4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Tara.F]

Three of our chicks started crowing at seven weeks....one light sussex and two (of the three) pekins. The two pekins were my absolute favourites....they flew straight onto me when I opened their cage each day and would sit on my shoulder, pressing up against my face for cuddles untill their mum called them back.

 

Anyway, being in London, I knew I couldn't keep them

We had a lovely home for them all lined up but the chaps wife threw him out last week and we had to start searching all over again.

 

Eventually, we found a place. A small 'petting' farm where the chickens fee range all day.

Perfect we thought.

We packed them up yesterday and drove them down there and happily took them over to the man.

 

Things went downhill from then.

 

He looked in the box and handed it roughly to a youngster saying put them in the top cage' and he started to walk away.

I stopped him and said we wanted to see them settled (We had our children with us too) he shrugged consented.

The youngster shoved them in a cage then disappeared and it was only then that we realised the cage had a whole flock of different sized chicks (boys and girls) in it

The biggest cockerel immediately attacked our boys who screamed and cowered pitifully. They ran to the side where I was standing and and screamed and screamed at me!

 

My husband ran to tell the man while I stood helplessly crying and trying to comfort them through the bars.

I managed to scare the bullying bird off (by poking the arm of my sunglasses through the cage at him). The man wasn't interested...he said the other bird was the same age as them (although I pointed out he was large fowl and they were bantams) He said they'd all settle down by morning.

I stood by the cage with them for an hour or so and things did indeed settle down....but whenever we moved away from the cage our chicks fussed and called with that little alarm call they make

I found the man and insisted he put more feeding stations in the cage....but I think he only agreed to get rid of me.

 

My husband went back there this morning. He said the man was surly and clearly not pleased to see him. Our chicks have no visible injuries and the bullybird was laying down right next to them. But he said they looked utterly miserable, recognised him and pressed themselves up against the bars so he could stroke them.

The man told my husband if we were that worried he should take them home. He doesn't want us to go back there and keep bothering him.

 

 

I'm sorry for such a long post

But non chook lovers keep telling me to stop being silly...of course the chicks didn't recognise us and I should be grateful they aren't in a pot

I just feel so guilty...for making them so soft and friendly, for not being able to keep them myself, when I watch their sisters free range all day and dustbathe, or snuggle up next to mum to sleep and then I think of them in that cage

[Jules.]

I don't know what to say x

[Redwing]

People have their own ideas about introduction and there is not a lot you can do there sad though it is

 

You havent said if they will always stay in the cage or if they will be let out, were there other birds free ranging? did it all look clean, did the other birds look well etc?

 

If they do get let out and get to be petted by children it might not be so bad

 

If you are worried about the conditions etc then I would go and get them back and contact someone like Beegal (he is a regular on the Bluelaced and Practcal Poultry forums and is also registered here) he lives in the midlands and rehomes chickens and cockerels, its a long drive but it might see your chicks in a better place if you are worried about where they are now

 

Alternatively get them back and start phoning around again to see if there is somewhere more local

 

Good luck

[Lesley]

I agree with Tasha. It may just be a temporary holding cage and it would be worth checking the rest of the set up to see what will be happening eventually.

 

Beegal is also on the River Cottage forum and takes cockerels. I don't know anything else about him though.

[Tara.F]

Thank you for replying

 

They will be let out 'in a few weeks' to free range with quite a large mixed flock.

There does seem to be a large number of cockerels there though....and quite a few of them have bald bottoms

Why would cockerels have bare bums?

 

Our broody is laying again now, she still fusses over the serama but is less interested in the remaining pekin hen and is not very tolerant of the light sussex chicks (who are almost as big as her now).

I don't think she'd accept the boys back now and while I'd be happy to drive to the midlands, it is possible that moving them again would be even more stressful than leaving them where they are at this stage.

 

I think I'll get my husband to pop back to the farm again tomorrow....the bloke won't be pleased but tough, I'd like to see him stop my big ole biker getting in

 

Thanks for your replies and suggestions, I'm feeling calmer today if nothing else

Integrations are always harsh, and while this place is nowhere as cushy as the life we gave them...I s'pose it is still miles better than some of the alternatives.

If they are injured in any way we'll oik them out of there (and Dave will probably deck the guy) but with any luck, they'll have found their place in the order of things and have forgotten all about us

 

Tara xxx