Free Ranging concerns (neighbor has gamecocks who are quite skilled)

[glass]

I am new to raising chickens but I'm getting some help from one of my neighbors who has some experience with some RIRs. Ive had a plymouth rock hen and a rooster for the past month but yesterday during Veterans day I bought 15 Rhode Island Red Hens,1 Plymouth rock hen and a Black Australorp rooster and a Guinea Fowl. I have enough space and food to keep my flock healthy but I want them to free range during the day. My plan is too keep em in their coop/run for the next 2 weeks then let them out. My plymouth hen and rooster already know the drill i let them out during the day and just before dusk they raise back to their coop, that's a little bit about my situation right now but here goes my concern. yesterday I brought in the new members of my crew and everything was going great my plymouth rooster handled his introduction with my Australorp excellent and they got a long right away, but as I was fixing some things inside the run one of my neighbors fighting roosters jumped inside the run and picked a fight with my Australorp and he began to whoop him up I ran to where the roosters were fighting and picked up my neighbors rooster took him out of the run and threw him back to his yard and luckily my rooster didn't get hurt. Now my plan is to let my chickens out and roam my yard in 2 weeks, and my dad already told my neighbor to keep his roosters in his yard but he said hes going to continue to have at least one of his roosters free in his backyard so they are not always confined in a cage and so he can breed with the other hens he has. I don't know much about chickens but is it possible that my neighbors gamecocks will jump over to my yard again when my chickens are roaming and he pick another fight with my rooster and possibly kill him? Or will the situation change when they are free ranging in such a large space? Can you guys please educate me. thanks for the time.

 

[HEChicken]

If the cock bird has jumped the fence once then yes, it is very possible he will do it again. If your neighbor isn't willing to keep him on his property, you have the right to protect your livestock on your side of the fence. Just sayin'.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

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[Erica]

...a non-drastic solution might be to clip the rooster's wing (only the flight feathers from one wing) next time he jumps the fence. As long as the fence is reasonable he shouldn't do it again (at least not until after he moults and grows new feathers).
cheers
Erica

 

[glass]

Thanks everyone, I told my neigbor that if he didnt take better care of his roosters i was going to clip their wings and he finally got started on building his flock a chicken run yesterday. Glad I didnt have to slip any wings.

 

[aart]

What about when you free range your chickens and they fly over into his yard??

 

[glass]

The fence is 8ft high and my run is that high as well and my chickens have not even gotten close to reaching the top difference between my yard and his is that he has a bunch of bins that his roosters climb to jump over My guinea fowls where the only ones that made it to the top once but we caught them and my dad clipped their wings.

 

[HEChicken]

8ft is awfully high for a fence. Standard wood privacy fences are 5-6'. Are you sure they are 8'? That would be the height of a standard ceiling in a house!

 

[glass]

8ft is awfully high for a fence.  Standard wood privacy fences are 5-6'.  Are you sure they are 8'?  That would be the height of a standard ceiling in a house!

yea im sure,that standard only applies to front yard fences. law officers must be able to have a view of your front door and the legal restriction is actually 4ft.

 

[HEChicken]

Well, things might be different in CA, but I've lived in about 10 different states, and in most parts of the country I've seen, front yard fence is 3-4' while backyards are 5-6'. You might measure your back fence to be sure it is 8' - I'd be really surprised to find that it is.