Rescue Chicken. New to all this, many questions. Pix.

skiffdank

Hatching
7 Years
Sep 4, 2012
7
1
9
Hello all, before my post let me state that I've done some searching and research but am all very new to this.

On Saturday I brought home a rescue chicken. I believe it is quite young, but do not know for sure. Perhaps you can help me out with that? Also, sex? It's relatively friendly, and I believe it now looks to me as a "mother" or "flock leader" or something like that. The first few nights it spent in my garage but Monday I constructed (poorly) a coop for it outside where it spends the night. During the day I let it out, it seems to just hang out in my garage all day. I can pick it up and carry it outside when I'm out working and it will peck around in tall grass/weeds area next to my garage or barn and be content so long as I'm nearby. If I wonder off too far or too long it makes what I assume are upset noises. If I'm nearby it's very talkative. At night, it's even less independent. It wants to sleep in my lap, and makes what I think are "lovey" noises, it lets me pet it, stroke its feathers, beak, and flies up into my lap whether I'm sitting or not. I went to a feed store and got some Wazine 17 for its water, and some medicated chick feed. It's been getting freeze dried meal worms as a treat. I'd like to know what sex it is, and if there's additional nutritional requirements I may not be meeting for it. I can't get it to take a proper bath and I know it's dirty. I put a few inches of water in a container and set him/her in the water and it immediately gets out. My wife is bringing home a spray bottle so I can mist it at least, but I'd really like it to take a bath. It's going to stop letting me pick it up if every time I do so it gets dunked in some water, so I could use some advice on this. It has taken a "dirt bath" in some mulch beneath a weedy flowerbed but this seems counter-productive. So, how can I get this chicken to stay outside more? I like having fewer crickets in my garage but I need him/her to stay outside, at least more than it is now. Should I use this Wazine continually? Is the antibiotic (Amprolium) in the chick feed okay for the fella? Does it need anything beside chick feed? Is it too old for chick feed? I know two others with chickens, one said it was too young and small to be with his hens yet, and he wasn't sure of the sex. It doesn't crow or balk yet, just tweets like a song bird, especially when it's happy. I'm not interested in eggs or meat, I just want him to live happy.



Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you
















 
Your story truly warms my heart. :) He is absolutely beautiful! I've just started out after 15 years raising chicks myself, so if it were me? I'd give him grower feed.im sure there is nothing wrong with feeding the food you are providing. He is already feathered out so thats why I suggest Grower feed. Hoping a more experienced person that knows about feeding will help you out with that question. Just about any left overs you have I would offer as a treat. Many tell me an option is yogurt, any kind with some of the feed in it. They love it. I've never thought of bathing a chicken, there for I wouldnt know how to answer that one. If you could construct a small pen out side the coop you built. He would be happy. My coop was built out of scrap wood. The pen is also out of scrap wire, just until I can get better building materials. He is attached to you?? He doesnt want to be alone. This is sooo sweet. :D There are many people here that will help give you advice. Just watch and see. I'm sorry I'm not much help, but after reading your story, I just had to respond. Good for you! Pats on the back :)
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I am no expert by any means and I hope someone will correct me if I am wrong but I will tell what I think, it looks like a game hen to me but it could be just too young to have the long curled tail feathers of a Roo. I agree with Chukarbuds I would have it on grower feed but there is nothing wrong with using up what you have bought first then switching unless it suddenly starts to lay then it will need something more like shell grit and layer feed.
Chickens are and need a flock bird, they don't like to be on their own so if you want it to stay out more, firstly a pen would help and also a couple more chickens.
As for bathing, unless it is a house Chicken I really wouldn't bother, they take dust baths to help keep parasites down (that doent mean to say it has mites) its just their way of keeping their feathers and skin healthy, if it does have mites then you will need to get some powder to dust over her, by the way it is not a natural thing for them to take a bath in water and from what i have read here on BYC if put in water that is to deep they can drowned as their feathers aren't water proof like a ducks and can become water logged.
Hope that helps some, good luck, you have a very beautiful chicken there. :)
 
You got me! But it is a beautiful bird! Love the markings! You have a new friend! I had to wait until my girls either crowed or laid eggs! Nobody has crowed yet but we have been getting lots of eggs! My suggestion to you is if you want him/her to become more independent get them a friend! Or a couple, Chickens don' t like to be alone. I have always been told you have to have 2-3 to keep them from being lonely. Good luck Build it or them a predator proof coop and run. Keep them safe!
 
He/She is lovely!!! And like what has already been posted, it will probably be happier with a chicken friend. Then it will probably be more likely to do chicken things. Good on you for taking it in.
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Looks like it is doing fine.
 
A sincere thank you to everyone.

