My not so foghorn white leghorn

Not so foghorn

Hatching
6 Years
Dec 1, 2013
1
0
7
Hi guys I'm new to this forum and to keeping chickens.

I picked up a quartet of white leghorn comprising of three hens and a cockerel yesterday (So have owned them just 24 hours) I have been told they are just outside 6months old.

They are in molt and as they have been sharing accommodation with ducks and geese all four are absolutely filthy.

I was fully expecting to be woken to the crow this morning but not had a whistle out of "The Major". Is this normal? Can you have a cock with no crow?

I read a lot before buying them and was rather cautious about the cock due to how many posts I've seen saying how nasty they can behave but this guy has let me pick him up twice today without even a flutter or cluck not even a step to get away from me.

I would like to clean them up providing they will allow it, could I ask the best way to do this? Warm water or just leave them to a dust bath. Like I say they are filthy mud caked legs black belly's mud splashes all over their backs. Not sure leaving them to their own devices will cut it.

After leaving the company of ducks and geese and living in mud I'm pretty sure they will need to be thoroughly dewormed could I ask a good product to use? Herd a few old wives tales from a guy I work with about feeding them squash and pumpkin seeds but not sure if this is just a good regular keeping on top of it thing or would be a complete fix so will go with a commercial product to ensure I get it right for the first time at least.

Thanks in advance for anyone who reads or replies.
 
Birds kept outdoors will have worms but a healthy chicken can handle a light load.
The best approach is to have a fecal sample collected midday tested to see what kind of worms and how heavy the load is. If they don't need worming, I wouldn't do it.
Squash seeds do work to a point.

If they're really dirty, I would probably give them a bath. At the same time you can check them for lice and mites.
After the bath, dry them thoroughly. You can use towels but I like a blow dryer on low.

Don't worry about the absence of a crow just yet. Some days mine crow all day. Some days I don't hear a peep.
 
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