Rescuing neglected chickens...help!

[77horses]

It sounds like they were calm and rather enjoyed the handling during treatments.
Sooooo much nicer than screaming and flapping.



It will be interesting to see what color eggs you get. They are cool looking birds.

Oh yes, I was expecting a lot of screaming and flapping upon hearing that they weren’t very tamed. But I think with the shock of traveling and the overall lethargy from not getting enough food and water prior to arrival, they were a bit more calm. I also brought them inside, kept the lights relatively dim, gave them time to adjust a bit and tempted them with plenty of treats to gain some trust. So I think that helped to make them as relaxed as they could be. I really do think they enjoyed their “spa day” lol

 

[77horses]

The only thing I would adjust on this is to give the girls a dusting with a good lice & mite treatment (not DE, that's for dust baths) BEFORE putting them in their travel cage and your vehicle. They'll already be stressed as you catch them, and they're probably weak enough to be manageable (haha, I know!) so do it right away to avoid sharing the pets at home. A good dust bath in the corner of your shed would help, too. After the conditions they've been living in, they'll probably think it's a spa!

I gave them a good dusting with some permethrin poultry dust as soon as I brought them home, before they went into the coop. Fortunately, I didn’t see any visible lice eggs when I inspected them, so if they did have any it must’ve been a pretty minor infestation, thankfully!

 

[77horses]

Can you maybe get a closer picture of the legs and feet the next time you treat for the scaly leg mites? I’d be interested to see what it looks like in a feathered footed chicken... I have 4 chickens with light leg and foot feathering, and noticed their scales seem naturally a little more raised. I’m almost certain they are mite free, but I have been treating some scaly leg mites in our older chickens here, which got me to thinking about how I would treat my feathered legs if they got it!

Glad they are liking their pedicures! Such lucky chickens...

I’ll definitely get closer pictures of their feet with a get the chance! Thanks!

 

[77horses]

Yes it sounds odd I had to look it up to see where I read it, here's the thread, it was @Texas Kiki perhaps she can confirm?!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...everything-please-help.1253034/#post-20108652
edited to add: Here is another thread which mentions using cooking oil spray - but only effective on mild cases - @RodNTN
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/possible-scaly-leg.1252002/#post-20086355

The more options you are aware of the better, informed decisions - what it's all about!

Thank you for sharing this info!

 

[mrskenmore]

What a wonderful story/post! Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for rescuing them to help the girls and to help the original owners and co worker.

As for taming/training them once they get settled- I have found that mealworms along with a signature call (girls! or chick chick chick) along with shaking the bag/container works relatively quickly. I can even get the flightiest of girls half way across the yard by shaking the container and yelling girls.. The key part to taming chickens is lots of patience- but you will get there and it will pay off.

Thanks for documenting every step of your journey this week- your coop looks amazing and I love your sign! Cheers to their new chicken coop and life with you and your family!

 

[RodNTN]

So glad they're in good shape! They're very beautiful, especially the Amercauana mixes
You're doing a wonderful thing!

 

[PollyGirl21]

Bless you!

I'm so glad your girls are in better shape than expected! They are sooo pretty!