Chickens mysteriously appeared in my garden.

[FellowshipOfTheCoop]

Hi there; I'm new here.
Yesterday morning we found three roosters in the garden. We live in the country and the nearest neighbor who has chickens lives over a mile from here and hasn't come to pick them up yet even though we've notified them. Based on that and the fact that as the crow flies it would take three large fields as well a very big hill for these chickens to cross to get here, in the middle of the night with predators running around, and the fact that these chickens don't want to leave and seemed confused at first makes us wonder if someone just dumped them here. We're looking for their owner but if nobody claims them we're quite willing to build them a coop and keep them here.
Would it be normal for them to wander off that far? After this guy, the next house that has chickens like so is about three miles away...

Here's a photo of them. I'd appreciate if someone could help me figure out their breeds:

For the fun of the situation, their names are, from back to front: Gimli, Frodo and Aragorn.

Also, I would appreciate any tips at all in terms of their care, as my experience with chickens is limited to relatives having them when I was young, working in a pet store and doing a free online course about their behavior and welfare.

Thanks!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Very sadly, someone has dumped those roosters. They are very pretty crossbreds. Without any hens to compete over, they may get along as a rooster flock.

 

[RodNTN]

Hi there! And It is wonderful to have you here with us! As said above, these poor roosters have more than likely been abandoned

And yes, if they do not have any hens they will get along fantastically! For care I would check out the Learning Center:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/

Extremely helpful! I hope you enjoy BYC as much as I have, best wishes!

 

[FellowshipOfTheCoop]

Thank you! I appreciate the help and welcome. So far it looks like these guys are going to stay with us.

Another question - how could I catch them? They are roaming around the garden, but certainly don't want to be picked up... I've tried to herd them into a small enclosure but only managed to get one in. The other two just ran around it.

 

[PirateGirl]

Soooooo, if you plan to keep them, and you plan to build a coop and/or run, and because of this chicken math thing, go big! I see the addition of many lady hens to your flock in the near future to keep your roos happy and it will be lots since you have 3 boys!

 

[RodNTN]

You are welcome!

I have 4 roosters, and 1 that doesn't want to be held no matter what! You could herd them into a corner with a helper and catch them, or you could use some type of net.

Here is something that might help:
https://www.selfsufficientme.com/poultry/chickens/100-ways-to-catch-a-chicken

I wouldn't suggest chasing a rooster down though, I've tried that and you'll get nowhere.

 

[PirateGirl]

or instead of net, maybe even a big bed sheet would work, something like a broom might help herd them too! I also suggest for our entertainment that you have someone video you attempting to catch them all.

 

[junebuggena]

Get a coop and run setup. Then leave some food and water in the run, with the gate open. Once they all go in to eat or drink, close them in.
It's also much easier to grab them once it's dark. Chickens have terrible night vision, and once at roost, they go into a sort of trance.

 

[RodNTN]

X2

 

[rjohns39]

X3

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've joined us You'll want to get them a well balanced, good quality all flock feed at about 16% protein. And you'll probably want to get some dried meal worms for treats and some grit to offer free choice. Treats are limited to no more than 10% of their diet.