I Just Stole My Neighbors' Chicken: UPDATE! PICS

[Laurajean]

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ALL the others are dead. All of them. The geese, turkeys, several breeds or chickens, all eaten by predators or "disappeared". I watched as they would wander over to my yard each day, and notice "Darn, another one is gone". I guess that's why I'm feeling so protective over this last chicken. She's the only one left!

 

[Chicken0Boy]

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I agree. Even if he "doesn't care" for his chickens, he might be interested in making a buck. Don't offer money to him or he'll likely try to get more for it. Just go with the offer to shelter his chicken and give him some eggs occasionally.

He definitely wouldn't report me no matter what. For one thing, I've been a good neighbor and pet and house sit for them when needed. Plus, people around here don't "report" things. It's very old school back woods type folk here, he would either resent me asking or not mind me asking, but he wouldn't take any sort of action even if I outright kept it without asking, which I wouldn't do. I feel the right thing to do is ask and just hope he says yes.

About quarantining. Of course I did not think of that.

She's already out there mingling with them and sharing water, so is it too late for that? I have no reason to think she is unhealthy in any way.

Just ask and hope for a yes! It seems as if the worst he could say is no

 

[Omniskies]

Gush. Go over to him with an adorable story. Don't make it sound like the hen fled in there looking for food, or that you even _noticed_ his birds are gone. Act like there's nothing wrong, but that he has THE most adorable hen. Tell him how smitten your rooster is with her.

Just make it sound like this has nothing to do with how he's caring (or not caring) for his birds. This is all about this _one_ chicken that you think is the greatest thing ever. See if he'd be willing to sell her to you. It's a lot easier to ask someone a favor when you're obviously smitten and you're waving cash in their face. If he is losing his birds then he'll probably want to cut his loss, take the money, and feel like he is doing a great thing for someone who is clearly a little crazy about birds.

That's my advice. It's nonthreatening and you're giving him a reason why you want to keep her that doesn't subtlely say to him "I've noticed you have no concept of how to take care of a chicken, so I was wondering if you'd let me do it before you kill _another_ one."

Good luck.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

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Sounds like it's already been interacting with her chickens anyway - so anything it had, it would have passed along. Doesn't sound like it needs quarantine to me.

I think OP is wonderful to care for her.

Yes, I thought I might be bringing it up for nothing, but sometimes it can be helpful to bring the subject of quarantine up.

 

[kathyinmo]

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I agree. I would certainly not keep it without offering to pay for it, for sure. It is, after all, his chicken. Agree with his methods or not, it is his choice. I would also be concerned about not quarantining the chicken.

 

[The Lisser]

I doubt he'd even notice, but having been "discovered" myself I like the suggestions of offering to pay for the chicken, saying that she wandered in the coop and has been hard to catch.

I have a similar story, not to hijack your thread. My neighbors had some cats that came over and ate my outdoor cats' food and spent lots of time on my property. These are male cats that were peeing on my door, harassing my cats. Like your neighbor and his fowl, they just lets the cats "fend for themselves". I was worried about them biting my daughter and giving her some disease. I was not really on speaking terms with these neighbors. I volunteer with a feral cat spay/neuter group that gets big discounts for vet work. So one by one I trapped them, had them neutered and vaccinated, treated for mites and fleas, and treated for wounds and released them to return to their usual habits. My neighbors never even noticed their cats had been neutered. I figured if they asked me about it I would say that I didn't know who the cats belonged to (there are several other ferals that roam the neighborhood).

One day, one of these cats gets stuck in a huge poplar tree on my property. Probably 30 feet up. Fire department won't come out. DH tried to build a ramp for the cat (spent $100). We tried a pulley thing with a basket with bait in it. I know everyone says cats will come down but this guy was up there for 3 days. If he passed out and fell it would probably kill him. He meowed so much he lost his voice permanently. I finally ended paying someone $50 to bring a 40 ft ladder out and rescue the cat. Do you think I was going to return him to the owner after shelling out so much money for the cat to probably get himself killed some way? Nooo. They'd had enough cats get killed in the road I figure they won't notice one less cat . . . until six months later they see him sunning himself in my windowsill.

Long story short, it was a good thing that my daughter started crying her eyes out when the woman came in the house and clutched the cat to her, all hysterical (he was scared out of his wits!). The woman felt bad for my daughter. I told her I didn't know who the cat belonged to and that I spent quite a bit of money on the cat (she acted like she thought I was lying about the getting stuck in a tree story). I told her she was welcome to visit him any time. She still stops by sometimes and asks about the cat, but so far so good. I noticed she put a collar on her remaining cat.

 

[key west chick]

Sorry, I would just keep her and never say a word...

 

[Laurajean]

Okay, twenty-something replies so far and no one seems to think this would be a horrible thing to do, so I think I'm going over to ask. I'll bring a bunch of my bantam eggs as a little door gift. I'll tell him that the hen always likes hanging out with my chickens, and now she's got herself in the coop and seems to like the company..... and casually say how safe and happy she seems to be..... I can also tell him I can bring him eggs from her now that she's contained (who knows where she was laying before, but I'm sure he never got any of the eggs).

I don't think offering money would be a good idea. I think he would take that as a slight insult, although I could say "I'll happily give you an adoption fee if you let me adopt her", or something that sounds less money oriented, and more emotion oriented. I think I'll just focus on how much I love her company and now that she's the only one left she seems so happy with the company of my chickens..... etc.

Assuming they're even home right now, I'll be back in a short while to post the result. If they aren't home, I have no idea what to do? Maybe just keep her in the coop until I can catch them tomorrow? Seems harmless enough, at least she's safe.

Oh, I'm nervous! Wish me luck guys!

PS: By the way, if I never asked and just kept her he wouldn't have a clue. However, one day he or his boyfriend might walk over and see her in my coop. She would stand out like a sore thumb amongst my Silkies!

Plus, I just feel like it's the right thing to do, is ask. I don't want to steal from my neighbors, no matter how tempting it is in this case.

 

[dandelionheart]

The Lisser... I have a well, not exactly similar story, but kinda... Someone needed to get rid of their indoor/outdoor kitty but didn't want to take it to the shelter. I said that I'd be fine with it here, we'd put a cat door in the old carriage house (really a little garage) and we'd feed her. She'd been spayed, had an awesome attitude, was used to being outside. We have three old kitties inside that are declawed, etc. so I didn't want her inside (and I don't declaw). I collared her and she liked it here... she would disappear for a day or two, then three, then completely. I was slightly worried, but figured that someone else was giving her a good home for the winter. Sure enough, the first really nice day in spring she was hunting squirrels in our yard, with a new collar, with a new name.

Good for her. Hope they didn't take her in to the vets and try to get her spayed again.

And we get to enjoy her when she meanders on over.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

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