Picked up new chickens tonight, need advice...

We rescued 10 black sex links some months ago that someone had 'dumped' off on our country road. They were missing feathers, mostly on their hind ends and were a little underweight but otherwise ok. DH got them in the night (in the pasture with snakes and who knows what else) and built a coop for them the next day. Their feathers are comming back in but really slowly. I'm not sure that they all will ever come back in.

They were very skittish at first but knew what bread was so we sat in a chair and fed them little pieces of bread to bring them closer and closer. Once they were eating around my feet, I held the bread in my hand in my lap and some eventually jumped on my lap for the bread. Now they will jump on my lap and sit for 20 or 30 seconds (with no treat) just to be up there. They still don't want us to touch them and thats OK.

They free range every day on their choice of 52 acres and sleep in a really nice coop every night. We integrated my 7 wk old buff orps and SLWs with them a few weeks ago and all are very happy. I'm sure yours will be too...
 
They seem to be very smart girls, I am glad they are here. Of the 2 eggs so far today, 1 was laid on the ground and I saw the other go into a nest box and leave a pretty blue/green egg! I wish I knew who laid the other color green one. Don't know that it has enough olive color to be an olive egger but it sure is different than my usual green and blue/green and in person has just enough olive to call it different. It is very slight on the olive color... By the end of the weekend I will have an idea what they all are laying
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. I am sure they don't look near as bad as they could, I have never seen chickens looking anything other than my own look. Next question is how long before I should put them with those I already have? The 2 best looking EE's and 1 of the CM are going to a friend this afternoon so I will end up keeping 6 and already have 16 between @ 3/4 and 8/9 months old.

Thank,
Kim
 
poor girls! it's so good of you to rescue them!! don't worry, though. put a few golfballs in the nest boxes and they'll figur them out
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. also, the missing feathers should grow back by their next molt. i had a hen in much worse condition (no thanks to the roosters) and she is almost entirly feathered out now since she molted.
 
The new girls are using the nest boxes with next to no help from me and doing well. Thanks very much to all for the advice!

Kim
 
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