds, so I understand the frustration. I can’t imagine hanging onto a slippery hen!