I Just Stole My Neighbors' Chicken: UPDATE! PICS

[Judy]

Quote:
Doesn't sound the least bit absurd, not on BYC!

I imagine your neighbor is also feeling awkward and bad, for wanting to have her but not handling her well. It's actually pretty amazing that he could see this was better for her, and make this decision, even though he must have felt quite embarrassed.

Anyway, you handled it well. You don't have to be happy about it, only know you did the right thing by all.

Yeah, once a week, or even once every dozen eggs, would be plenty.

 

[Henrietta23]

Haven't read the whole thread, probably should. This is exactly how I ended up with one of my favorite chickens. My neighbor never asked about her. She lived with us for years. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

I think we need a pic !

 

[Ed62]

I just now saw this thread. There's no doubt you did the right thing. I was a little surprised to hear that he actually cared about her. It worked out best for everyone.

Ed

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here, if the chicken/dog/cat is loose and free ranging, it pretty much belongs to whomever takes it in. I ended up with 11 guineas that way. My neighbor got the eggs, hatched em, incubated the chicks and when they were old enough and it was warm enough, he let them loose to free range. They promptly moved into my big old shade tree for the summer and then come winter moved into my old pine tree. I didn't even have chickens at the time. Now they free range all over the neighborhood, wherever they can scam a free meal and come back to one of those 2 trees at night. Occasionally other neighbors chickens come for a visit or mine go visit the neighbors. We call them the 80th Street Gagnstas and we all keep feed out for whoever's chicken drops in, LOL! Good old sougthern hospitality.

I keep my chickens in the coop at night because we have predators here, but I think most of the others birds either end up in a tree or on a porch or something. So we would not have considered it 'stealing' if you took in a chicken or chickens. It's an extreme act of neighborliness on your part to give him the eggs, I hope he appreciates what a kind gesture that is.

Ya done good!

 

[Laurajean]

I feel like a new mother. I want to keep going out to check on her but it's dark and cold and I don't want to keep waking them up.

A part of the story I didn't think to mention earlier: This neighbor told me a story once that another neighbor (who has since moved so I've never met him) used to complain that his chickens would come into his yard and eat his grapes. Then one day the now former neighbor built a make-shift chicken coop and just kept my neighbors chickens! He was telling me how insulting it was, that the neighbor would just steal his chickens that way.

When they came over to my yard everyday (back when there were more of them alive), I never minded at all, and neither did my neighbor. They would spend their days here, foraging around my yard, hanging out with me and it was fine. But my big thing is that I wouldn't be free ranging this chicken. If I kept her, she'd be locked in my coop with the others, so it wasn't really the same as when they wandered over here by choice. I still feel really awkward about the whole thing, but I do believe I handled it in the best way possible, and I'm glad that his thought for the chicken was stronger than his pride.

Awww, now I wanna go hug her again!

 

[babylady4]

Good for you! Thank you for doing what is not the most popular thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
It's funny how doing the right thing is making me feel so sad, but thank you. I DO know I did the right thing, but I can't help thinking how I would feel if he came to me and asked for my pet to give it a better home. I would be mortified. So it's bittersweet; I hate hurting people's feelings. But I can't wait to spoil her and give her the home she deserves with her new mini-chicken family. She looks really funny amongst all the bantams!

 

[babylady4]

Can you invite them to come over and hang with your chooks? Toss them scratch and so on? Let them visit her whenever they wish? Might make them feel better and you too!

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
Yes, I certainly can try that. Maybe once she settles in and hoping all goes well and the other chickens accept her, I'll have them come over and take a look at how happy she is with her new pals. I just hope my chickens like living with her as much as they liked her visiting! They seemed not to care in the least, but I'm a little nervous hearing horror stories about introducing new chickens. But so far they've been fine. Hung out together all afternoon, and then she perched separately from them at dark, but hopefully that will change with time. I'll be very happy if and when I see them all cuddle because it gets cold here and she's a big chicken, so it would be great for them to share her body heat.