Chicken bald back

[Kalu]

Hello,

Has anyone lost a girl in Hertfordshire this afternoon/evening? A nice lady knocked on our door earlier this evening to say they had found a chicken out on the road and had been told we had chickens. She described the girl and it could have been one of ours so off we went to collect her (without double checking that our girls were all accounted for) only to discover she is not one of our girls after all.

 

The nice finders had nowhere to put her so she is now in with our girls and due to the bad weather expected i have had to put her in the eglu with 4 others...5 is going to be too many in our run tomorrow and i am at work all day, i was planning on our girls being in the run tomorrow because of the bad weather but now i'm unsure what to do......leave them all together? put the new girl in the shed but not be able to clear it for her (no chemicals in there but bikes, washing machine, spiders, gardening bits, tent, spiders, toys, more spiders)...where would be best for her? i will drop notes to as many houses as i can in the area tomorrow evening but can't do anything until then (child in bed and no-one to babysit so can't get out this eve).

 

Am worried she will be bullied by our girls if in the run with them all day tomorrow....

Edited October 30, 2013 by Guest

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Do you have a dog crate or a piece of netting you can separate a small area of the run for her?

 

I would also be nervous about leaving her unattended with the others all day to be honest....tho the concept of a poo decorated shed may also not be great

[Kalu]

Unfortunately no dog crate.

She seems to be doing ok with the other girls, they are giving her the odd peck to remind her of her status but don't seem to be being particularly nasty. She is certainly not used to being outside...doesn't like the wind and is glow white compared to my white girl who, next to her, looks very muddy snow coloured

[The Dogmother]

Chicken of Fate doubt you'll find her owner though.

[Alis girls]

Lovely story - will you keep her? There was another lady had a C of F a few years back called Xena?? I wonder what happened to her - she had a floppy comb - ie the chicken not the lady.

[keyhole kate]

Waves from herts not one of mine I can't ever imagine finding a cof my nearest chook neighbour is sheilaz and she's still a few miles away and Mercedes55 is even further there dosen't seem to be many of us in Herts

[Chortle Chook]

Have you still got her? I hope she is getting on Ok with your others.

I remember Xena - she was a real star chook!

[PoachedPlease]

Is she a she? Hope it's not a case of dumping a cockeral

 

What is a 'chicken of fate?'???

 

Sounds exciting though, is she an interesting breed?

 

Xx

[Kalu]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your interest in our little foundling. We do still have "her". It hadn't occurred to me she might be a he.

She looks very much like a Coral Nick to me and i don't think she is POL yet. She is not squatting at all as far as i can see.

Our four girls are not exactly embracing her arrival, each evening she has put herself to bed on top of the garden fence and i have had to coax her down and put in the eglu with the others. In the morning as they all burst free she stays indoors and then slowly comes out but as she does the others all have a peck at her. This morning she had a bit of breakfast and then when i checked in the garden again she had gone!! I threw out some corn for the girls and she appeared back on the fence, she had decided that the calm and quiet of next door's garden was preferable.

 

I have put notes through the doors of about 30 houses nearby (need to print more!) but so far nothing. I know of 3 others in our little area who have chickens and none of those have lost a girl. There is a chicken seller/small farm about 2-3 miles away cross country and i wonder if she could have travelled that far....(to be honest if she is from there i'm not sending her back, i haven't been there but i don't like the look of their runs/enclosures on their website!).

 

I don't think we can keep her unfortunately, much as i would like to. The eglu and run (extended by 1metre) are just not big enough for 5. They are out most of the time but on bad weather days or if we are away for a few days they are stuck in the run together and it just wouldn't be fair to keep 5 in there.......would it? One of the chaps round the corner who has some chooks already has said that if we don't find her original home she can go and live with his girls so she does have a home waiting.

We are in Welwyn Garden City if anyone does hear of a missing chicken.

[The Dogmother]

Are you near a main road? It's possible she came off a chicken transport truck.

