rescued chicken :)

[Kulukan]

Hi everyone

I work at a pet fish store and a woman brought in a young chicken today that she had originally bought to feed her snake. The snake would not eat the baby and it eventually grew up into what you see below. She was desperate to get rid of it and wanted to make a trade for some frozen food. We really have no use at the shop for a chicken so my manager refused. I was worried at what this woman would do with the poor little thing, so I gave her $4 (what she originally paid for the chick at a feed store) and brought it home with me in its cardboard box. This video is from when I first brought her (I hope) home and her living conditions are greatly improved now

She will be going to live with a friend of mine who keeps chickens in a couple of days. I normally don't make a habit of taking in animals that I'm not at all prepared to care for, but I figured I could provide something better than what she was going back to.

I am going to go to the feed store for some real chicken food tomorrow (I gave her veggies and grass and dandelions and bugs today on the advice of my mother). If you have any suggestions on how to make her brief stay with me more comfortable I would love to hear them. I realize that I don't know what I'm doing and am not prepared so please be kind.

The woman claimed that shes a Rhode Island Red. I have no idea what the sex is but I really, really hope its a female. I am already horrible attached to her and have voiced my request for a chicken coop

http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/edema/?action=view&current=VID_20110811_182145.mp4

if this video is not helpful then I can take more pictures tomorrow. I don't want to wake her up.

 

[Firefighter Chick]

stab in the dark, speckled sussex

 

[dianaross77]

Looks like a Rhode Island Red to me. What you're feeding her is fine in a pinch. You could also give her some boiled or scrambled egg. My girls love handfulls of grass. She does need some grit, though. Any tiny rocks/sand you can find in the yard will work. Chickens need the rocks to grind up food that isn't chicken feed. Don't worry too much about her temporary accommodations, it beats being snake food!

 

[Kulukan]

I will do a much better photoshoot tomorrow

she is already much friendlier and less skittish than when I first brought her home so hopefully she will cooperate. I have no experience with chickens that aren't entirely tame and I'm afraid of letting her loose in my house or little yard - I don't know how I would catch her again. But perhaps I can engineer a way to get good pictures.

 

[dianaross77]

The video was just fine. She seems content and chatty. I'm not surprised she's warming up to you quickly, you're the person with food! As far as the sex, it's still early. Just be on the look out for a reddening comb. Females' combs and wattles don't redden until they are about to start laying (4+ months old) but the roosters combs will grow fast and get red early.

 

[Kulukan]

thank you for your replies

I guess chickens aren't too dissimilar from my goldfish in their capability to love me for the food that I bring

would more pictures be of any help or is it just too early to really tell the gender? I guess that knowing won't really make a difference in the long run, but I might need to find her a different home if its not a lady.

 

[Kulukan]

So after a brief release in my house on a towel I realized that this little chicken had no desire to run away and actually just wanted to follow me around. So we went outside. I tried to get some good pictures of her but had a hard time getting far enough away! lol and I was worried about catching her again. I am totally in love with this little thing but wouldn't even know where to start with what I would need to keep her, at least I know shes going to a great home.

Heres a few pictures in case the video didn't tickle your fancy

 

[dretd]

Awww, she's so cute! You did good to take her and get her a new home. I have always had moral problems feeding snakes perfectly healthy mammals and birds, but thats just me.

although you may not stay and play if you are re-homing her. Maybe now that you have a taste of how adorable chickens can be, you may look in to getting some of your own (provided your area allows it, of course).

Although it is hard to guess roo/hen at this age (what-maybe 3 weeks?) the comb is still really small and no color so I am going with girl. You are doing great with the food and you can also take cat food and break it in to crumbles in a pinch.

 

[Kulukan]

I have a friend that might be able to hook me up with a little chicken hutch. But I guess my main concern is what it costs to feed and house a chicken over the course of a year. I don't have a clue how much anything costs and if I can manage to leave my house at a decent time before I have to work I will try to stop by a feed store. My mother has 6 hens that I absolutely adore, and I have wanted chickens for a while and this cute little thing just landed in my lap. Once I figure out the cost (or if you could give me a guess) I will be able to make the decision to keep her or giver her to my friend.

I have no idea how old she is, my mother guessed about a month. I doubt the snake lady had her for too awful long.

 

[DancingHen]

She does look like a rhode Island Red from a feed store. I have several close to her age at the moment. She looks good, and happy to be with you. I find that as pets go chickens are on the cheaper side to keep. Definately less expensive than my dogs. If you buy chicken feed in large 50 lb bags it is pretty affordable. If you supplement their feed with grass, dandelions, bugs, worms, veggie scraps and kitchen leftovers it costs even less to feed them. Just be sure they get enough actual chicken feed to keep their nutrients balanced. If you do decide to keep her she would probably benefit from having at least one other chicken friend. Chickens are very social creatures. If you kept her and added a friend try to find one close to the same age. Younger chickens are easier to introduce to each other than older hens. I'm sure if you browse around this forum long enough (and post any questions you have) you'll find all the info you need to take great care of her. If you do rehome her, you still gave her a better chance at a happy life than where she came from.

Good luck.