Hi Chicken Folk!
I have always been interested in chickens as pets, but have recently been researching raising ducks instead.
However...three days ago, a chicken found me. I live smack dab in the middle of Jackson Mississippi...woke up and went outside that morning, and there was a little red hen in my yard. She had no qualms about being picked up, and i carried her inside, thinking she may have been hurt. Nope, just very thirsty and hungry.
I fed her some bread and kale (leafy green), not really knowing what else i could feed her. I put some aspen shavings (from my pet rats) in a small, enclosed dog kennel that i have and put her in that. After lunch she was anxious to be out of the kennel, so i took apart an old ferret cage and created a circular thing outside with a large air conditioner top over it to let her out in. She went out, pecked at the bugs, ate the grass, and when nighttime came she wanted back in the kennel. I put her back in the kennel and brought her back inside (i know my enclosure would not keep wild dogs out, and we have many of those around).
Needless to say, i have completely fallen in love with this little hen. I (believe??) she is a rhode island red, but that is just a guess from comparing pics on the internet. She is fairly young. I have tried to locate her owners to no avail.
In order to keep this little gal, what do i need to do to make her comfortable? Obviously the arrangement i have now is not able to be permanent, as i am not able to supervise her outside every single day. The little pen i made is tiny (about three feet wide and three feet across, circular...very small).
I have been doing my research online, but there are just some things i don't know. A million questions. Please help? I will try to post a pic of the little gal along with this post. Thanks!!
I have always been interested in chickens as pets, but have recently been researching raising ducks instead.
However...three days ago, a chicken found me. I live smack dab in the middle of Jackson Mississippi...woke up and went outside that morning, and there was a little red hen in my yard. She had no qualms about being picked up, and i carried her inside, thinking she may have been hurt. Nope, just very thirsty and hungry.
I fed her some bread and kale (leafy green), not really knowing what else i could feed her. I put some aspen shavings (from my pet rats) in a small, enclosed dog kennel that i have and put her in that. After lunch she was anxious to be out of the kennel, so i took apart an old ferret cage and created a circular thing outside with a large air conditioner top over it to let her out in. She went out, pecked at the bugs, ate the grass, and when nighttime came she wanted back in the kennel. I put her back in the kennel and brought her back inside (i know my enclosure would not keep wild dogs out, and we have many of those around).
Needless to say, i have completely fallen in love with this little hen. I (believe??) she is a rhode island red, but that is just a guess from comparing pics on the internet. She is fairly young. I have tried to locate her owners to no avail.
In order to keep this little gal, what do i need to do to make her comfortable? Obviously the arrangement i have now is not able to be permanent, as i am not able to supervise her outside every single day. The little pen i made is tiny (about three feet wide and three feet across, circular...very small).
I have been doing my research online, but there are just some things i don't know. A million questions. Please help? I will try to post a pic of the little gal along with this post. Thanks!!