Your answers and website have provided me with much information.
It was slightly easier to put the little guy in his coop for the night, but it's the third time he had to sleep outside in it. Hopefully it continues to get easier.
I spread out a mix of suet and oats today for him to scratch around in, but so far after letting him out this morning he's still just staying in my garage. I may get a small ball or few bird toys while I'm out today to interact with him/her more. I want him/her to play and move around more so as to build muscle and get bigger. I'll get some grower feed this weekend and something to dust for mites or fleas. I'd been handing treats over to it since I brought him home and it surprised me how gentle it is, yesterday I fed it from the palm of my hand and he/she was as gentle and precise as could be. He/she has never shown any aggression towards me, even in uncomfortable situations like putting him/her in the coop for the night or my attempts to wash the bird. Which is awesome! What brand or kind of food would you recommend? And I know little about amounts, so far I'm making sure it has access to the chick feed at all times day/night. I'm concerned though that it's only eating when I'm holding the bowl up offering it, I don't know though as I can't watch it 24/7. When I'm out he gets grasshoppers and who knows what else in the yard so maybe that's making up for it not eating a whole lot. I'm using roughly a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the chick feed per day, and toss the uneaten portion on the ground in the coop, and there's a good amount spilled on my garage floor from the bird picking through it. As for getting another bird it's out of the question, for now. My wife is just now getting over the fact that I brought one home in the first place. If it continues to go as good as it is now, if I'm ever again in a situation to rescue a random bird she may be more understanding. I don't want it to be upset or lonely, when it's large enough to go live with other chickens I guess I'll have to let it go be happy. If it continues its' attachment to me though I'm definitely going to have to work out visitation issues or get a heater in my barn. The bird loves bikes! He perches right on the handlebars like he belongs there, I'm tempted to bring him with me to a race on the 14'th.... but don't want to stress it out. My wife won't touch it or let it out of the coop, and with her refusing to handle it, I don't think she could be successful putting him/her the coop at night which means it would be stuck in a 5'x3'x3' coop the whole weekend. I don't know which would stress it out worse. I'd hate to come home and have an angry caged chicken that doesn't like me or let me handle it anymore. Suggestions??

THANKS!!
 
My thoughts are this. If you honestly plan on keeping this chicken and your wife doesn't want anything to do with it, id first off most definitely not go to the races this weekend and make time to build an out door enclosure attached to the coop. Don't you think it would be kinda mean to keep it in the coop all day? well, then again, in the winter on really cold days the chick might stay in all day, but like the others said. they aren't independent and need others for company. The way you speak about him is awesome. He's attached to you. Just as any other pet, they need attention, company and a safe place to live. He seems like a great chicken, friendlier than my 3 lol. Any feed store will show you the grower feeds they offer. I think the right thing to do, is make the chicken #1 till you find it another home. The same as with any other pet we rescue. :) If that's the route you take :) Please keep us updated? Good luck and have fun
 
Thanks! It now has a dog house within the wire coop I built beside the barn. The wife is getting better but we're yet to make a decision on this weekend. If it comes, it wouldn't be cooped all day, it will have a nice 8'x16' enclosed trailer to play around in all day in our pit area and will be free to come out between rounds and each evening to peck around as much as it will want. Not racing is not an option, whatever happens I'll make sure the chicken is cared for. Thanks again.
My thoughts are this. If you honestly plan on keeping this chicken and your wife doesn't want anything to do with it, id first off most definitely not go to the races this weekend and make time to build an out door enclosure attached to the coop. Don't you think it would be kinda mean to keep it in the coop all day? well, then again, in the winter on really cold days the chick might stay in all day, but like the others said. they aren't independent and need others for company. The way you speak about him is awesome. He's attached to you. Just as any other pet, they need attention, company and a safe place to live. He seems like a great chicken, friendlier than my 3 lol. Any feed store will show you the grower feeds they offer. I think the right thing to do, is make the chicken #1 till you find it another home. The same as with any other pet we rescue. :) If that's the route you take :) Please keep us updated? Good luck and have fun
 
Great looking little Rooster you have there! At least that's what 'it' looks like to me. I don't have any experience with
'game birds' but I do raise Heritage Breed Barred Rocks, Welsummers and Ameraucanas & Easter Eggers so I do have
quite a bit of chicken gender identification experience.

If you already covered this and I missed it - pardon me but where did you get the 'little guy'? Most of us come across the
paths of four legged strays we rescue but the lost chicken? Rarely.

Chickens are indeed flock animals and he will be the happiest if he is soon around more of his 'own kind', especially the female variety as young roos often fight.

Are you able to keep chickens where you live? He will be very loud when he begins to try his vocal cords at crowing.

Be careful when you try to 'rehome' him as many people take roosters so they can use them as meat birds.

Please take this comment 'tongue in cheek' but I have to really wonder about a woman who could
be so 'dead set against' something as adorable, amusing, interesting and dependent on you for care as your little Roo. In your situation I might be tempted to keep the bird and ditch the wife
( just kidding of course!!!!!!!!! )
 
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All that bird needs is some type of chicken grower. Please don't give it any more antibiotics, etc. It does not appear ill, if you're not ill you don't need antibiotics. Please do not bathe the bird. They are not ment to get wet. Nature designed them to keep themselves clean by dust bathing and preening. This keeps mites, etc away. That bird will never get much larger, it's a game type bird and looks young-ish but won't get much bigger. Feed it treats if you want be realize it won't starve if it has to eat regular chicken food. Get it a couple of hens to keep it company.
 

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