Newly Found Chicken

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TJK712

TJK712

Hatching
5 Years
Joined
May 20, 2014
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Hello Everyone,

My name is TJ and my wife's name is Erin. We have two boys ( 6 and 7 years old) and a dog. We live out in the country in NW PA although our farm house is along a main road.

I came across BYC when doing some research for stray chicken that showed up at our house a couple of weeks ago. We had talked about chickens for some time, but never previously had any. After a week went past, nobody claiming the chicken (and she stayed in our yard), and two boys begging to keep her, we caved.

My avatar is a picture of her. Any ideas on the breed/age of this chicken? The boys have named her (hopefully a her, LOL!) Sugar.

So needless to say, I have been scrambling to do research and learn as much as I can on the care of chickens. I fashioned a make-shift coop out of a doghouse (I elevated it) and large unused dog kennel that was here when we moved in. I purchased layers pellets, scratch, grit, and oyster shell, a feeder, and a drinker after reading on BYC.

She spent the first few nights out in the rain and cold (I could not catch her and she was very skittish). After three nights, I caught her and put her in the coop with a dim night light. Now I cannot hardly get her out of the coop. She spends 20-22 hours in the coop and comes out only for a little water and scratch (I put her feed, grit, and oyster in the coop). She seems to be eating some layers pellets and scratch, but will not touch people food (fruit/veggies). She would only feed on grass at first.

Her comb is very pale. She has not laid any eggs yet. Combined with the lethargy, I am a little concerned about her overall health although her feathers appear much better than when we first found her. Her poo seems normal (no worms, etc) based on other threads on BYC. Any input would be appreciated!

Once we get her acclimated, I intend to build a proper coop and add to our flock.

Thanks BYC and members for the wealth of information!

I appreciate it! ~TJ





 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Poor girl, it looks like you are really taking good care of her. She looks like a White Leghorn. They are normally really active birds so the lethargy is definitely concerning. From the pictures it also looks like she may have been debeaked or there is something not quite right with it, in person does it look like one or more ends of her beak have been clipped? If so, she maybe used to eating mash, and make sure she has a deep food dish. You probably want to post on the Emergencies forum about her www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures Have you given her a really good physical exam if you see any injuries etc? Does her breathing sound normal, no coughing or sneezing, does her vent look clean? No real way to guess age, she doesn't look that old since she doesn't have much comb/wattle, and if she is young they would be paler.
 
Welcome! A stray chicken. he he My son was in the middle of town in a large parking lot and what was hanging around in the parking lot? A chicken. He tried to lure it but no luck. He even drove around to see if he could find someone that had a coop close by with no luck. Went back and the chicken was gone. Hopefully it went home or found a home.

That does look like a younger chicken. Maybe not laying yet. The beak does look to be clipped. Maybe it came from a chicken farm/fell out of the truck? I think large scale farms usually have beaks done so they don't have less chickens lost to pecking damage. A local turkey farmer does that.
I wonder if it feels alone since it's flock is just itself? It would be quite a shock to go from a large brooder house with hundreds of chickens to just by itself. Maybe it would act different with some buddies running around but I would still look it over health wise real good. An old man told me to always look at their poo to see if they are healthy. It can be a good indicator. This is the same old man that told me the joke of "you know what that white stuff is in chicken poo?" Me - No What? him - "poo"
 
images


Welcome to BYC!

Poor bird. Yes, the clipped beak maybe preventing her from eating properly. And she may not be of laying age just yet. I would try to tame her down a bit and maybe this will help her. She is no doubt very stressed and scared. I would let her stay in the coop if that is where she is most comfortable. Allow her to decide where she wants to be. I would go sit with her every day to help bond with her. Bring some treats with you as food is a good bonding agent. Maybe over time she will warm up to you. But for now, I wouldn't try to catch or chase her just yet. Let her adjust to you and her surroundings.

Good luck with this bird and I hope she eventually knows how good she has it. :-)
 
She probably has never been on grass before or seen actual sunlight - all of that may be spooking her. I think she will settle down when she sees no harm is coming to her. I'm sure she is confused that she is the only chicken now, and your dog house probably seems enormous to her.Chickens like her are usually crammed into small crates with several other chickens .
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome and thoughts! In response to Kelsie2290, it does look as though there is something wrong with her beak. Upon closer inspection, I believe both top and bottom may have been clipped. I took a couple of more pics today. As for the rest - breathing ok. No coughing, sneezing, and vent looks ok to my untrained eye. There is pretty good injury to her foot but it appears to be healing and scabbed over. She is standing on one foot less and less and seemed to come out of the coop a little more than yesterday. I will definitely switch to a deeper dish. Thanks!

Love the joke B-Goock!

Thanks for the help TwoCrows and drumstick diva, and thanks for the welcome gander007!


 
TJK712 said:
Hello Everyone,

My name is TJ and my wife's name is Erin. We have two boys ( 6 and 7 years old) and a dog. We live out in the country in NW PA although our farm house is along a main road.

I came across BYC when doing some research for stray chicken that showed up at our house a couple of weeks ago. We had talked about chickens for some time, but never previously had any. After a week went past, nobody claiming the chicken (and she stayed in our yard), and two boys begging to keep her, we caved.

My avatar is a picture of her. Any ideas on the breed/age of this chicken? The boys have named her (hopefully a her, LOL!) Sugar.

So needless to say, I have been scrambling to do research and learn as much as I can on the care of chickens. I fashioned a make-shift coop out of a doghouse (I elevated it) and large unused dog kennel that was here when we moved in. I purchased layers pellets, scratch, grit, and oyster shell, a feeder, and a drinker after reading on BYC.

She spent the first few nights out in the rain and cold (I could not catch her and she was very skittish). After three nights, I caught her and put her in the coop with a dim night light. Now I cannot hardly get her out of the coop. She spends 20-22 hours in the coop and comes out only for a little water and scratch (I put her feed, grit, and oyster in the coop). She seems to be eating some layers pellets and scratch, but will not touch people food (fruit/veggies). She would only feed on grass at first.

Her comb is very pale. She has not laid any eggs yet. Combined with the lethargy, I am a little concerned about her overall health although her feathers appear much better than when we first found her. Her poo seems normal (no worms, etc) based on other threads on BYC. Any input would be appreciated!

Once we get her acclimated, I intend to build a proper coop and add to our flock.

Thanks BYC and members for the wealth of information!

I appreciate it! ~TJ





Click to expand...

I had 3 hens and a coon killed 2 and got hold of the third before I let my dog out. The third one survived but act like you described until I got her a couple of friends. Chickens love company.
 

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