Wild chickens

[Scott_S]

I trapped 3 chickens that were feeding underneath the bird feeder. Julie said she wanted to raise some chickens so I thought we might start with these. They are mostly black with some brown on the neck. There is a rooster, hen, and a younger hen.

Has anyone had any luck with raising these chickens? Any thoughts?

Scott

[Carolann R]

If you feed them, they will come...don't know where they will lay their eggs though...Sittall has had some experience with the wild ones...Connie?

Carrie

http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
http://www.vintageandvelvet.blogspot.com

"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2

[gtill]

Look for a post calle "chicken tractor", a really neat idea!

[pslamont]

On a casual basis, if you buy some straw or cedar chips and make a nice 15 x 15ish nest, they will lay! Start out with a cardboard box or a plastic bag. Feed them near the box and have water available. I only feed in the afternoons around the same time every day; that keeps them coming back. Maybe put an old golf ball in the nest; it gives them the idea to lay there. It's hit and miss but it works more often than not. you will ultimately want three or four hens; they like laying in the same nest and sharing! How cool is that?

Good Luck. If you need some more hens stay in touch with me. I am not breeding the Rhode Island Reds yet... that will be a small commercial venture but I am sure we will have plenty of wild/jungle fowl when I am home in June.

Aloha, Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[sittall]

As Pam mentioned, hens do tend to share nesting sites and if you feed near the sites they will stick around. I don't think wild chickens would do well in a cage. They like to roost up high at night but don't go far. If you feed these chickens they will most likely stick around.

If you put a nesting box on the ground, a mongoose WILL find the eggs. I have a small chicken house on stilts to foil the local mongoose. I found putting a real egg in the cage to encourage laying worked better than a golf ball or plastic easter egg (tried both). I mark the egg, leave it in the nest and remove all new eggs. Since hens like to share nesting spots you can get several eggs in just a few days. If not removed every day one of the wild hens will sit on the collected eggs and start brooding. I also have a couple of domestic hens that lay wonderful large brown eggs.

In addition to the hen house I have a doorless dog crate lifted off the ground filled with straw that several wild hens were using but I didn’t collect the eggs soon enough and now one of the hens is brooding. Should have chicks in about a week (eggs take 21 days to hatch).

Chicken feed can be expensive. I use layer pellets for the calcium and only put them out if my hens come to the door to be fed. Otherwise the doves and wild chickens would wipe me out in no time. (My hens prefer scratch but it doesn’t have that much nutrition.) I let my domestic chickens roam. That way I know they are getting a good variety of insects etc. and if I’m not home to feed them, I know they won’t go hungry. Water is also important. I have a couple of water feeders and the wild chickens use them as well.

Mites can also be a problem. I occasionally spray the nesting cage and the hen's vent areas with pyrethium(?) if I see bedraggled tail feathers.

[Hotzcatz]

Another way to mark the eggs is with "X"s and "O"s. Check the nest and take out all the eggs marked with an X's but leave all the O's and then mark the unmarked eggs with X's. The next day take out all the O's and mark the unmarked eggs with O's. That will get all the eggs within a day of being hatched and they can sit there for up to three weeks without any harm as long as a hen doesn't go broody and start to sit on them. Or put a date on the eggs, then you will know when they were laid.

If you give feral chickens a comfortable spot to roost, a nice dry dark place to lay eggs and some food, they will stick around. As they hatch out each successive generation you will get tamer and more domesticated chickens again.

[Scott_S]

Thanks for all the responses, but not long after my post, hours, I had left to pick up some material to build a roost and the neighbor's dogs killed them all. I had used some fencing that I had here but they pushed underneath and got in. I will after to build something more secure to protect them before I get some more. Everyone complains to him but he just doesn't care, stoner from Cali. Maybe I should move this thread to control your effing dogs.

The plants from Plant It Hawaii are doing well. One question I had is the orange dropped alot of leaves and is now starting to blossom, the lemon did not drop any leaves and is blossoming. Is it normal for the orange or maybe I just didn't keep enough water to it?

Thanks, Scott

[pslamont]

When you are ready for some more wild jungle fowl, let me know. I have plenty to share.

As for the dog, if it is in your yard, feed it some meat, put a collar on it, lead it to your car and drive it to the humane society!

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[Carolann R]

ROFLMAO...say it more clearly, Pam! LOL!!!

Carrie

http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
http://www.vintageandvelvet.blogspot.com

"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2

[Scott_S]

Thanks for the offer Pam, when I get the problem resolved maybe I will try some more chickens.

Scott