Newbie questions.. Feeding, behaviour, health

[Squeeky Kiki]

Hi all,

I've got the most adorable pet chicken (Kikki ). I've had her go about 4 months and she's like my child! Haha. I would never in a million years think I'd have a chicken as a pet and probably the best creature to ever have! She's so loving and quirky! I don't know how old she was when I got her though maybe a month or two. She was just bigger than my palm.

She hasn't laid yet but based on all my research I think she's getting ready to. Her wattles go bright pink (not quite red) but aren't very big.. Someone at the farm store said its quite normal and they may not get bigger? Based on what I've seen though, all hens combs and wattles seem quite a bit larger!

She has a lovely spacious garden with tons of things to eat as well as her feed. I was feeding her a mixed corn chicken feed mixed with finisher pellets ( I really hope this hasn't messed her up). I've finally managed to get some layer pellets which am still mixing with the other. Do you think this is necessary? Or do the pellets have everything in them? She's hasn't been eating as much for a while but always seems hungry.

She also hasn't been drinking as much water as I think she should be which I don't know is reason for concern?

My neighbour feeds her wild bird seeds which she loves!! Definitely seems to prefer it. How is this for her? I don't know if I should get some and mix it with the layer pellets cause she's been going to my neighbour more to get that.. Plus I'd hate for her to prefer it there than here

I'm a bit concerned cause her poop lately has been very soft or at times like dark water! It's been a couple days now. She does also pick on a lot of weeds and greens, but this is no different than before.

When she wakes up in the mornings she squawks croakily like mad and does the 'chicken song'. (This started about a week ago) The squawking sounds like she's distressed though. There no predators or anything around so nothing for her to be scared of.
I let her sleep in the house last night wondering if it was her enclosure but the same noises this morning. She actually didn't even get off her sleeping nook and roam around the house for a good while until I picked her up off it.. when before, as soon as she awoke she would roam and crap everywhere

She's also recently started lifting her blades and stomping the ground when I try pick her up or pet her. But she only does it with me. I thought she was acting scared of me but had no idea why, but thanks to another thread it seems quite normal? And that it's basically her recognising me as her owner.

I just want her as healthy and happy as can be! She's like my child! Haha. She has the most adorable and unique character. She will do this crazy side walk dance / jump around in a circle... Hahaha! I can't explain it but it's just too funny and cute!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks

I've attached a pic of when I first got her and one from about a month ago.

 

[Smileybans]

My neighbour feeds her wild bird seeds which she loves!! Definitely seems to prefer it. How is this for her? I don't know if I should get some and mix it with the layer pellets cause she's been going to my neighbour more to get that

Wild bird seed is okay as a treat, to my understanding. But I don’t think it has the right nutrients for chickens. So mixing it into her feed might not be beneficial. I also believe layer pellets are for birds who are currently laying. But maybe someone else can weigh in on that and help you more.
Her poop might also just be normal. The range of normal for chicken poo is so wide.
This link has helped me out a lot. I just started keeping chickens so when my guys poop changed in the first month of having him I freaked. But this calmed me down.
https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Welcome from New Orleans. I don't know how old your chicken is, with that said, the chicken should be eating food made for it's age group and free range picking. I would lay off the treats for the most part, as this is really just chicken junk food. A little is okay, a lot is not.
You may also want to look into getting a couple of friends for your chicken, as they are flock animals and can get lonely and depressed. Hope you enjoy your time here, we are glad you decided to join.

 

[Callender Girl]

I think the guidelines and rules for feeding can be quite confusing. However, if Kiki (who's adorable) was my chick, I probably wouldn't feed her layer feed until she's laying. Having said that, when I didn't know much about chickens ALL of mine had layer pellets all the time, and everyone grew up okay. That could have been pure, dumb luck; I'm still far from an expert. When I later got chicks, I fed a starter/grower until they were adults.

I now feed an all-flock feed during the months that they aren't laying and save the layer pellets for the rest of the year. Birdseed isn't really nutritionally mixed for chickens; I believe it's like feeding them scratch grain -- it's okay in Very Small Amounts, but it would be like giving them candy for lunch.

As far as the combs and wattles, some of my breeds, especially those that do best in frigid weather, have very small combs, which makes them less susceptible to frostbite. Maybe Kiki's comb and wattles won't grow larger. It's okay.

You will likely hear that you need to get other chickens so she won't be lonely. Generally, that's true. I have a "house" chicken, a single chick who had to grow up alone, and Dottie has no interest in the other birds when she free ranges with them during the day (it appears you live somewhere with winter greenery; here, it's too cold for Dottie to go outside until spring). She will, however, lie down on top of me, along with the dog and the cat. I don't think she's unhappy or maladjusted; she's found her own flock.

You have come to a great place to learn how to best care for your girl. Welcome to you and your beloved Kiki!