Have you ever gotten a surprise/gift chicken?

[Ihavesomechickens]

So since I haven’t had chickens for a while and just started again in March, my step father’s aunt decided it would be an amazing idea to give us six full grown laying hens to add to our five 5 week old chicks. These chicks are moving out Wednesday and the big hens are coming sometime this week . We are also getting three silkie chicks this/next week and those have been on the schedule for a while. We don’t know the breed(s) of these hens and we don’t know how old they are.

Has anyone else had to deal with surprise chickens and who thought of it, I was to smash their face in with a hammer. We have to make the coop bigger and make the nesting boxes we weren’t planning on having to make till like august.

I mean I am excited and happy but surprises aren’t my thing.

🌪

 

[tacothechicken]

Yup Were the designated 'animal house' so people have given us anything from Parakeets to ducks to llamas people also always wants us to take their damn puppies and I'm like I HAVE 5 FLIPPING DOGS I don't want your puppies! Why didn't you just plan ahead?! Seriously I had someone drop of 6 hens in my yard one time! And a coworker begged me to take a pair of impulse buy Easter ducks from someone cause they were gonna sell them for eating. It's a little crazy how some people even survive in this world when they often lack common sense and manners

 

[getaclue]

The word "NO" comes to mind. Tell your step father's aunt that you don't want them. Thank her for trying to be considerate, but the hens would be unwelcome at this time.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I am going to let her give me them because I want more chickens now. And having hens would mean I could put the silkies I’m getting under one of them so I don’t have to deal with them in my house

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Decided against getting the hens for the health and safety of my current flock

 

[getaclue]

Isn't karma a pain in the neck? My middle daughter came over this evening to wish me Happy Mother's Day. In one hand, she had nice bouquet of roses. In the other hand, she had a box. As she handed me the box, she said "mom, don't have a cow, have a duck". In the box was a baby duck. Her sister rescued it, after the mom, and it's siblings got run over by a car. Her sister called her. They realized it needed a brooder set up, and neither of them could provide for it, so middle daughter brought it to me.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Who even started giving live animals as presents?
I mean dogs or cats or even other indoor animals might make a good gift but not if the giftee doesn’t want it. Gifts are supposed to make people happy and be what they always dreamed of, not a couple birds that you never needed/wanted.

 

[NightingaleJen]

Wow. They're probably just trying to be nice, but sometimes it seems people don't think these things all the way through.

In addition to "No" when "Please, don't" doesn't work, the words of Mr. Knightley to Emma Woodhouse come to mind:

"Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable."

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I agree with "No."
People are so ignorant sometimes. Why do that? You don't need the hens. You don't know anything about them. It isn't a good surprise if you don't want it. And even if you do, they should ask you first.