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H Greeff

In the Brooder
Jul 21, 2021
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Hi, my name is Henriëtte. I live in South Africa and I have only one chicken. A Cornish x that I actually bought just because I had a pigeon that I picked up in our yard that had a broken wing. It was actually to keep the pigeon company, but from day one, the pigeon did not want to know anything of the chick (she was a day old). So I decided to raise her myself as my pet. She is now 5 months old and already weighs 5kg (11 pounds). I love her so much. She just laid her first egg this morning. I was so overwhelmed and so proud of my "hoenertjie". I try to limit her food intake now because I read that they don't live long because of their weight. So I feed her corn in the mornings and at night before she goes to bed (sleeps in a cage in my sitting room). In between, she gets green leaves of brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage leaves. I also feed her tomatoes and carrots (cooked without salt). She loves bread and egg, but I totally limit her on that now due to the rapid weight gain. I new nothing about chickens and did not even know what I was getting myself into. But I won't trade her for anything. Can someone please tell me why she is trying to eat plastic bags and carton box? I also mix some fine crushed egg shells into her corn for calcium. What else is there that I should know about raising her. When can I expect the next egg and I guess they will not be able to hatch because they are not fertilized (do not know if that is the right word).
 
H Greeff said:
Can someone please tell me why she is trying to eat plastic bags and carton box?
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She is probably curious, but definitely don't let her eat those! :)
H Greeff said:
When can I expect the next egg and I guess they will not be able to hatch because they are not fertilized (do not know if that is the right word).
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No, they are not fertilized (that is the right word) because she doesn't have a male to hang with.
Welcome to BYC!! :welcome
 
sourland said:
Hello, Henriette, and welcome to the BYC community. Good luck in extending her life span.
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Hi Thanks. Am I feeding her the right food as mentioned and is there something that she is not allowed to eat? I did see that she is not allowed to eat tomato leaves or brinjal leaves and also no advocado and things like oranges.
 
Hello, Henriëtte, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
You need to put her on a complete chicken feed and limit the amount. What you are currently feeding her would shorten the life of a non-meat chicken. I would never give her corn or bread or pasta...
She also needs to go outside and get lots of exercise.
 

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