is this stealing? should i put free range hen into my coop?

[ChickNhood]

I say take her.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

LOL I'd run out there to the fountain with a small hutch and put her in it with the eggs, some food, and water. Then she'd be safe and it is your parents' land, eh? So putting a hutch on the land isn't an issue. Then I'd just let her and her chicks go when they were able to travel.

But I would tell the owner of the chicken so he wouldn't worry- and if he didn't like it I'd let her go.

I couldn't stand to see a precious little hen mama open to raccoon attack like that on my parents' land.

 

[EmtheFishLady]

I think you're comparing apples to oranges, Em. What's being discussed is not someone's hen on a one-time escape from a barnyard, the subject is a neighbor who habitually lets his chickens wander without any restraint. A rooster and hens allowed to leave the owner's property without any effort being taken to keep them in. No coop, no pen, just let the chooks out and let them go where they may. The flock habitually enters the OP's parents yard, and the broody laid her eggs in the parents' empty fountain. Not only are the chickens endangered in this way, but the neighbor is also allowing them to be a nuisance. The rooster crows and the hens squawk under the OP's parents' windows, for pete sake. How would you feel about a neighbor letting his flock loose to come dig up your garden beds and poop on your patio? LOL! In this case, the person may not even notice or care that one of his hens is missing. The OP hasn't mentioned the neighbor going door to door frantically trying to locate a beloved missing hen. When one of my bantam hens got away, I DID go door to door trying to find her. When she returned on her own, I made sure my coop was secure so it wouldn't happen again. My first action would be to politely talk with the neighbor and see if some arrangement could be made to coop the flock. If he doesn't seem to care, FKLW.

Then go talk to the neighbor. You don't take someone's animal without ever contacting them. The OP asked if it was stealing. Fact is, it is. Doesn't matter what your intentions are, it's still stealing.

 

[ChickNhood]

Just take her and the eggs...hatch the chicks...keep the chicks and release bird

 

[NYREDS]

I'm glad I don't live next to any of you who feel you can justify taking something that doesn't belong to you. What great neighbors you all must be.

 

[ajlynco]

I'm glad I don't live next to any of you who feel you can justify taking something that doesn't belong to you. What great neighbors you all must be.

X2

Everyone's basing thier opinion on speculation and assumption that trhe owner of the birds doesn't care about/want them? Has anyone actually talked to the owner in regards to his chook's situation? Fred's right, you're justifying stealing and I wonder how many of you even gave it a second thought. I think this is a no-brainer, it's not yours, leave it.

 

[GardenerGal]

If someone's animals CONSTANTLY are allowed to trespass on your property, and after speaking with them they take no action, then I really don't have a problem with cooping a broody that is in danger of being killed by predators. Either that, or simply call the animal control officer and have the animals confiscated and placed in a shelter.
I'm not advocating simply taking an animal that wanders onto your property.
I'm NOT talkiing about accidental escape or occasional wandering. Pets get out of enclosures, but if the owner is making an honest effort to provide proper housing, then I would certainly not "punish" him for having been unable to always restrain his animals. I'm going on the assumption (yes, it's an assumption) that the owner in the OP's thread simply can't be bothered to provide fencing and/or housing for his pets, and isn't considering their safety and welfare, or the nuisance factor for the neighbors.
Yes, TALK TO THE OWNER FIRST, and asses the situation. Then take whatever action is most ethical (e.g. give him a chance to fix the situation; call Animal Control or SPCA, or give the broody hen a safe place to raise her brood).
We're not talking about a whole flock, but a single broody hen in danger because she is nesting on someone else's property, exposed to predators and the elements. My concern is first and primarily for that broody and her eggs/chicks, and that is what motivated my response. Period.
Think what you like.

 

[GardenerGal]

By the way, the "It's not yours, leave it" would be okay if it was on the owner's property, and of course that would be the correct response. But the broody is on the NEIGHBORS' property. You're putting the burden of conscience for the broody's safety and the consequences of her nesting site, on the neighbors' shoulders. The person whose property it's on has a right to a say, here.



I sure as hell would feel awful if someone's hen nested in my fountain and i just let a hawk come snatch her on my watch. If the owner doesn't care where she is, that puts the burden on me.



Think of the hen as a living entity, not property, and act to protect HER (and her brood). THEN it's a "no brainer."

 

[Mattemma]

Well what does the hens owner say?

I would take her and the eggs in immediately and protect them if the owner did not.Then I would offer the hen and chicks back later.Maybe the owner would say keep them.Maybe not.Regardless I would feel bad knowing I left an animal in a risky situation and did nothing.

Now if the hen was on the owners land out in the open I would be wanting to take it in,but would only OFFER to do so.Going onto the OWNERS property would be considered theft even if an animal is in danger. Read about people being charged for dog-napping all the time. In this case you would have to call AC,but I doubt they would do anything for a broody hen out in the open regardless of whose land it is on.


The owner needs to be contacted so he/she can decide to take her home,or leave her for whatever outcome.

 

[EmtheFishLady]

 X2  

 Everyone's basing thier opinion on speculation and assumption that trhe owner of the birds doesn't care about/want them? Has anyone actually talked to the owner in regards to his chook's situation? Fred's right, you're justifying stealing and I wonder how many of you even gave it a second thought. I think this is a no-brainer, it's not yours, leave it. 

I'm glad at least a few people still have morals and common sense. The justifications of everyone else on here makes me wonder how many of those missing hens everyone posts about were actually "rescued".