PICTURES ADDED "Rescued" 2 white Silkie chicks today

[suzpyoung]

8/2/09 - I created a profile page and put the pictures of the chicks there.

I was looking on Craigslist hoping by chance to find a Silkie pullet or hen and came across an ad for 2 white chicks. In contacting the gal I realized she lives in the city in a neighborhood I grew up in - no big deal, keeping chickens in the city is kind of a fad now. However, when I got there, this is what I saw:

She has ducks and turkeys in a dog run in her backyard - not sure how many, not that big of deal I guess. BUT, she has plastic tote after tote with various ages and breeds of peacocks/chicks/turkeys living in them (some mixed together) in the living room, dining room, kitchen. Those are the only rooms I saw, and again not sure how many "totes" there were. She told me she has 100 birds, most of which are in the house. I heard a loud call, asked what it was, and she said she has a Peacock living in her basement (don't know what else is down there). I wouldn't have purchased the Silkies because they both look like roosters to me (I know, really too early to tell - she says she thinks they hatched the beginning of June) but I felt like I had to get them out of there - they absolutely are filthy dirty, especially their heads and feet. One of the totes I looked into, the chicks were in absolute filth. I gently mentioned it to her and she said it gets like that in one day. She was nice but seemed anxious to get rid of me right after that.

What, if anything, should I do? And is it safe or a good idea to bathe the two chicks I got?

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Quarentine the chicks you have for a while. Bathe them if you want.

If it is tugging on your heart then by all means call the health dept. or humane society. Someone will have to go out and take a look and then if they find she is in violation of anything they will take action or not....if there isn't anything wrong with what she is doing at least you will feel better knowing you made sure....not everyone keeps their cleanliness at the same standards as others.


...a plastic tote?

 

[shay20]

Quote:
Yes You ca n bath the 2 chicks that you got. Bath them in the bathroom with no breeze and it should be warm. You can use Dawn dish liquid to bath with. And then you can blow dry them, not to close as they can burn easy. And them keep them in a warm area.

Wow sorry that you has to witness that. ME? I would have wanted to take them all from her and give them a proper home. (Yea like that what i need right now.)

I am soory i cant reallygive any addvice on what to do in that situation.
Some one here should have better info.

 

[kagedgoddess]

sounds like a chick mill

 

[insiderart]

Like the person before me said, I would call animal control. If she's in violation they'll take care of it, if not at least you tried.

I feel no compunction against calling animal control on people. We as humans have a duty to help animals we see in distress.

 

[M To The Maxx]

You can bathe chicks. You should call the health department if it is that bad.

 

[kristen2678]

Call animal control right away. We rescued our dogs in much the same way. We are so glad we called the authorities. Our dogs needed medical treatment and so did their other animals. Please call.

 

[suzpyoung]

Quote:
Yes, the blue plastic storage totes. These Silkies obviously haven't really ever seen the light of day. I have them in a 48" x 24" guinea pig cage (much more floor space than they had) in my office, and they seem absolutely intrigued by their surroundings. They have a perch to sit on and a window to look out. The fear they initially had is quickly melting away right before my eyes.

I'll post pictures (hopefully before and after bath) later.

 

[cheryl98117]

If I was in your situation, I would call the humane society just to have them check on all those birds. A hundred birds of various breeds and ages throughout the house, in filthy conditions would be good cause for me to call. She may be a horder, she may even just be in way over her head, and not know where to turn for help.

Ive never dealt with this situation with farm birds, but I have with parots, other pet birds, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles... Do what your head tells you is right, and like others have said, if she is legal, there wont be any problems, but if something is actually wrong there, she will get help. But you never know.

Thank you for taking in those chicks, and dont feel guilty for not being able to take more. Your smart to only take in what you are able to care for. Give those babies a bath, lots of love, good food, a clean place to live, and they will repay you with lots of entertainment if nothing else.

I dont know if this helps in your desicion, but I hope whatever you do, helps you to not worry.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

Yes please call the ASPCA. Poor birds