NEW TO THIS CHICKEN THING

[JESSICANDAVID]

NEW TO THE CHICKEN THING, MY NEIGHBORS LEFT WHAT APPEARS TO BE TO ROOSTERS, SO I WENT TO THE FEED STORE AND GOT THEM SOME CORN, THEY WOULD NOT EAT THAT, SO I TOOK THAT BACK AND GOT THEM SO OTHER FEED, AND THEY WONT TRY THAT, MY HUSBAND AND I TRIED RICE AND THEY LOVE THAT, APPEARENTLY THATS WHAT THESE PEOPLE WERE FEEDING THEM THAT AND I FOUND A BAG OR REGUALR BIRD FOOD, SO NOW I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO , NEED HELP. PLEASE HELP. MY KIDS LOVE THESE BIRDS SO I WANT TO KEEP THEM, I AM BUILDING A COUPE FOR THEM THIS WEEKEND ANY HELP WOULD BE NICE. THANKS JESSICA

 

[BeckyLa]

Welcome to BYC!!!

I assume since they are picky concerning their food that they are free ranging and sleeping in the trees. If this is the case you don't need to worry about them eating enough but keep feeding them cooked rice, maybe you could cook it up with some starter crumbles mixed in to get them used to the feed. Since they are all roos, you don't want to feed them layer feed, just the starter/grower. Also, start feeding them about the same time each day, probably in the morning and evening just before their bed time. And feed them closer and closer to where you are building your coop and run so your area becomes more familiar to them. Eventually you can work them into the run where you can lock them up. Once they get used to the run you can work them into the coop. But it will take time.

 

[JESSICANDAVID]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFO. THEY HAVE BEEN RUNNING AROUND, BUT AT NIGHT I CATCH THEM AND PUT THEM IN A MAKE SHIFT PEN UNTIL I BUILD A COUPE THIS WEEKEND, I ALSO DONT KNOW HOW OLD THEY ARE OR ANYTHING ABOUT THEM. THEY HAVE GOLD ON TOP THEN IT GOES TO ORANGES AND GREENS , GREEN BEING THE TAIL FEATHER COLORS MIXED IN WITH BLACK, SO I SHOULD COOK THE RICE? I CAN DO THAT I JUST WANT TO DO WHATS BEST FOR THEM, MY CHILDREN LOVE THEM, HOW WOULD I FIND OUT HOW OLD THEY ARE AND WHAT KIND THEY ARE? THEY CROW FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS FOR ABOUT 5 TO 8 I DONT KNOW IF THIS HEKPS, I THOUGHT I READ SOMEWHERE THAT THEY DONT START DOING THAT UNTIL ABOUT 18 MONTHS AM I RIGHT? AGAIN THANKS FOR IN INFO, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

 

[fowlweatherfriends]

Welcome!

Here is a link that may help you identify the breed.

http://www.cacklehatchery.com/oldenglishgamepage.html

The green tailfeathers that you have sound like an Old English gamebird (which is pictured on the upper right side). OEGB's have lots of colors to them. Mine has the yellow near neck and back, some bronze color around the middle, some fluffly short, white top feathers near rump, and then really tall curling green tailfeathers.

Sounds like you are on track caring for them. After awhile, you may want to consider trimming the spurs if you have small children. The spurs can hurt!

 

[fowlweatherfriends]

PS: My chickens-girls and boy, LOVE pasta! The will come to a bowl of mac n cheese every time!

 

[Hotwings]

Jessica-I would say they are game birds too by the description of the birds. I am guessing they are maybe cockerls. They are crowing alot because they are probably in competition with each other(crowing contests!). It is unusal they aren't fighting with each other, but this maybe due to there is no hens for them to fight over. Do you think that they are fighting birds and that is why your neighbor abandon them?

 

[JESSICANDAVID]

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ANSWERED MY FORUM. THEY DO LOOK LIKE ORGB'S, I DONT KNOW IF THEY WERE USED FOR FIGHTING OR NOT, BUT ONE ONE OF THEM THEIR LEG IS HURT, ITS NOT WALKING ON IT WELL, AND ITS SPURS HAVE BEEN CUT AND BURNED, ON THE OTHER ONE HE STILL HAS HIS. IT LOOKS AS IF THEY HAVE BEEN RAISED TOGETHER FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND I KNOW THE PEOPLE WHO LEFT THEM ONLY HAD THEM FOR ABOUT A MONTH. THEY FOLLOW EACH OTHER EVERY WHERE. I GOT SOME CHICHEN SCRATCH TODAY AND THEM SEEM TO REALLY LIKE THAT SO TAHTS WHAT I AM GONNA GIVE THEM ATLEAST THEY ARE EATING SOMETHING. I WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME HENS BUT I WANT TO SEE HOW THESE DO FIRST. I AM BUILDING THIS COOP THIS WEEKEND ANY DESIGNS OR SUGGESIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW, AGAIN THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND GOD BLESS

 

[JESSICANDAVID]

HEY YAL, JUST THOUGHT I WOULD WRITE , I HAVE BEEN CHECKING THIS EVERYDAY AND NO ONE HAS WROTE ANYTHING ELSE I FIGURED MORE PEOPLE WOULD HELP ME OUT HERE SINCE I WAS NEW AND ALL BUT................ ANYWAYS I AM ALMOST FINISHED BUILDING THE CHICKEN COOP AND MY OEGR ARE STARTING TO FIGHT A LITTLE BIT, I WANTED TO GET SOME EGG LAYERS, BUT I DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START OR WHAT BREED TO GET? I WISH SOME MORE PEOPLE WOULD HELP ME OUT AND LET ME KNOW, PLEASE I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOURS ON THE COMPUTER TRYING TO FIND OUT MORE INFO BUT I FIGURED THIS IS THE BEST PLACE PLEASE HELP. THANKS

 

[blue90292]

honey, do a search. alot of people have asked alot of questions about how to feed, what kinda coop, etc. etc. promise, the search engine works great on this site!

btw, don't give them too much scratch. scratch is like candy and if they fill up on candy, they won't get the proper nutrition.

hope that helps.

 

[65browneyes]

I've not noticed this thread before now, or I may have spoken up sooner. Sorry about that. I know there are far more experienced and knowledgable people here than I, but I can share with your some of my observations and what I've learned here myself.

Your roosters are probably beginning to fight a bit partly due to the fact they've been free ranging until you started rescuing them. Now they're contained and they might be getting on each others nerves. I've always heard that roosters don't normally get along well, and that's it's best to keep only one, unless you have at least 8 - 10 hens to each roo.

As for egg layers, my Black Australorps are good layers. I've heard Rhode Island Reds are great layers, as well as Barred Rocks and White Leghorns. I found Henderson's Chicken Chart to be VERY helpful for egg laying information when I got started. Feathersite.com has very useful breed information as well.

Ideally, I think if you were to get pullets (just under a year or so old) that will lay soon, or have recently begun laying, that might be best for you.

I'm hoping somebody else will chime in and correct any (and all) incorrect advice I'm sure I've given here.

Good luck to you!!