Unexpected owner of 6 young chicks found by side of the road...

[Life of Eric]

Howdy,
So today I'm doing some plumbing on our house, and go out to the curb to turn off the water and I see a flock of baby chickens by the water meter. My wife is a bird lover, so I let her know about them, and next thing I know we are grabbing them up and tossing em in a rubbermaid tote. We got maybe half of the flock and the rest scurried off into the woods.
So, when I go to Lowes to get my pipe fittings I grab a sheet of OSB and some 2x3s and some chicken wire, and after getting the water turned back on for the house I put together a rather nice 4'x4'x20" chicken coop which is now sitting in my kitchen with 6 small chicks in there.
We added a water bowl and my wife gave them some of her Cockatiel food which they seemed to enjoy. Tomorow I'll stop by Tractor Supply and grab some chicken feed.
This is my first time raising chickens, and we really weren't planning on starting a backyard flock, but here we are, and Google keeps bringing me back to this site with every chicken related question I ask it, so I figured I'd join up and see if anyone has any advice.

I really don't know how old they are, but their bodys are about the size of my fist.

Adding a pic of my $20 coop, just because.


Thanks for any tips you can offer.
eb

 

[Trefoil]

If they are the size of your fist they probably still need starter. And will need grit. Forgive me for asking this, but are you sure they are chickens? Were they with their mom?

 

[KPenley]

Welcome and great job on your quick coop aka brooder

I can't see their age too well from your pic. Can you tell if they're feathered in yet? If not, they need heat (an area that is 80-85 degrees, decrease by 5 degrees each week until they're at room temp). Another way to tell is if they're huddling up constantly. An easy way to add heat would be a light bulb (60 or 75 watts is probably fine for indoors) right next to the wire, shining on just a section of their coop. That way they can go in or out if they are cold or hot.
Looks like you've got food and water covered (warning, some chicks can not handle bird seed until later if they don't have access to tiny gravel to help their bodies break it up. Chick feed doesn't need anything).
You will want to think about bedding for warmth, comfort, and waste absorption. I like to use pine flake wood chips, but there are tons of options out there.

If you click on the Learning Center above you can learn tons about your new chicks! Best wishes!

 

[Life of Eric]

I am fairly certain they are chickens. We live in an area with a lot of stray chickens, I think one of our neighbors was rasing them in a fenced in area with no top a few years back and now there are stray chickens everywhere. There was no mom in sight, and it's been down to almost freezing already, and there was a fair chance of them ending up being road kill, and my wife thought they were cute, so now we have chickens.
What exactly is "starter"?
Thanks,
eb

 

[KPenley]

I am fairly certain they are chickens. We live in an area with a lot of stray chickens, I think one of our neighbors was rasing them in a fenced in area with no top a few years back and now there are stray chickens everywhere. There was no mom in sight, and it's been down to almost freezing already, and there was a fair chance of them ending up being road kill, and my wife thought they were cute, so now we have chickens.
What exactly is "starter"?
Thanks,
eb

Chicken feed is generally classified as Starter (for chicks), Starter Grower (Chicks and Juveniles), Layer (Laying Hens), Flock Raiser (Everyone).

 

[Life of Eric]

KP,
Yes they have feathers and they are huddling up, I'll try to get a better pic.
I've added some cardboard boxes to the coop to give them some structure but they seem to prefer to be pushed against the chicken wire in a ball of chickens. I'll see if I have any standard lightbulbs in the house, I think they are all CFL's tho.
Thanks,
eb

 

[JesNflock]

 

[Life of Eric]

Moved the coop to the living room in front of a heater. This pic shows one of the chicks. The chicks are now huddled in the box.


Got a fair shot of the huddle.

 

[KPenley]

Sounds good, and they do look pretty little still. It may be worth picking up a heat/work lamp shade, but using a regular wattage lightbulb, tomorrow. But you'll be able to tell if they need it by how much they are huddling. If they're playing, examining their space, eating, drinking, etc. they're fine. If they're always huddled up they definitely need heat.

 

[Life of Eric]

KP,
I just noticed we are in the same town!
I'm down 29 South in Chambert Forest subdivision. It's definately warmer inside than out tonight for these chicks.
eb