New Member Looking for answers and advice

[RJ04]

Hi all,

I'm a new poster and thought I'd ask some questions in this thread. I bought a house with two chickens and coop but I thought the owner was taking the chickens. So now I have them and no idea what to do. I don't have the owner as a resource.

I found I have 13 eggs, are they still good? How often do I have to clean and change water/food? Do you know what kind of chickens they are and any idea of age? I attached some pics of the coop, let me know what you think. Does anyone know what the light switch is for? Can you let your chickens out of the coop and if so, how do you get them back in?

Thanks for any and all insights!

 

[Bawkbok]

Welcome and congratulations on your instant chickenhood.
I'm no expert - although there are many here who can chime in.

I can tell you I change the water every single day to ensure it is clean and fresh - that is the most important thing.
Pick up the food at night so as not to attract predators and other critters.
Free range if you can keep an eye on them if you live in an area with predators and wild animals.
To get them back in, I (and many here) use a shaker cup filled with treats, however, they need to come to you first inside the run for the treats so they know what you have and what that means. Shake the cup so they hear the noise of the seeds, meal worms, whatever treat you choose, I say "here girls" every time I shake it. I did this for a week inside the run before letting them out to free range to ensure they come to me and I could get them back.
Keep the coop clean. TSC has pine shavings pretty reasonably priced if you want to go that route.
I assume you're in a cold weather climate since they have electricity in the coop? That set up looks kind of risky or potentially dangerous with the cord being at feet level.
Is there a run attached or is their space just the coop?
Others might have better suggestions.

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC. I can't see them well enough to tell much about them. Usually the combs and the legs can help determine age somewhat.
I clean and change my water out daily in the summer and every other day in winter. My feeders get cleaned weekly and refilled as needed.
The plug probably attached to an extention cord and the water has a heater to keep it from freezing.
I would keep water in the run, not in the coop. Chickens make a lot of moisture when they breath and with the water in there it will be even more humid. That may cause frostbite. They need at least a sq ft of ventilation per chicken, in the coop, to prevent frost bite.

 

[sourland]

Hello, and welcome to BYC. Good luck with your surprise flock.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Welcome!
13 eggs means these birds were left alone for at least a week, maybe longer I would not eat them.
Please move the food and water to the wire run, not the coop. I change the water every other day, but twice a week is probably OK with 2 birds. Put the food into the garage at night so you don’t get rodents. Chickens don’t eat or drink at night. You should also provide oyster shell and grit for the birds, they will eat what they need.
If you decide to free range, they will come back in their own at dusk.
I clean the poop out of the coop daily, only takes minutes. I change out all the bedding once a month.
HTH

 

[CHlCKEN]

Welcome to BYC! Sounds like they pulled a fast one on you… oh well, guess you’re part of the club now

Looks like you got some good answers already. If you have any other questions, there are plenty of sub forums to post in- and a whole lot of members eager to give you answers!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, and welcome to BYC!

Without knowing when the first one was laid, I'd just scramble those up and let them have them. That's a lot of scrambled eggs for two chickens so maybe save half of them for another day.

You'll only need to keep the waters and feeders full when they run low, and I'm guessing once-a-week would the time to fill both. I see the waterer is heated so it won't freeze. I'd make sure that's working if it gets below freezing there. I would bring that in a couple of times a month and clean it out to ensure it's not slimy inside.

I'm assuming they left you feed. They could have any layer food if that's what it is. If it's an all flock, that's good too, just then you need to get some oyster shell as all flock is lower in calcium than layer feed is.

Good luck! Just ask if you have any more questions!

 

[Jener8or]

I don't think I can offer anything more than the wonderful advice given above. If you could take some better pictures of the chickens, we might be able to identify them, though.

It is great to have you here and I hope you enjoy your swift undertaking into chicken ownership! It is very kind of you to let them stay in your new home.

Welcome to BackYard Chickens!

 

[N F C]

Hi, great advice from the previous greeters, if you have additional questions you're always welcome to ask. Best wishes!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, Welcome to Backyard Chickens!
Enjoy your time here! Thanks for joining our community!