Saipan Jungle Fowl or Hawk?

[RandomBirdLady]

So we found this little guy in our garden. We had been walking our Silkie girl and a new little chicken my dad asked us to raise. As we were coming into the house, we saw this bird run up to our garden, toward where we had been. We had our oldest daughter take our Silkie back inside, and my husband grabbed him. We thought maybe they belonged to our neighbors, who also have chickens. They said that he didn't belong to them.
We started noticing some distinctive differences. He can grip with his back toe/claw. He's super, super smart. Great at jumping, already alright with small distance flights. Already recognizes (after 1 day) that when we say "Petra", we're talking about him.
Forgive me, I'm new here. I'm new to birds. We've helped my dad out with his laying chickens, and our Silkie is an inside pet. I've lurked on these forums a lot because you guys are amazing and full of knowledge.
Friends on Facebook and my dad are all going back and forth. We seem to have narrowed it down to either a Saipan Jungle Fowl or a hawk.
He eats meat. Has a preference for it. He has a boo-boo on his back, and he had a pretty substantial sneeze yesterday. The sneeze has gotten a LOT better with food and water. He had baby chick food and was grateful for it. When we saw he might be a hawk or jungle fowl, we gave him some meat. He loves it. He also seems alright with grapes.
There didn't seem to be any momma bird around at all.
We'd love to help this little guy. We'd love to know what to do to keep him. He's a sweet, loving little guy. Loves our girls and us already. Loves being held, eats out of our hands... Just a total darling.


Pics:

 

[Pyxis]

He's a chicken of some sort. Not a saipan though because saipans do not have green legs. He's probably just a mixed breed.

All chickens like meat. Chickens even enjoy chicken. They find eggs very tasty too.

Check out the learning center for chick raising articles to learn how to care for him

 

[CascadiaRiver]

He's a chicken of some sort. Not a saipan though because saipans do not have green legs. He's probably just a mixed breed.

All chickens like meat. Chickens even enjoy chicken. They find eggs very tasty too.

Check out the learning center for chick raising articles to learn how to care for him

Agreed

 

[-Wirth-]

Can you take a picture of the head and beak from the side and a picture of the feet? The more pictures in natural light the better for help with identification

 

[eggbert420]

If that was a hawk you would need stitches in that hand. That is a cross breed chicken.

 

[BantamLover21]

He's a chicken of some sort. Not a saipan though because saipans do not have green legs. He's probably just a mixed breed.

All chickens like meat. Chickens even enjoy chicken. They find eggs very tasty too.

Check out the learning center for chick raising articles to learn how to care for him

Agreed.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If that was a hawk you would need stitches in that hand. That is a cross breed chicken.

x2

It is a mixed breed chicken.

You would not have been able to get close to a juvenile wild hawk let alone pick it up unless it was very, very sick. And even then, you'd still be getting stitches in your hands.

Hawks juvies have a much more lean and mean look with much longer talons and bills built for business.

You don't see them until they are fledged, which means they are flying around. And yes, somewhat clumsily. But the parents are almost always close at hand screaming and dive bombing any intruders away as babe gets his wings under him.

It would be a good idea to put this bird in isolation until you are sure it is healthy. Generally it is best to keep them separate from your other birds for at least 2 weeks if not a month.

Check it for parasites and worms and watch for any signs of illness (sneezing, bubbling at the eyes, coughing, etc.)

Good luck with it.

LofMc

 

[donrae]

Agree it's a mixed breed chicken. You don't list your area in your profile, but he's likely some type of game bird. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a little cockerel.

 

[drumstick diva]

What a darling chick. It looks like he/she has bald area on back. I'm wondering if it was plucked by other birds OR, if this is a female chick and some randy cockerel has tried to breed it (tearing feathers out).

mixed breed or not doesn't matter - sounds like it has a great disposition with people and birds - a keeper in my book.

 

[drkimba]

Adorable! What does he look like now?