What can I do with a hen who has a split beak

[toffeeandcoffe]

Hi, our new Eglu arrived 2 weeks ago, we were waiting until May to rescue 3 battery hens, so the Eglu was still sitting in its box waiting to be put together. Driving back from the school run one evening we came across a small chicken wandering by the roadside, which nearly got run over. We decided to bring it home with us for safe keeping, so frantically 3 of us were trying to put the Eglu together so the poor chicken could settle somewhere nice and safe.

 

Someone told us it is a wild chicken, we don't live in the country but a town, so I don't see how this can be.....does anyone know anything about wild chickens? or even if there are such things? It is very small, so we think it is a bantam. any advice would be most welcome.

Also will it be ok to mix this 'chicken' with the ex bats?

 

Thanks in advance.

[joybelle]

Hi

 

Just spotted you live in Northamptonshire

I live in Northampton whereabouts do you live?

 

 

 

Joy

[Sarah B]

I'm new so not the one to give advice re the mixing of the 'wild' chicken to new, but as you live in town maybe she/he has escaped from a local home?

 

Do you think it might be wise to give her/him a home in your eglu once set up and at the same time pop a couple of posters up in the area you found her and put some 'found' messages on the web?

 

I guess if you get no responces you have a free chook! Maybe it knew you would be driving past!

[NClaire]

I'm sure I heard of a flock of wild chickens but I could have dreamt it! Will try and look them up!

 

It's probably escaped - maybe out the back of a lorry or something? Whatever, I think it's yours for the keeping unless someone claims it.

[NClaire]

Wild chickens living on a roundabout

Probably a bit far from you though!!!

[Egluntyne]

It is probably an escapee from someone's garden.

 

Why not put adverts around the place and see if anyone claims her. The local vets is a good place to start.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

What an interesting and unexpected way to start your careers as hen keepers.

[Eyren]

Kate the forum admin found a chicken earlier this year, and no-one claimed it. By a strange coincidence she called it Coffee. So if you get to keep your foundling, toffeeandcoffee, be careful what you call it - that person may be the next one to find a stray chicken

[toffeeandcoffe]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I have put a notice in the local paper, and got replies from others who already own chickens, but not the actual owner. Posters sound a good idea, will do that! She seems quite content now, just worried about mixing with the ex bats when they arrive , if no one claims her.

[Eyren]

If she's only small, she'll probably be OK with the ex-batts - they will be too weak to gang up on her and too numerous to be picked on in return, and she will probably be glad of the company. Good luck, however it turns out!

[joybelle]

I`ve had chickens since last October. I have a purple eglu cube and I started off with four omlet girls, two gingernuts and 2 pepperpots.

They are laying well now but the gingernuts lay more often than the others.

A couple of weeks ago I got three more from cotswold chickens nr Banbury.

They are living separately from the omlet girls at present, they do

freerange all together and get on sort of ok just the odd skirmish. I havnt

plucked up the courage to put them all in together yet will have to at some

point though. As I work three days a week I`m worried about not being

able to see whats going on and stop any trouble.

I would recomend cotswold chickens they have healthy birds and Jude who

runs the place is very helpful.

I live in the Kingsthopre area of Northampton, dont know if you know

the area very well.

Regards Joy