Picked up new chickens tonight, need advice...

[CatKai]

Not sure this is the right place to post, it seemed to be the most appropriate I guess... I went tonight and picked up 12 chickens I have been working on getting this week. I wanted 4 to start with and ended up taking all 12 of them. Some advertised as Araucana, I did not expect that to be what I found... They are either Ameraucana or Easter Eggers. I will post pics when I get them... Poor girls, some have almost no feathers on their heads/faces and some none on their necks, they look beat up. A very slight place with slight ear muffs but all have naked / nearly naked necks. They were in a small coop (no ventilation) with a small run, no nest boxes (laid in holes in the dirt) and roosts not far off the ground. One has crippled toes and the are all pretty wild. There are 9 of those, 3 Cuckoo Marans (1 has smooth spurs) and their faces/heads/necks are in good shape. There were 3 Welsummer's that were so so on the feathers, a friend of mine took them. Another friend will be taking 1 of the CM and 2 or 3 of the others. I am guessing that the cramped conditions led to some picking at each other. They are a little over 1 year old, will they figure out the nest boxes? I was hoping to be able to put them in them to give the idea but these girls are just about as wild as they can be.

Kim

 

[easttxchick]

First off-bless you for rescuing the poor things.
You could try sticking a few eggs in the nest boxes to give them an idea of what they are for. Might work.

I would boost their protein to help them with their feather regrowth as well.
Give them LOTS of good treats and I bet they will soon tame right down for you-they'll love being spoiled after living in awful conditions.

 

[fargosmom]

Try putting golf balls in the nest boxes so you can just leave them there all the time. They'll serve as decoy eggs to get the girls on the right track, once they settle in and start getting to work. Kudos for getting them out of purgatory!!

 

[dawg53]

In addition what others have stated, I recommend you visually inspect them for lice/mites and any other issues they might have. Do you know their worming history? If not, it's something else to consider. I commend you for your caring and kindness for taking on this daunting task.

 

[Mahonri]

God bless you.

Look at the feet and legs for scaly leg mites. I spray mine with Pam to keep them away.

 

[CatKai]

Thanks everyone

I looked at each one under a good light (they freeze once you catch them) as I took them out of the crates one by one. I did not see anything obvious right then so I am hoping there are no skin critters... I had told the friends that took the 3 Welsummer's and the friends that are taking the others that I would not get them if they looked horrible. I hope they don't get mad when they see them in the light today

Weight is good on all of them, was told they had been wormed last a few months ago. I use the acv (w/ the mother) in my other chickens water and these will get that as well. Mine I already had just about knock me down when I go out to see them and get a treat of some kind everyday. It was sad to see all these new ones running scared. I really think the cramped conditions and coop with no ventilation (it's hot and humid here right now, has been for a bit) is all it is. It's odd that the CM don't have the same issue that the others do but maybe they are the more aggressive of them all? They did give me the most fight when I took them out of the crates. Best thing I guess I can say is the area they were in was clean and did not smell bad. Just not what I would call the right set up...

Thanks for the advise and kind words

Was this the right section to post in on this situation? I will add pictures as soon as I get them. I put them all up to roost last night after I looked them over. Will go back out when it's enough daylight

Thanks
Kim

 

[Lbrad7]

First thing I would do is contact your local authorities. There is NO excuse for those birds being treated like that!

Thank God for people like you who care enough to take on this kind of challenge.

Everyone has given you great advise so far...if you follow it, and provide them with a clean living area they should be fine.

Good luck!

 

[Keri78]

What a sweet person you are!

I'm sure you'll have those girls big Fluffy and fully recovered & SPOILED ROTTEN!!! In no time flat!

 

[CatKai]

Well they did fine last night, they were so stressed I was not sure about that... In the day light there are a few that are not as bad off in the neck/face area and those pick some at those bad looking ones. The worst looking ones are the hardest to get close to, did not get pics of those so of these, they are in much better shape... I didn't want to terrorize them by trying to get close enough to get a real clear picture. Overall they just look ratty and worn out on their backs and neck on up. The worst ones literally have slick necks in the front and thin the rest of the way around. I might try to take pics tonight with a light on while they are roosting, I want to be sure to have pics on hand that they looked like this when I got them. Also to have before and after pics... I made the mistake of asking a few questions of the seller last night after I looked them over, that didn't go well so I am just going to leave that alone. I am going to say the CM are very poor quality (1 is washed out and all have a slight green sheen here and there) and that the others are EE's. I expect them all to settle in well and turn into happy spoiled girls just like my others

On contacting anyone about where they came from, at least here in the rural areas, no one will do anything about it. I have been down that road before and it was a waste of time, we don't have local animal control and the county says they have a list a mile long. At least these girls are going to be ok...

All are eating/drinking this morning so we are off to a good start

Thanks very much to you all

Kim

The top left egg is from 1 of the new girls this morning, the other 2 are from mine that I have had a while. Egg color on the new is very different. Almost has a slight olive tint to it.

 

[TyrannosaurusChix]

ive heard of olive eggers before.


i dont know if its causei dont have my glasses on but they dont look TOO bad in your pics( i didnt see if i could click to enlarge though)

I myself "rescued" about 28 red star hens that looked totally horrible, some slightly crooked beaks, dirty, ground dwellers, missing feathers- skin cralies and leg mites. one was egg bound and ended up dying and another died from the cold they had when they showed up. i gave everyone antibiotics and scrambled eggs and they grew a lot of feathers back. Ive found homes for 23 of them.. im keeping three.


in all honesty i should have walked away when i seen them, but as you have already proved that you know- you cant just leave an animal that needs your help! kudos to you.

They will learn to roost. at the time i got rid of the last 13, only two were "ground sleepers" at night.