This conversation really is a fascinating one. Thanks for the interesting turn. I grew up in the country, and much of how I set up my hobby farm came from that experience. Some overlapping habitat with small birds (or large groups of birds like barn swallows) were just the norm. So while I was aware of the risks, I approached my set up as seeing the chickens as birds rather than chickens. As such, I give them as much of a "natural" bird-like life as possible. The risks are that I may lose some to predation. But my investment is more than just associated costs. I provide my hens with a coop, a run, an enclosed yard, and then another enclosed yard all around that. Despite my best efforts, my leghorns still love to fly out of all of it (because I can't afford 10,000 square feet of mesh to roof it all! lol). For me, seeing my leghorns out "in the wild" as it were, gives me great joy and pleasure. Others will definitely see it differently. For now, I've not noticed much in the way of wild birds interfering with feed or my chickens. Occasionally, I'll see a chicken light after a thrush or small bird angling for some scratch. But the greater interest seems to be the wild birds recognizing that my coop awning (my coops is 6' by 8' and 8' high) is a safe place to nest or escape the rain.
