Rescue Chicken - Help!

[flowersandtaters]

Hey everyone! I am new to this forum and this is my first year raising chickens - so I am pretty inexperienced. Yesterday I rescued a chicken from my husbands work. He works at an auto shop on a very busy road. She was there for at least a week. Chickens are not allowed in this area of town and time was spent looking for where she may have come from with no luck.

I could really use some advice on what to do and how to help her. Obviously, if we are able to find her home or if someone finally comes forward as her owner, I will gladly return her.

Here’s where we are at today: She is missing a toenail. It’s completely gone. I treated that according to information I found on here. It is no longer bleeding. She is shedding small feathers like crazy (stress? Poor diet?). There’s also a few black spots on her legs that I just noticed. I currently have 21 chickens of my own. She’s super friendly and sweet. She is eating. Right now I have her ‘quarantined’ outside where my chickens can still see her. What would be the best course of action? Do you think there is any chance of a successful integration into my flock? How long should I give her toe to heal before I let other chickens around her? Or do I need to find her a better suited home?

Thank you all so much for your help!!

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

You can try to keep her just give them plenty of time to see one another and make sure she's healed up prior. The feathers could be a molt, stress, diet or if she has any underlying injuries. Feathers regrow and injuries heal. It's crazy that the chicken is just there poor thing, chickens are social. It's a good thing you stepped in to try and help her. If you want to keep her than just let everyone get used to one another for awhile then introduce her to your flock. Little skirmishes happen (it's a new hen for the pecking order) but if they get lesser and lesser she's good to go to be your girl if it's too violent and it makes you uncomfortable then you can re-home her. It's your call really, good thing you stepped in to help her though. Busy roads and chickens never end well.

 

[Sally PB]

She’s super friendly and sweet. She is eating. Right now I have her ‘quarantined’ outside where my chickens can still see her. What would be the best course of action?

You're doing the "look, don't touch," which is a good start. If they share an adjoining fence, sprinkle some food or treats along both sides. This will help them get used to eating together.

It'll also help to show how the birds will get along, since they'll be so close. Don't be surprised if your low hen is the one who picks on the new girl the most. To her, it's like, aha, finally someone lower than me on the pecking order!

 

[-Flash-]

Could the black spots on her legs be leg mites? (I don't know, I've had to deal with them. Just thought I'd throw it out there...)

 

[Sally PB]

Post close ups of her legs so we can see.

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

Post close ups of her legs so we can see.

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