People keep dumping unwanted roos at local park, overcrowding is an issue, is it a good idea to rescue some (and treat them for potential diseases)

[Barnette]

Ugh, I wish I lived closer so I could come help you. I would totally adopt some of those poor chickens and try to convince the town to do something about it...

 

[GodLovesU]

Not sure if it’ll help but here’s an article I wrote on rehoming and responsibility :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/three-reasons-to-rehome.79725/

 

[FranzBear]

Update, net arrived and I am surprised I have actually caught 1 hen that happened to be on the outside, is is one of only 3 tan mixed breed hens in the park like the one in the first picture, closest to the yellow bin (they look similar to each other so they're probably mothers daughters or sisters). She is a small bantam mix and very flighty, but otherwise good health, just a few scabs on her comb. unfortunately I was unable to catch her single chick that was several weeks old and after a while the chickens all ran from me so I couldn't catch any more. I was sad but had to tell myself at least the chick was fully feathered and was around the time it had to be 'weaned' anyway; it was old enough that I could tell it was a roo, and it's summer here and the nights are not cold so he should be ok.

I shut her away in old rabbit hutch with some food and water to quarantine her, unfortunately when I checked on her next the warped wooden door popped off and she immediately escaped and is mixing with my free range chickens... My property is fenced all around so she cannot leave but it's very large and I don't think I can catch her again. She is in the last picture to the right, next to my Rhode Island reds under the mango tree...she was pacing all around the fence trying to find a way to leave but at last settled and started scratching, a bit further from the main flock but not far... should I try to find out where she roosts tonight and try to catch her again?

Next order of business, I think I will try to catch the 3 ducklings, I don't know how their quality of life would be like growing up there, I've seen sick and dying chicks there before and it's so sad. unfortunately I don't have a pond or lake so I will have to find a rescuer thru fb or council first. However they're still small enough to keep ducking thru the wire fence and they're surprisingly hard to catch.

 

[FranzBear]

Update: sorry for not updating there's been endless rain and flood warnings, made me worried for the chooks and I went to the park and luckily there was one outside which I caught, a small roo, he freaked out and made the most distressing calls in the car but after washing and drying him he turned out to be extremely chill, I think he definitely had human contact when he was younger, fell asleep to me massage his humongous comb which judging from the scabs and broken tail feathers he's been in a few fights...I think he's at least a few years old. He weighed 1.2kg which is about 2.6 pounds, and I felt him, he was skin, feathers and bones as I reckon should be a small medium and should be around the 1.5kg mark...I hope to fatten him up and by the way he's eating like his life depends on it I'm sure he will fatten up in no time, I think I will feed him chick starter for the higher protein content. I don't have the best quarantine setup but put him in a rabbit hutch and the girls have been interested in him. Like the bantam hen I also rescued they are relatively clean with no visible mites or lice which makes me think the council does medicate them...or that they're lucky. His crow doesn't have the multi tiered sounds in a cockadoodledoo just a long 'caaaaaaaaarrk' but he doesn't crow that often. What a sweet thing....I'll see what others I can rescue

 

[FranzBear]

Update: sorry for not updating there's been endless rain and flood warnings, made me worried for the chooks and I went to the park and luckily there was one outside which I caught, a bantam roo, he freaked out and made the most distressing calls in the car but after washing and drying him he turned out to be extremely chill, I think he definitely had human contact when he was younger, fell asleep to me massage his humongous comb which judging from the scabs and broken tail feathers he's been in a few fights...I think he's at least a few years old. He weighed 1.2kg which is about 2.6 pounds, skin, feathers and bones...I hope to fatten him up and by the way he's eating like his life depends on it I'm sure he will fatten up in no time, I think I will feed him chick starter for the higher protein content. I don't have the best quarantine setup but put him in a rabbit hutch and the girls have been interested in him. Like the bantam hen I also rescued they are relatively clean with no visible mites or lice which makes me think the council does medicate them...or that they're lucky. His crow doesn't have the multi tiered sounds in a cockadoodledoo just a long 'caaaaaaaaarrk' but he doesn't crow that often. What a sweet thing....I'll see what others I can rescue

I realized I had caught him in an earlier photo I posted here, running past the yellow council bin. I'm not sure but I think I might have actually caught the mate of the hen I first caught, I had seen him protective of a dun coloured hen that also frequents the outside. It appears only the bantams manage to escape to wander the outside...I did see a council member finally on the inside of the fence today but I was driving home from shopping and didn't stop to talk to them, they appeared busy fixing a fallen branch or tree , but I should have to see if they would have been able to let me in to catch the larger chickens. Oh well, next time

 

[ChookaPete]

I grew up raising small animals for meat. The idea of dumping my animals was never considered. Are there no hungry people in your town that would not enjoy a chicken or duck dinner? Is there no one left that knows how to butcher poultry?

Nothing about this thread makes sense to me. Sorry.

A couple years ago I watched a YouTube video from or about Joel Salatin and his method of disposing of his old laying hens. He said they were not worth butchering on his farm. He would just kill the old hens and feed them to his pigs, feathers and all. The pigs don't care and ate everything. I thought that was a good use of his old hens, to feed his hogs.

Good for anyone that wants to take a few birds and rehome them as pets, or whatever. Of course, I support that.

I just don't see rehoming a few birds would ever solve the overcrowding problem and the poor conditions that those animals appear to be living in.

It just upsets me to hear about some people not accepting the responsibility of the small animals that they choose to have and just dump them off in some overcrowded community poultry pen when they are no longer wanted. I think what you are dealing with is a people problem more than a crowded community poultry pen of discarded birds. End of late night rant...

That is a good idea for the chicken dinner. I reckon to request the council that you turn it into a meat chicken farm to supply poultry for the local homeless shelter, or the shelter for women suffering from domestic violence.