Introducing free range chickens to neighbors

[haleyhens]

Hello fellow chicken lovers
I have recently moved and my four leg horn hens have just been delivered to my new farmhouse.They are almost a year old. My neighbor has one rooster with seven very devoted hens that insist on free ranging in my yard. My girls are locked in a coop with a run attached. The neighbors flocks came to visit last night and I noticed one of the neighboring hens pecking through the chicken wire with one of my girls pecking back. I am not sureIf I should allow my girls out immediately or how I should handle this introduction. Please help

 

[Trimurtisan]

For starters, are you okay with his animals being on your property? Personally I wouldn't worry about an intro at all, I'd worry about your neighbor securing his birds. I would go talk with your neighbor before ever expecting his birds to hang out with yours.

If you are okay with his flock mingling with yours, you could just do the "see but no touch" process, which is what's happening right now with your birds pinned. It just seems like very high risk with very low to no reward.

Really though, I would not want anyone else flock mixing with my birds, for a bunch of reasons. Starting with simply not knowing how their birds are kept. Are they clean of viruses. Are they aggressive. Do they have roosters? Do you have young children a rude rooster could attack? If they injure one of your birds, what is the neighbor willing to do to make it right? Are they going to be eating your birds' feed? Is the neighbor going to pay for said feed? What if one of your birds injures one of his, are you willing to make it right? Are you going to have a "feel free to kill my bird in defense" conversation? I know if I saw my neighbors roo tearing in to my roo, it's getting shot. Lucky me, my neighbors don't have a rooster.

I have a rooster that is smarter than I am when it comes to getting out. Almost everyday this pain in my rear is in the front yard. He likes to go to my neighbors and forage in his yard (not dominant, and lack of competition). I can't stand it, it's not where he belongs. My neighbor actually doesn't mind it, but he knows I do mind it, so he lets me know "Hey man, you'r roo is back." We keep a pretty open communication in regards to it, but if he where to be upset about it, I'd totally understand. It's not his bird or responsibility. (though it just might be his dinner some day)

I wish you the best of luck on figuring out how to go about the situation. I would strongly recommend finding a solution that works for you both, but mainly in the well being of your own flock.

 

[SSSophie]

I completely agree with what Trimurtisan had to say. You know nothing about these folks yet or their cleanliness standards. The first thought that came to mind here was an illness. Where have these birds been? Are they carriers of something? What is their history? There are *SO* many things that could go wrong here I would nip that in the rear end before any issues could arise. Would you expose your flock to a new flock of strange birds with NO quarantine steps in place? I personally would consider it a HUGE risk to my babies.

Edit: Anything these folks decide to do with their flock could impact yours. If they bring home a new bird or visit another farm they could bring home so many things. Biosecurity is a must.. Please be careful and I wish you the best of luck~!

 

[aart]

I am not sureIf I should allow my girls out immediately or how I should handle this introduction.

Keep your birds confined for a couple weeks just to home them to the new location.
Did you move birds and their coop and run from your old place?

@Trimurtisan has covered the points I was thinking.

Sounds like a tough situation, new neighbors and a potentially contentious scenario.
Best of cLuck.

 

[centrarchid]

Two flocks where one has a skewed sex ratio towards female. I think after a brief period of working out pecking order, the flocks are going to merge into one if allowed to mingle. Either neighbors flock will move in with yours or the other way around. The bio-security / health issues are water under the bridge since flocks have range overlap and already came into contact.

 

[haleyhens]

Keep your birds confined for a couple weeks just to home them to the new location.
Did you move birds and their coop and run from your old place?

@Trimurtisan has covered the points I was thinking.

Sounds like a tough situation, new neighbors and a potentially contentious scenario.
Best of cLuck.

 

[haleyhens]

Yes I did move the coop with my girls

 

[haleyhens]

Two flocks where one has a skewed sex ratio towards female. I think after a brief period of working out pecking order, the flocks are going to merge into one if allowed to mingle. Either neighbors flock will move in with yours or the other way around. The bio-security / health issues are water under the bridge since flocks have range overlap and already came into contact.

 

[haleyhens]

not sure what you mean skewed sex ratio… Are you talking about the rooster already having his own hens and then trying to incorporate my hens

 

[centrarchid]

not sure what you mean skewed sex ratio… Are you talking about the rooster already having his own hens and then trying to incorporate my hens

You have a hens only flock, they will be looking for a boyfriend.