More ID help- chicken newbie!

[kkraczek]

Found this young (it still cheeps) chicken in our suburban yard the other day- to our shock and amazement! Can anyone please help to identify what type of chicken it is? Thanks much! (Sorry about the "unhappy" chciken pics- I was trying to take pics while it was sleeping! ) Also, the vet said he thought it might be jungle fowl?

http://pets.webshots.com/album/560051781NdRGIL

 

[lacyloo]

looks kinda like an old english game bantam,, hen

 

[Chickenlover88]

Looks like a game hen (as in fighter) well the hens don't fight of course. I had a couple of them and they were great little hens.

 

[kkraczek]

That's interesting- it might explain how we found a chicken in the middle of suburbia! The sad part is, it's nearly starved and has an eye infection- I took it to the vet (who also couldn't definitively ID it) and had it dewormed and put on antibiotics.

Where would I find photos of other game hens in the same age range as this one? Any ideas as to how old it might be?

Thanks!

 

[CarriBrown]

She looks like she's only months old. Pretty little girl!

 

[kkraczek]

I started even more research last night, and came across a link with photos of silver phoenix- perhaps this could be it as well? I guess I'm just going to have to wait until it gets older to find out for sure...

 

[Chickenlover88]

Sadly I know people who fight and have seen their birds, I do not talk to them anymore though. I have also owned hens but never a rooster. That hen looks just like them in build and coloring. I guess you will know for sure later on. Poor baby. Are you planning on keeping her? The hens that I had were great pets and good little momma hens, they also layed small cream colored eggs on a regular basis.

 

[kkraczek]

Yes, we plan to keep her. Hopefully the eye infection will clear up and she'll start gaining some weight. She only weighed 18oz at the vet.

We are planning on building a small coop and run in the backyard; luckily we have a wooden fence, so no one should care. As long as "she" doesn't start crowing!

If she turns out to be a he, we have plenty of farms west of here that I'm sure would love to have it. I hope it's a she though!

So far she acts like my daughter and I are mommies, following us around and cheeping sadly when we leave. It's pretty cute.

As far as fighting chickens go, it's really the only plausible reason I can imagine that chickens would be in a residential neighborhood. Unless someone bought a chick for an Easter gift and decided they didn't want it anymore. Like I said, she's pretty thin. No breast meat at all.

I am of the belief that everything happens for a reason, and since Lilly made it to our doorstep, then we must be meant to take care of her.

Thanks for the ID help!

 

[Motherhenandflock]

Welcome to the boards!
Sounds like Lily did make it to the right house! That's great that you are willing to give her a new home!

 

[silkiechicken]

Thats' great you are keeping it. Maybe you can get her a friend when she is no longer sick? Have you gotten her grower feed yet? That supplemented with mashed up egg and yogurt will help her gain her strength back. I was gong to say that she looked awfully skinny and dehydrated in the first pic.