Neighbor's Chickens Trying to Join My Flock

[Floof]

Read my follow up posts. I am NOT recommending she provides 100% of these birds balanced diet. I'm talking about a sack of corn or something. You can get a 50lb bag here under $5

Dang where are you getting it from? Around here, TSC sells a 50lb sack for more than double that. Even buying directly from the mill is almost $10.

 

[NatJ]

if rationing, what is a good rule of thumb for 12 girls?

A common estimate is 1/4 pound to 1/3 pound, per chicken, per day.

For 12 chickens, that's 3 to 4 pounds per day. So a 50 pound bag would last about 2 weeks.

How many cups per pound varies, but someone weighed one brand here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/figured-out-how-many-cups-of-feed-equals-one-pound.673097/

They found that 1/4 pound was 3/4 cup, and 1/3 pound was 1 cup.

Given that the chickens are underweight now, I would suggest one cup per chicken per day (and hope that their chicken food has a similar weight-per-cup to what that other person measured.)

Yes, that would mean they have been providing 2 chickens' worth of food for their 12 chickens.

they eat so fast they are sneezing and coughing the whole time (not because they're sick but because they are inhaling it).

If you're going to let them eat your food anyway, try making it wet with water. It will help with the sneezing and coughing and choking from trying to gobble it down dry. Water also makes the food swell up, so they will feel full faster (not sure if that effect is good or bad, if this is their only good meal of the day.)

 

[Cecisflock]

maybe you could tell them how lack of food = lack of eggs (or quality eggs anyway)

 

[Snooky doodle]

I think that an anonymous call to Animal Control is appropriate.

Problem is that will guarantee a falling out with the nieghbors-of course they'll know who did it,they may treat thier chickens worse just to spite you! Some people who own animals just don't get it! When the neighbors chickens wander in my backyard my guineas send them running home pronto!! It's a sad situation,though...

 

[Cecisflock]

I think it’s important to phrase this issue in terms that would resonate with your neighbors. Are they trying to save money by having the girls free range? If so, then raising the point that their chickens are “robbing” you might be something that they can understand. You can take a video of them gobbling down your feed and say something along the lines of, “Look, I really like your chickens and all, but they’re getting into my run and eating our feed. I’m not sure where else they’ve been able to forage, but they’ve decided that my feeders are the best place to get a meal and they’re eating a lot. I worry what will happen if your whole flock discovers where these few have been going. I don’t mind feeding them, but would you mind reimbursing me for the cost of the food?”
If they aren’t willing to pay you back, then you could suggest that they need to come up with a better way to keep their chickens out of your feed. You can always play a little dumb and say, “I don’t know if it would help, but (insert something about spreading the feed out so all chickens can get to it equally, trying to feed them more just to see if it would keep them closer to home, etc)
If you have a good relationship with them, then tell them that! “Hey, I’m really glad that you guys are our neighbors and that we’ve been able to get along so well. I don’t want chicken feed to get in the way of that, but at the same time, we can’t afford to feed your flock and ours.”
Just some thoughts, good luck! That’s a tough situation to be in.

x2 for sure!

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

You are a good person for making sure those chickens don't go hungry.

I just thought of another possible way to handle this. You could tell her that you value her friendship, but you have a problem and need her help. Then show her this thread. Once she reads it, she will realize that it's not just you telling her how to take care of chickens. It's a lot of chicken people saying the same thing. Or maybe that wouldn't work for you, I don't know.

 

[Weeg]

You are a good person for making sure those chickens don't go hungry.

I just thought of another possible way to handle this. You could tell her that you value her friendship, but you have a problem and need her help. Then show her this thread. Once she reads it, she will realize that it's not just you telling her how to take care of chickens. It's a lot of chicken people saying the same thing. Or maybe that wouldn't work for you, I don't know.

Thats a good idea, other then the comments on call gin animal control, that would turn her away from it before she even reads the whole thing, but maybe if just the areas without those comments were shown it would be okay. You're just have to screen shot specific sections so she can't see the whole thing.
Otherwise, thats a great idea.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Close up your run before the time you know they usually come running down and snap a picture of them all waiting to get into the run and your food. Tell your neighbor you think it’s kind of funny, but that they go into such a frenzy that they spill all your food everywhere and your food is gone within minutes. You might also mention that you are having to buy double the amount of food.

Well today they caught me in action. I left a feeder full of dust out and their birds were out fighting over the tiny film of dust in my yard (my girls never eat the dust left from their crumbles so I usually throw it out). They definitely saw all their birds down here eating out of a feeder. But they had company so it wasn't addressed.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

I dont know exactly how much they should be feeding them it depends on how much forage they have how long they are let out each day what time of year it is how many acres they have etc. But i do know that 2 cups for 12 hens is only around 2 tablespoons per hen

Thanks! I think they're out at all day at least. But right now they still seem hungry for feed. I'm guessing the 2 tbsp per hen end up mostly being a cup each to the top hens.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Well today they caught me in action. I left a feeder full of dust out and their birds were out fighting over the tiny film of dust in my yard (my girls never eat the dust left from their crumbles so I usually throw it out). They definitely saw all their birds down here eating out of a feeder. But they had company so it wasn't addressed.

Well, I get organic feed for my chickens and I pay $34 for a 50 pound bag, maybe if they don’t do anything about it, just leave a 50 pound sack of feed on their doorstep, LOL!