Introducing free range chickens to neighbors

[aart]

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

..and he will be looking for more 'girlfriends'.

 

[haleyhens]

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.

 

[haleyhens]

Oh I so appreciate all that was great advice I will be getting with my neighbors this afternoon and pretty much insisting that they secure their flock my flock will be chicken wired in because I’m not going to let them free range for quite a while and I do not have a rooster on purpose not ready for that yet thank you so much

 

[haleyhens]

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.

 

[centrarchid]

Without details on the area involve, I assume area available is too small for flocks to range only on property of owners. Free-range keeping involves acreage that may not be available by a single land owner in a typical neighborhood setting.

 

[123RedBeard]

Good fence(s) make good (better?) neighbors ...

Sooner or later you will be wanting your own fence ... why not now?

my flock will be chicken wired in

Not sure where you live, but ... if you ever have loose dogs roaming the neighborhood, your gonna want better security for them than just that.