A Neighbor's Chicken Story

[redsixwing]

Last night when we came home, there was a big black hen in the yard, which is not where hens belong.

Our neighbors are a tractor yard, a feed store, and a cattle pasture, and the feed store developed chickens a while ago. Star (my spouse) and I tried to figure out how she got in - the fence is pretty solid - and decided that she might have temporarily remembered she could fly.

I went out and tried to catch her, but she wasn't at all interested in letting me get close, and strutted up and down the fence bwokking suspiciously at me, and then went and sat down in a bush. I gave up and went and watched her from the window. Every few feet, she'd stick her head through and cluck at the rest of the chickens, over in the feed store's lot where they belong, and they'd all cluck back at her, and she'd be just as stuck on the wrong side of the fence.

One of the feed-store employees came out to put the chickens up for the night, discovered the misplaced hen, and started walking up and down the fence too, trying to find a way over. I went back out to help, and between the two of us, we still didn't manage to catch the hen, but we did confirm there's no holes or gaps she could've slid through, and cleared several sticks out from the bush she was hiding in. I managed to half catch her at one point - I had a hand under her belly, but she scattered away before I could get the other hand on her back. (She just almost flew. I'm not convinced she couldn't, but Feed Store Guy was, and she did not in fact fly over the fence to escape me.)

Star came out after watching the two of us chase her for a bit, and watching one of the feral cats slink around the edges hoping to catch a chicken herself. With three people (two on the hen's side of the fence) Star finally caught the hen and passed her over the fence.

We checked one of the spots she was hiding in, and found one big, brown egg. Feed Store Guy didn't show any interest in it, so that was part of breakfast this morning.

As I'd like to have chickens next year, this was interesting! I'd hope to tame ours somewhat better, since that hen really did not want anything to do with any of us, and it ended up causing all of us more stress, and actually putting her in danger.

She can lay eggs in our yard any time she wants, though.

 

[N F C]

Sounds like you had an exciting evening, lol. When you get your own chicks, they will get used to you as they learn you are the provider of all things good to eat. Mine come running toward me every time I go out in the yard and some love to sit on a friendly lap for cuddles. Oh, and chickens can fly, some will even clear a 6' fence if they get the notion.
Nice you got the egg!

 

[redsixwing]

We sure did! xD

Feed Store Guy was pretty nice about it, but seems to move the chickens by scaring them in the proper direction rather than being the provider of good stuff.

Lap chickens! That's awesome. It seems lots of people around here have really affectionate birds - that's just lovely.

The egg was really good, too.

 

[N F C]

Having affectionate birds doesn't happen by chance (although some breeds are calmer than others). I think when an animal learns to trust you that's when they pay you back with chatter, lap sitting, etc. And gaining their trust seems to start with teaching them where their food comes from. Yep, the way to a chicken's heart is through it's stomach!

You'll enjoy having your own flock!

 

[redsixwing]

Fair enough! I've had birds before, just not ever chickens, so I'm hoping some small-parrot etiquette will transfer. *s* Budgies can be pretty similar - trust is gained through being the provider of All Things Good, and handling comes after.

I'm so looking forward to it. >.> The neighbors would likely object to me flirting up their chickens, but at least I'm getting a good appreciation of some of their antics.

 

[N F C]

Oh yeah, chicken tv is the best!