Neighbor's Chickens Trying to Join My Flock

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

You paid them?

In the heat of the moment, my husband did. he was at his limit with how much longer he could deal with the tom turkey in our yard. I didn't have a problem with the turkey but he seemed to think my husband and dog were his nemeses and would obsessively stalk them all day if I weren't there to keep them separated (which was a full-time job). Anyway, my husband had kindly asked them to re-home the turkey sooner than later when we first knew they were moving and they ignored him (some months ago). This time, after a nasty confrontation (the ONE time I wasn't home on referee duty), my husband was less kind and more insistent. When they said they would list him but were going to try to get $200 for him, my husband said he'd pay for it if they would just get it taken care of ASAP. This was especially urgent because we realized the neighbors were planning to lock the tom in the shed all day in the meantime to avoid issues (NOT what we wanted!). Luckily that same day my friend agreed to take the whole flock, turkeys included--and since I was last-minute asking her a huge favor that meant her and her husband would have to do A TON of work in the next 24 hours, I did not feel bad about paying on their behalf and knowing the flock would go to a good home. Worth its weight in gold, frankly.

Fun side note: I can now tell our house sitters to disregard all the additional instructions about taking care of the neighbor chickens and avoiding turkey confrontation.

 

[aart]

When they said they would list him but were going to try to get $200 for him, my husband said he'd pay for it if they would just get it taken care of ASAP.

So you paid $200 for a turkey and how many chickens?

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

So you paid $200 for a turkey and how many chickens?

10 chickens and 2 turkeys (all ~1 year old). worth my husband's sanity--and because I did become bonded with them--worth knowing they're okay. If we didn't pay that who knows how long this would've dragged on... definitely well beyond the heat wave.

But yeah. Ridiculous price tag requested from people who did not put very much into raising them to begin with. I'm sure we'd already spent that by then in feed, time, and energy.

 

[Isadora]

Ridiculous price tag requested from people who did not put very much into raising them to begin with.

$200? Wow, holy cow.

 

[NatJ]

Under the circumstances, it sounds like paying was the fastest and easiest way to end the matter. I'm glad you got the whole situation resolved!

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

I'm so happy for the animals and can't thank you enough for doing all that for them, you are very special

Thank you for the kind words. I feel that way about you and all those who heard me out in this thread--it was an outlet that helped keep me sane.