[Kalu]

Hi,

We are near a fairly main road, i mentioned that possibility to someone in the office this morning.....i suspect we will never know.

(i want to keep her......)

[gavclojak]

if she did indeed come off a chicken transport truck as The dogmother suggested I think fate has played a hand in you finding her?....even if it is just to find her a good home, maybe call her Lazarus:}

[Kalu]

Owner found!

Had a call from an elderly chap who says he is looking after his daughter's chickens while she is in the USA. He has popped round to the house today and discovered that both chickens have gone! Unfortunately while on the phone he found the other missing chicken, it looks like a fox has been visting I have offered to keep the girl we have until his daughter comes back from hols but he says he wants to put her back where she belongs so i will take her round this evening and hopefully all will be secure. Pleased that we know where she came from but sad to hear the other girl didn't make it. I will mention to him that the remaining girl may not be very happy on her own

[The Dogmother]

At least the owner has been found - she obviously was a CoF, as it was fate that she found you, who knew what to do with her and made an effort to find her owner.

 

You're right; hopefully he will think of getting another girl to go with her until they get back. Might be worth checking the accommodation for him too as it can't be terribly secure

[Alis girls]

I think DM is right - if they were secure how could they be "gone". Hope she is ok. Sorry about her mate. I think theres safety in numbers - this is where Morehens strike - if youve only got 2 and lose one then you're in a pickle. i am down to 3 and getting tetchy cos in case I lose another. Lovely story. Have you a pic before she goes home?

[Kalu]

I don't have a pic, but i will try to get one this evening before we take her back across to the other side of the road (and round the corner and up a little hill). I think i may have to be a little assertive and if the enclosure doesnt look secure enough i will insist on keeping her until all is rectified. I am going to worry about her all on her own

[The Dogmother]

I don't think you'd be alone in worrying; we all would be too in the same situation.

 

Perhaps this pet sitter doesn't know much about chickens and has no idea how they hate being on their own.

[Patricia W]

It wouldn't look good if his daughter came home and found the other one gone as well. Hope you can persuade him to let you take care of her till daughter comes home. She must be resourceful to have travelled the distance you describe.

[Alis girls]

I'll say - across a road too. Poor old boy looking after them probably didnt want to do it but did because its his daughter. Possibly got bad eyesight. I wouldnt want my dad to look after mine. He;d lose them, lets face it chooks are renowned for being crafty - give em and inch they'll take a mile

[Kalu]

Well, she is home now

 

We popped round this evening and took her back. The gentleman was there waiting, he had checked on both girls Sunday evening and made sure they had food and water. When he went back round on Tuesday (!) they had both gone. He checked the coop and run and a little door round the back had been open, he is not sure if it had been left slightly ajar by the children of the household before they went on hols and he thinks the strong winds on Sunday may have blown it open so the girls decided to go exploring.

 

He is quite upset, the chicken that didnt make it had been reared by the family from an egg hatched at the children's school. The Grandad has four chickens of his own and seemed quite knowledgeable. He is now debating whether to pop to the chicken shop and get another girl before the family come home or to tell the mum on the phone and see what she wants to do. (It may be that the children will want to choose another, or maybe 2, themselves) He did say he is looking after two other pets and they are both surviving so far!

 

I will keep an eye out whenever we pass the back of the garden just in case. The couple of nights she had been with us she had decided to roost on the top of our 6ft fence right by the dining room window and each night i had had to get her down and put her in the eglu. Tomorrow evening i might just check the fence in case she pops back....

 

So we are back to 4 chooks.

Thanks for all of your lovely comments

[gavclojak]

Well you have been very kind and she was lucky to have found you. I will keep my eye on this thread for an update. Kudos to you x

[Chortle Chook]

Kalu you really have been very kind and responsible too . She was a lucky chicken to be found by you and I do hope that her luck persists till they guy's daughter returns.