I have FREE LOADING CHICKENS! UPDATE!!! POST 1

[EggsForIHOP]

God bless their little souls...they know where the good life is...now only if they would leave an egg or two here I wouldn't mind!

See...what had happened was....

The neighbors ran out and bought chickens (full grown, chickens) when they saw my little babies this spring. Cool, we can be chicken buddies

Then, only 3 hens and the rooster survived the wilds of our little dirt road. Survival rate in my flock = MUCH better...but I keep mine in a coop at night, safe, etc...these chickens just kind of roam, have since day one really. That is part of why I wasn't too worried about bio-contamination type stuff. They already pooped all over my yard...I wasn't going to bleach my yard to remove said poop, so I didn't worry myself too much over it. they USED TO go home to sleep and lay eggs...but now...

Well now, tonight, I noticed that the neighbors hens are all ASLEEP ON TOP OF MY RUN TO MY COOP! I though they were mine, I was late locking up since we had been out riding, and I grabbed the broom to shoo them down and in when I stopped and did a head count. YUP! THREE EXTRAS! Now, I know they eat my chicken food, drink my water, and apparently are sleeping with my hens! SO....I've always said an egg in my yard is my egg - possession being nine tenths of the law and all...but is it unethical to ENCOURAGE them to lay eggs over here? Honestly, I like these neighbors, they are pretty cool...just not so great with the animals. I know they don't feed the chickens - I asked one time what they fed and they looked at me crazy. Which, to each his own, but clearly they are more than happy to come eat my pelleted feed...so is an occasional egg in one of my nest boxes bad?

See...what I was thinking was...maybe if I should JUST SO HAPPEN to set a nest box in the yard that should JUST SO HAPPEN to have a few encouraging golf balls in it, MAYBE I would find an egg...just saying...

I know it sounds evil ya'll, but I regularly throw the NON horse quality hay out to their goats and set out water for their dog most of the summer...I think they mean well...but don't realize that the animals need just a smidge more attention than they have been getting....so am I an evil egg thief for even thinking this? Because when I saw them sleeping up there all snuggly...all I could think was "Now, where's my eggs?"


UPDATE!!!!! SOOOOO.......I came home from work today about 1pm-ish after being gone ALLL night and morning. I had a crummy day, lots of corporate peoples hanging about, frustrating new computers installed, etc....WELL WE GOT A DARK BROWN GIANT EGG! IN THE OUTSIDE OF THE COOP NEST BOX! AND my chickens were all still in the coop/run! SO I KNOW A FREE LOADER LAID IT! It's working!!

I still feel a smidge guilty, BUT I DO feed these chickens by proxy and they are offered all the same kindnesses my little angels are...so I have decided to eat it for breakfast in a while and not worry anymore (PLUS ya'll agree you would do it too

) So thank you BYC

Silly, I know, but I had to tell some chicken people 'cause only ya'll would get it!

 

[Ema]

well maybe your neighbours should keep their chickens in their yard...lol..the way I see it, if they eat your food and treat your coop like their home that egg belongs to you.

 

[ChickenRonin]

I agree with Ema. If they aren't even caring to feed them, I can't imagine that they are actually going out and finding/using the eggs. If you're really conflicted about it though, you could always casually mention to your neighbors that their chickens are freeloading and you are going to start collecting rent in the form of eggs

 

[EggsForIHOP]

LOL I like the rent thing...though I think I might just be hush hush about it...play dumb all winter and blame the lack of eggs on the weather turning cold...they don't know...they don't BYC (I did ask)...I feel diabolically evil encouraging laying tho...but still...you are right...I do feed them (actually they go in the coop and feed themselves as soon as I open the door most afternoons)....I think I just sprouted horns!

 

[Plucky Pullet]

I love it. In all fairness You can collect these free-loading chickens eggs as payment, I would. I you have a plan blaming cooler weather/ shorter days on less eggs in their yard, and when the warmer weather comes back..... well I guess the hens were older than they thought

 

[wolftracks]

I'm concidering becoming a chicken thief.

They're building a new house across the street from me. Once it was all cleared 5 black hens (think it's a momma and her pullet girls) have been walking around the neighborhood, scratching and pilfering.

Then the guy down the street has games. I have some also that are lose all day in my yard. My 4 yr old grand daughter came running to tell me the chickens were out and I'm chasing 3 hens down the street. I get tto the house that they really lives at and noticed they weren't mine. Look up and a bunch of men are watching me and one looks a little peeved. Then I look close and see that they are a bit different from mine. Oops! His wife came out of the house like she was going to beat the heck out of me. Glad I saw a difference in tail feathers or we would have looked really stupid rolling aorund fighting over 2 hens.

So now the other 5 hens are trying to hang out in front and I think they are from where the new house is being built and they left them behind while it was going on. None of the freeloaders here are leaving eggs either. But I have a tire I need to move and I saw that some people use them for nesting. Been toying with the idea for the past 3 days if I should toss in come bedding and and leave it in the drive to see what happens. And if they come in my backyard and my 2 cranky games don't attack them, then I say if they like it they can stay.

I think you've got nothing to lose by putting a nesting box out there. Heck it could be for your own girls and they just happen to make a deposit.

 

[EggsForIHOP]

I love it that I am not alone in this! IF they should say anything I am blaming all of ya'll! Actually, I wouldn't do that...but I am going to make a cozy little egg drop box of sorts first thing in the morning...like a night deposit at the bank...and whos to say which cloaca on which chicken any egg should have come out of right? I don't think they can do vent prints, there is no chicken CSI here in the boonies! (Insert evil chuckles....now....

)

 

[wolftracks]

I need to start taking pics. I never do.

The 5 running around here are so cute to watch. One day the big one came through another neighbors iron gate, then another, then another, until there were 5. It was so funny. Looked like a video game with chickens popping up and over.

 

[EggsForIHOP]

I bet that's hilarious to watch! Like some crazy chicken themed pac man action!

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
Exactly