Mystery Hen Found in my Yard

[hens2makesmiles]

Such a cute story!!!

 

[Alexandra33]

Good to hear that you found some sweaters for Amari! She'll look ridiculously adorable in them for sure - definitely worth seeing. I love the name, by the way.

-Alex

 

[sophiaw00]

She's actually named after a friend of mine here on BYC!!

I put her in a cage outside so she can get some fresh air and my girls are very curious. They aren't being mean and are actually just foraging near each other. She's tiny compared to them though.

She pooped this today, should I be concerned?

 

[Majd]

She's a production red hen! Even before I saw the egg post, I knew from the first picture that she's still producing from her bright red face/comb. She's rugged up because of her going through a molt... And from what I've read and imagined, I guess they are both likely someone's hens who dumbed them if your neighborhood because he no longer wants them either because a couple years old and they THINK that their egg production will drop dramatically as wrongly advertised, or they just don't want them anymore... It might that neighbor from 2 miles away who doesn't want those tow anymore so he dumbed them in your chicken filled neighborhood so someone might take them in.... They are not skinny just not fully feathered, and not small as this is the average size of production birds... And she wasn't living the wildlife with her friend because most likely they wouldn't have survived the predators, lack of adequate food and protection from ailments, and therefore most likely wouldn't be producing eggs... They were dumbed in the street the same day you spotted them, and they still had eggs developing in their system from when they were in their original home...she might lay an egg or tow that were still developing and then stop because of the huge change of environment and all the stress they've been through... But after they get used to their new home they will be back to laying(about a month or so).... And these are highly productive breeds and will make a great addition to your flock. However as others said a quarantine is a must... Even though they seem healthy(no virulent disease to me), but they might carry external parasites like mites or lice , which can be killed with a drop on the neck product which is very effective and easy to apply... And internal parasites like worms that can can be treated with an over the counter dewormer that will kill all kinds of worms(follow directions depending on product).... Otherwise I wouldn't be too worried and they will be ready to join the flock after quarantine!
Congratulations on your new chooks! And good for you for taking them in! Keep us updated on their progress and catch the other hen as soon as she enters the cage.
Sorry for the long opinionated post... It's my personal opinion of the situation so don't take it for granted!
Good luck!

 

[sophiaw00]

She's a production red hen! Even before I saw the egg post, I knew from the first picture that she's still producing from her bright red face/comb. She's rugged up because of her going through a molt... And from what I've read and imagined, I guess they are both likely someone's hens who dumbed them if your neighborhood because he no longer wants them either because a couple years old and they THINK that their egg production will drop dramatically as wrongly advertised, or they just don't want them anymore... It might that neighbor from 2 miles away who doesn't want those tow anymore so he dumbed them in your chicken filled neighborhood so someone might take them in.... They are not skinny just not fully feathered, and not small as this is the average size of production birds... And she wasn't living the wildlife with her friend because most likely they wouldn't have survived the predators, lack of adequate food and protection from ailments, and therefore most likely wouldn't be producing eggs... They were dumbed in the street the same day you spotted them, and they still had eggs developing in their system from when they were in their original home...she might lay an egg or tow that were still developing and then stop because of the huge change of environment and all the stress they've been through... But after they get used to their new home they will be back to laying(about a month or so).... And these are highly productive breeds and will make a great addition to your flock. However as others said a quarantine is a must... Even though they seem healthy(no virulent disease to me), but they might carry external parasites like mites or lice , which can be killed with a drop on the neck product which is very effective and easy to apply... And internal parasites like worms that can can be treated with an over the counter dewormer that will kill all kinds of worms(follow directions depending on product).... Otherwise I wouldn't be too worried and they will be ready to join the flock after quarantine!
Congratulations on your new chooks! And good for you for taking them in! Keep us updated on their progress and catch the other hen as soon as she enters the cage.
Sorry for the long opinionated post... It's my personal opinion of the situation so don't take it for granted!
Good luck!

Thank you for this helpful information!

Amari laid another egg this afternoon, but this one was much smaller. Big update! Today as I was bringing the flock fresh water for the morning, I heard a little hen cackle above me and when I looked up, her friend was roosting on top of the chicken run! I grabbed her, which was difficult and she made a loud scream-like sound which freaked my rooster out, but I hugged her tight and talked to her soothingly as we walked up to the house and she relaxed. I checked her over for any obvious injuries and she seems healthy. She's much bigger than Amari, and her feathers are darker. They were both very happy to see each other and Amari showed her where the food and water was and they are currently eating together. I am so glad I caught her!

I am a little worried about space with adding these two to the flock. I have an 8 foot by 4 foot coop and a 20 ft by 10 ft run, but they are free ranged all afternoon. Currently I have 10 chickens that live in the coop. That gives them each 3 sq. feet of space in the coop. Adding two more bumps it down to 2.5 sq ft per bird. They are never locked in the coop as the pop door stays open all the time because it's predator secure and we have motion sensers out there. If anything is out there, the motion sensor sets off an alarm inside the house that wakes up my brother who will then trap/kill whatever is trying to get into the coop. Is this enough room? If not, I will gladly keep them until I can find them a good home. I want everybody to be happy and healthy. I will post pictures of the newest addition tomorrow!

 

[appps]

Well you aren't really quarantining her now you've put her that close to the others. Anything she has can easily pass to them. Quarantine means no contact not just putting them in adjoining cages. Two days is nowhere near long enough to be sure they don't have a disease could wipe out your existing flock.

