Life's been busy, and I've not had time to visit the forums lately... trying to catch up a bit today, and thought I'd give an update on the little chicken who showed up on the parking lot where my S.O. works in Newark, DE.
She's grown quite a bit, but is still in process getting her full adult feathering. All her bald spots are nicely feathered out, although her tail and wings are still raggedy, and she still has a fair amount of sheathing at the feather roots.
Her ruff and beard are nicely developed, and wattles and comb are beginning to show. She's filled out quite a bit, and has developed tiny "spur bumps" on her legs. The big surprise, a few weeks ago, was when she sprouted feathers on her feet! We had a bit of trouble with that, as she kept knocking the blood feathers into things & then pecking at them when they bled, but fortunately she didn't get too carried away with it.
I did begin to get worried she was actually a roo a couple of weeks ago; first there were the spur bumps, then she started to get longer, more pointed feathers on her neck and head... not to mention the sudden onset, the middle of last week, of loud cackling between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning! Not even remotely crowing, but still....
However, the question was definitively answered this morning, when I found a lovely little egg in her bedding.
I'm not quite sure what to call the color of the egg - it's neither white nor brown, but a sort of pinkish beige.
She's still living in the house, sharing the "cat room" with Cassidy, my cantankerous pigeon (another foundling) and Robyn, my elderlyish (12 year old) Siamese. Needless to say they're not left loose together, but she and Robyn have, to my amazement, struck up a friendship - he pats her with his paw (no claws involved) and gives her affectionate head butts, and they share the sunny rocking chair.
I do have a borrowed outside portable coop that I let her have time in several days a week, but it turns out that one of our 6 dogs gets very prey-driven when she's out in it, so right now outside chicken time is accomplished by confining the dogs. Long-term, I plan to put in a chicken run behind the barn (we have a small 2-stall barn on the property), and then put up a second 4-foot fence around it to keep the dogs out. I'll also continue to give regular time in the movable coop, confining the dogs when I do, and plan on giving forage time in the garden as appropriate.
Since the dog doesn't react the same way to seeing the chicken behind the indoor screen door (the cat room has a sturdy screen door), we're hoping that knowing she can't get through the fence, either, will settle her down. I very much want to add 2-3 more hens, but it's going to depend on whether the dog learns the fenced area is off limits.
Pictures to follow... and I'd love to hear if her changes in appearance give any additional ideas as to what her possible breed mix is.
She's grown quite a bit, but is still in process getting her full adult feathering. All her bald spots are nicely feathered out, although her tail and wings are still raggedy, and she still has a fair amount of sheathing at the feather roots.
Her ruff and beard are nicely developed, and wattles and comb are beginning to show. She's filled out quite a bit, and has developed tiny "spur bumps" on her legs. The big surprise, a few weeks ago, was when she sprouted feathers on her feet! We had a bit of trouble with that, as she kept knocking the blood feathers into things & then pecking at them when they bled, but fortunately she didn't get too carried away with it.
I did begin to get worried she was actually a roo a couple of weeks ago; first there were the spur bumps, then she started to get longer, more pointed feathers on her neck and head... not to mention the sudden onset, the middle of last week, of loud cackling between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning! Not even remotely crowing, but still....
However, the question was definitively answered this morning, when I found a lovely little egg in her bedding.
I'm not quite sure what to call the color of the egg - it's neither white nor brown, but a sort of pinkish beige. She's still living in the house, sharing the "cat room" with Cassidy, my cantankerous pigeon (another foundling) and Robyn, my elderlyish (12 year old) Siamese. Needless to say they're not left loose together, but she and Robyn have, to my amazement, struck up a friendship - he pats her with his paw (no claws involved) and gives her affectionate head butts, and they share the sunny rocking chair.
I do have a borrowed outside portable coop that I let her have time in several days a week, but it turns out that one of our 6 dogs gets very prey-driven when she's out in it, so right now outside chicken time is accomplished by confining the dogs. Long-term, I plan to put in a chicken run behind the barn (we have a small 2-stall barn on the property), and then put up a second 4-foot fence around it to keep the dogs out. I'll also continue to give regular time in the movable coop, confining the dogs when I do, and plan on giving forage time in the garden as appropriate.
Since the dog doesn't react the same way to seeing the chicken behind the indoor screen door (the cat room has a sturdy screen door), we're hoping that knowing she can't get through the fence, either, will settle her down. I very much want to add 2-3 more hens, but it's going to depend on whether the dog learns the fenced area is off limits.
Pictures to follow... and I'd love to hear if her changes in appearance give any additional ideas as to what her possible breed mix is.
