Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[parmaviolet]

Knowing that I usually keep hens, my local Gym contacted me on Wednesday night as they found some chicks in their car park. I arrived to find two chicks in a cardboard box in their office.

 

Help!! I've never raised chicks, only ever had the two original omlet POL hens or ex-batts.

 

Reba, My one and only hen (I've decided to let them run out so that I can ebay the eglu, have a break, redo the garden, build an extension etc, before buying a cube!) is not taking it well. She went to bed with them quite hapilly after dusk, but was very alarmed today when she realised that these two bundles of fluff/feathers were still around. Now that she's alone, she spends most of her time with me in the kitchen or under my computer desk in the consevatory, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue to introduce them. Hopefully not the 3 weeks that it once took me to get two mini flocks to integrate.

 

The two chicks look to be about 8-10 weeks old. Of course, all I had in store were layers pellets, which I've wizzed through the food processor to make it small enough for them & I've suplimented it with dried meal worms for the extra calories, fat etc. I realise that they probably need chick crumb or growers, but I'm full of flu right now....arrrg.

 

I'm going to send hubby out tonight to get some food in for them. Should I get chick crums or growers. Reba is no longer laying .

 

BTW, we are trying to locate the proper owners.

[dance in the dark]

If they are fully feathers then they are probably over 7 weeks old and should be ok being off heat, if they start to look weak though, be prepared to bring them in and put them near a radiator. It seems likely if they are about that age that they are unwanted boys. Any idea on breed? Any chance of some pics?

 

As for feeding stop giving them layers immediately!!! It is not the size that it so bad for them it is the calcium in them, which can have a terrible effect on young hens. If they are reasonably fully feathered, and 8-10 weeks seems a reasonable guess, then get them on growers ASAP!they'll need them until they come into lay really (if they are hens, not cockerels).

 

How old is Reba? If she isn't laying much any more you could put them all on growers pellets, it won't harm Reba, but being on layers at a young age will possible hurt the little ones.

 

Tim

[Egluntyne]

I imagine that someone has jettisoned a couple of cockerels.

[parmaviolet]

They are almost fully feathered/ a tiny bit of fluff on the one that looks like a Buff Orpington. The other looks more RIR or Hybrid. Having looked online at lots of pic's they look about 8/9 weeks old. Can you tell cockerels at that age?

 

Did a bit of a recce around the streets nearby and one guy informed us that he'd had both of them in his garden a few days ago and his little boy wanted to keep them so he let them sleep in their shed. Both of them had escaped as his garden was not secure (it backs onto the gym car park, where we saw three young foxes playing). He was very vague /a bit drunk when I knocked on his door, so didn't really want to linger.

 

I'm going to check some more houses nearby. In the meantime I will get some growers pellets, my nearest pets at home has none in stock, so I'll get some from another. Thank goodness you can check online.

 

I've been in touch with the Living Eggs program to see if any of the local schools have had an incubator from the recently, but they've not theirs, they don't provide buff orpingtons. Our local City Farm also has an incubator scheme & the Living Egg people say that the City Farm has supplied eggs and incubator to a local school which is a 5 minute walk from the Gym! I'm waiting to hear back from the city farm, they may take them off my hands.

 

At the moment they're happily scratching around in the eglu run. My garden is South Facing and Wimbledon is very hot today, but they have plenty of shade if they need it.

[Egluntyne]

Can you post a couple of photos?

[dance in the dark]

If one is a buff orpington and the other looks hybridy or RIR then they would be identifiable as cockerels by that kind of age. From what I know most breeds are identifiable to people who know what their doing by that kind of age except for some exceptions which can be tricky even for experience breeders (lavender araucanas for example).

 

It might be worth having a bit of a guess but without knowing the breed it'll be hard. Can you see any comb development? What kind of stance to they have? I think if you can get some pictures up that'd be best

[parmaviolet]

Update on the chicks. They are doing well so far. I've got them and Reba on Growers. The chicks have been confined to the eglu/run since Wednesday eve and Reba has been either out in the garden or in the kitchen, only being put back into the house after dusk when the new two have settled into the eglu.

 

Today was fun. I needed to move the run while mowing the grass. I managed to convince them back into the elgu and we moved it, still attached to the run, with them inside! They are very brave and didn't seem at all bothered about that, or my noisy lawnmower.

 

So far, so good. As I still feel rotten, I'm staying home tomorrow and will go back to work on Tueday. Have worked out a way to put the run extender on and rig up a way of separating them for the day. I will probably ask a neighbour to look in on them.

 

No news on locating the original keepers & if the chicks were in the vague guys back garden for nearly a week, I'm not sure that the original keepers will still be looking for them. The gym are putting up posters on their road and I'm still hopeful of hearing from the city farm.

 

I will try to post a few photo's one I can located the battery charger from my camera, My phone's camera is useless...keep meaning to upgrade but who has the time?