 

[sophiaw00]

Well you aren't really quarantining her now you've put her that close to the others. Anything she has can easily pass to them. Quarantine means no contact not just putting them in adjoining cages. Two days is nowhere near long enough to be sure they don't have a disease could wipe out your existing flock.

I understand that, but unfortunately that is the only option right now. My mom doesn't want her in the garage for long, but is willing to allow her to stay there if she's outside during the nice days. My girls free range, so no matter where I put the cage my girls can get to her. Now that there's two of them, my mom is going to be even more frustrated with keeping them in the garage. I really wish I could keep them seperate for at least a month but that's not a possibility as of now.

I am going to buy worming treatment & mite treatment just in case and of course keep an eye on the new ones to catch any diseases right away. Thank you for your concern!

 

[Majd]

Thank you for this helpful information!

Amari laid another egg this afternoon, but this one was much smaller. Big update! Today as I was bringing the flock fresh water for the morning, I heard a little hen cackle above me and when I looked up, her friend was roosting on top of the chicken run! I grabbed her, which was difficult and she made a loud scream-like sound which freaked my rooster out, but I hugged her tight and talked to her soothingly as we walked up to the house and she relaxed. I checked her over for any obvious injuries and she seems healthy. She's much bigger than Amari, and her feathers are darker. They were both very happy to see each other and Amari showed her where the food and water was and they are currently eating together. I am so glad I caught her! 

I am a little worried about space with adding these two to the flock. I have an 8 foot by 4 foot coop and a 20 ft by 10 ft run, but they are free ranged all afternoon. Currently I have 10 chickens that live in the coop. That gives them each 3 sq. feet of space in the coop. Adding two more bumps it down to 2.5 sq ft per bird. They are never locked in the coop as the pop door stays open all the time because it's predator secure and we have motion sensers out there. If anything is out there, the motion sensor sets off an alarm inside the house that wakes up my brother who will then trap/kill whatever is trying to get into the coop. Is this enough room? If not, I will gladly keep them until I can find them a good home. I want everybody to be happy and healthy. I will post pictures of the newest addition tomorrow!

I'm glad you caught the other girl.... Well I have to tell you that your original girls are just a little cramped, as standard chickens need at least 4ft of space in the coop.... But that's fine for your birds and they all are used to each other.... But adding the tow new girls might cause them to get attacked by the other girls and not much space for them to hide or run away.... Unless you try to introduce them first and see how it goes, if nothing too aggressive, I would keep an eye on them and leave them with the flock(after the treatment period of course) .... Because they probably have access to a run at free choice, and they free range on good days, so they should be FINE, unless you can upgrade the coop in the future....
As Appps said it would've been great if you could keep them away from each other in case they have anything transmissible, but as we all can't say no to mama, I think you've done your best, and good for you! But as I said I guess they're free of disease and my only concern would be parasites that can spread real quick, by poop, falling feathers. Etc...
So good luck with the new birds and can't wait to see what happens...

 

[Sonya9]

I am a little worried about space with adding these two to the flock. I have an 8 foot by 4 foot coop and a 20 ft by 10 ft run, but they are free ranged all afternoon. Currently I have 10 chickens that live in the coop. That gives them each 3 sq. feet of space in the coop.

Couple of thoughts on coop space... I also have a 4x8 coop with an additional 6x8 covered area and a large run. My chickens are only in the coop to sleep and to lay (and right now only one lays). They never spend any time in their otherwise unless we have a very severe storm, even then they just run in for a few minutes. I plan to wrap plastic around the covered 6x8 area to provide them more space during really heavy daytime storms. I have to wonder if the coop space is designed for birds that live in snow country and have to spend a great deal of time inside all winter.

Since it likely snows where you are could you cover part of the run and add plastic to the sides to increase the snow free space? Maybe even throw a couple of perches out there so they have plenty of room during the day without being huddled up inside the coop? You will have to watch the poop load to make sure the air stays dry and clean at night though.

Also a thought on quarantine...is it possible these birds have been free ranging with your flock for a while and you just didn't know about it?

 

[sophiaw00]

They have full access to the run at all times and mine also only sleep, lay, and eat in the coop. They free range from 3 PM until 8 PM (or whenever they want to go to bed). I have 2 ladder perches, a 2 by 4, and a jungle gym of tree stumps in the run, along with a dust bathing pit and a hay bale to keep them entertained during the day. My coop is extremely ventiallated (all 4 walls have slats all along the walls - made out of pallets) and will be insulated in the winter. I use the deep litter method and it controls the poop very well. I'm actually having difficulty getting the DLM working because my coop is so ventillated, there is no moisture.

It is 100% possible they have been free ranging with my birds for awhile because we have 5 acres of forest and my birds love to go in there to forage. Not positive though, but it does make sense since my birds aren't aggressive at all, and I have 2 that are very aggressive to newcomers.

I plan to cover part of the run with a black tarp (absorb heat) and hopefully the sides with clear plastic shower curtains if I can.

I did post a photo of Amari's feces earlier because it looks strange. Does anybody have any idea if that is something I should worry about?

Oh yeah, my birds are all standard size but compared to the neighbors chickens (barred rocks, RIR, and buff opringtons) mine are tiny. I don't know why mine are so small.

I do get heavy snowfall, but I picked relatively cold-hardy birds, except for my blue andalusian. My breeds are listed in my signature.

Here's some pics:

^Amari is standing tall, the newest girl is lower.


^The newest one is in the back. This brooder is 4 foot by 4 foot, so not the biggest but it will have to do, unfortunatley. They do have a small roost in there, but you can't see it in the picture.

Name suggestions much appreciated!