Hope I'm using the reply/post threads correctly...Seems this one might be better on a different forum than the welcome new members forum.
Two days ago I had to add water to the chicken's water bowl from over the fence as it was empty at midday. Yesterday, I called the house and spoke to I'm guessing one of the facility caregivers. (These people run an elder care home and usually it is the caregivers who are in charge of chicken care. ) I told her it looks like they forgot to let out the chickens. She was busy and said she'd tell the owners, who she said weren't home. She said she would try to deal with the chickens if she had time but she was busy with clients.
A little while later I checked on the birds and saw the handyman over there spreading the crushed granite that was laid over the chicken's coop area. He said the owner doesn't plan to add dirt over the rock. So the chickens' ability to take dust baths and peck and scratch is 0, never mind walk with any ease. When I spoke to him it was 2pm and the chickens were still locked inside their coop house, talking and seemingly wanting to get out. I guess this isn't necessarily bad if the coop is large and clean and they never expect to get outside... (I wouldn't keep them inside...) But these chickens do go out, intermittently. So after some time of talking to my new friend Jose I convinced him to open the cage door and put them on the ground. They won't walk down the plank as it is very narrow. Much more so than even the width of their legs so they don't like to use it. And the one with the amputated middle toe definitely can't get down. And they wouldn't jump and flap to the ground. When Jose opened the door, I saw they had no food or water in the coop house. Not such a big deal foodwise except it was 2 in the afternoon. When they got out they ran to the water bowl I had filled the day before and drank and drank. Their food bowl was also empty of feed except the hulls of the day before's food. I went inside and chopped up fresh kale and added sunflower seeds and poured it over the fence into their bowl (mostly...) and they pecked at that hungrily. They were put inside the coop hours before the sun set. Only had a couple hours outside. Last night a giant bright light (bulb is probably 6 inches across and maybe 2 feet above the floor of the coop, that apparently has replaced the red one they used all winter was again on all night. The night before there was no light. The night before that there was a light. Now today I checked on them, 9:30 am. Their door was open and they were inside looking out the door. Light on, btw. I just checked on them again and they haven't jumped out of the coop. The one I saw had her eye half closed and the other 2 were quiet in there. Maybe they're trying to sleep? They have severely inconsistent care. Fed all times of the day and night, or not fed at all, all day. Sometimes get outside, sometimes not. Lights on, lights off....
I've been trying to figure out how to help these girls in a way that won't result in a restraining order being put on me. So I thought maybe ask others in the neighborhood who have chickens if they can help. Get the hen community involved. I knocked on the door of another neighbor who also has chickens a couple doors down from me and my nemesis neighbors. He said he'd talk to our mutual neighbor who lives just next door to the people I'm trying to work with. Apparently she has known them for years and is also an animal-cause person. So maybe some peer pressure and additional eyes will do some good.
Any information about chicken care that will alleviate my concerns is greatly appreciated. I've looked online and see conflicting information regarding feeding, night lights, etc. Seems the owner's philosophy and purpose for keeping chickens plays a big part in what people decide is proper and humane care.
