Some advice on Chickens?

• Cynic wrote on 2011-07-03 01:11
  Yeah, really.
  
  Someone apparently delivered a chicken coop by the lake we have nearby our house and it doesn't seem as if anyone is coming back for it, merely based on the location of it (there were tons of other areas to put it, especially since the lake area has NO grass at all, meaning they can't stick their heads out and eat it), nobody has paid any mind to it and the chickens have no food or water. At all.
  
  The problem is, there are at-least 10+ chickens in it, all sizes and colors, and seem to be abandoned.
  Now my Mom and I are rather poor, but we try and help as we can. My first thought was to go to Google, but all it recommends is brands of chicken food. I'm well aware that chickens graze similar to cows, they eat grains, etc. I just haven't found out what kinds. (I was considering giving them a bit of my Rat's food, since it includes hay, dried corn, sunflower seeds, etc. But this costs money we don't really have)
  
  I'm still trying to figure out how to give them water.. I'm thinking of moving the coop into the shade since whoever left it there left it out in the blazing sun. But for now I figure it would at-least help to try and feed them. Is there anything sort of common that I can give them? Grass? Bits of apples? How the heck do I give them water..?
  
  Ye~ah. I figured I'd ask here 'cause.. yeah.
  Google is being a dick.
• Mama wrote on 2011-07-03 01:33
  check out these links:
  BackYardChickens.com
  Raising Chickens Basics
  also: Keeping Chickens in the city
  excerpt:
  

  Chickens are about as easy to care for as goldfish. They are a social animal, you need at least two, and preferably three. Young hens lay eggs about once every 1.5 days, so five is probably plenty.
  
  You want all females; cocks are loud and aggressive, plus you will find bones and feathers in your eggs if you don't get them into your refrigerator promptly.
  
  They need a shelter to stay dry; they're smart enough to know when to move indoors. Chickens don't need heat, but they will freeze in winter if their feathers are wet.
  
  I highly recomend building a predator proof pen, with a six inch skirt on the ground and a fully enclosed top. Otherwise, you have to lock them in their house every night, as raccoons and possums will find them. Dogs probably kill more chickens than anything else. Cats usually make friends with chickens.
  
  I feed my five hens on $12 per month, and get about 80 eggs for that price. Anything in the chicken pen will be scratched at and manured upon until it becomes compost. Chickens in an enclosure are like a slow, steady compost blender that adds rich manure.
  
  
  ....
  
  Important:
  Hygiene is an obvious but sometimes underestimated priority for new chicks. They will tend to poop in their water and feeder, even the ones designed for chicks, stay on top of that. Fresh water everyday and if you can smell the poop you are behind in cleanliness, a bag of sawdust is a must. Get a 10lb bag of unmedicated starter feed and take it from there.

  
  
  interesting scenario you have yourself in.. good luck
• Crimmy wrote on 2011-07-03 03:09
  I own about 18 chickens myself, 2 of which have been rescued from a hoarder. I find it disgusting and intolerable that anyone would just abandon chickens like that. If you know of an animal control center or shelter nearby, you should definitely call them.
  
  If not, chickens are just like gold fish as posted above. I feed mine cracked corn along with table scraps and those cheapo ramen noodles that they go crazy for. They really don't require much. For water you can get a big container and fill it full of water for them. As long as it's heavy and wide enough for them to not topple it over, it should be fine. If they lay eggs and you don't want them, crack them and feed them back to 'em. It's recycling the energy they spent to make the egg.
  
  Definitely see if you can get contact with animal control or a shelter though.
• Akemii wrote on 2011-07-03 03:13
  I've raised chickens here and brazil.
  
  They eat practically anything really. They can also drink water from a bowl... It's just better to somehow suspend it in the air so they don't step on it and make it dirty.
• Cynic wrote on 2011-07-03 03:53
  Thank you.
  
  One of the women around here in a trailer owns a chicken in a small coop and there is a little farm with goats up on the hill across from the lake, so we're unsure if anyone owns them. Either way, they still seem rather neglected. They were left with nothing but a small litter box (maybe.. 6'' x 6'') and what I assume is some sort of watering thing? Aside from those 2 things, they still don't have access to food and are all huddled up together. Some of them seem to make little coos every now and again, but it sounds more sickly than anything else.
  
  I'm going to wait and see what happens but bring them a bit of food tonight. If nobody claims them I don't know what we can do though, lol.
  Except calling animal control.
• chaolin wrote on 2011-07-03 20:41
  Fruit scraps such as watermelon and cantaloupe peelings are a real treat for them but essentially you can let them graze in an open area. They'll eat the bugs, weeds, and anything else they find. Ideally, you'd want to find an area that has decent tree cover since hawks are psycho chicken killers. Also watch out for dogs, easily the biggest predator of chickens.
  
  Hell, letting them free could be an option too if there are some branches for them to roost on at night and few predators.
• Cynic wrote on 2011-07-04 00:04
  The only issue is I don't know if they're really abandoned or not. All signs point to yes, but I don't feel like getting in trouble with someone for letting their chickens out (no matter how neglected they appear).
  
  We're planning on giving them a bit of food and such and seeing if anyone comes to take the eggs. I assume if someone doesn't even want the eggs (I can't imagine having THAT many hens + a rooster if they didn't even want the eggs), then they are definitely abandoned. In which case we might try and offer them a bit of care, but.. yeah. We can't do much since we're moving out of here in a month and into an apartment.