inherited five chickens and a duck

[megolson]

Hi everyone,
When my neighbor moved I agreed to take care of her chickens and a duck that had been largely neglected for a while as she was only up to care for them every two weeks. So now I've cleaned out their very dirty coop and run and put in fresh straw, filled up their feeder and will scrub out their pond tomorrow. They have been happy to get some greens to snack on too. Aside from getting the poop out and some veggies in I don't have much of a clue so I was delighted to find so much info here. Any tips for taking over a neglected bunch o' poultry?
I am really delighted to have joined the ranks of chicken-people.
Meg

 

[slightlyscrambled]

what do you need to know? Lots of very good information here. Sometimes it helps to use the search for specific questions.

 

[nzpouter]

pic of the chickens and their living area will be a good start.

 

[Gonzo]

from Indiana!

 

[megolson]

Here's their house.

And here they are

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. There are a lot of great folks here that will help with whatever they can.

 

[sonew123]

That not nearly as bad as I thought it would be! they look like healthy animals??? a little more cleaning and some fattening up and they'll be great good job! SO the house?? whats going to happen to it?? I mean thats a big coop/run do you get tp move it and keep it?

 

[sgtmom52]

Looks like you are doing a great job with them. The coop and run are very nice.

 

[megolson]

There are no plans to sell the property or live there most of the time, so for now I am like a chicken foster mother of sorts. It's just across the street and that's where it stays. How clean does a chicken coop need to be? Scrubbed or just de-pooped? They have pellets just there all the time, and two of those ladies are LARGE, while two others are pretty skinny, though they have the same access to food. Just different breeds? One of the skinnies seems to have the same feather pattern as the fatties. I need to look into what excactly it is they are eating and if they need something different, or extra. Tomorrow's agenda. They seem pretty healthy but I don't really know the look of a healthy chicken. They run around and squawk, feathers seem pretty nice. Very chickenish. Ooooohhhh I have a lot to learn.... I really appreciate all the welcome and tips

 

[nzpouter]

the 2 girls closer to the right corner are fattish breed of chicken while the other 3 are of slimmer build.

Their set up looks great, just keep their water clean and keep the inside of their house free from poop build up.