Runaway roo--how far will they go?

[CT]

Last night I found a rooster outside my chicken yard. I let him in, of course, and he spent the night and is now getting along fine, but I've got to look for his owners. I figure he got here in one of two ways. Either he wandered over from a neighbors' house in order to visit my hens, or someone ordered a batch of pullets this spring and can no longer deny that this one is a roo and abandoned him at a house where they knew chickens lived (mine).

So the question is, how far will a rooster travel on his own? The nearest I've seen a chicken coop is about a mile down the road. I figure I've got to at least ask neighbors in a reasonable radius before I assume he's abandoned, but I don't know how to define "reasonable radius". Thoughts?

--Caren

 

[Chick Charm]

I would guess the latter, being dropped off. I don't know how far a rooster will wander. Maybe a mile but who knows. Mine stay on my couple of acres and don't go beyond but a few yards over the fence now and then. So I am not sure.

 

[CT]

Thanks for the response. I have walked the neighborhood and it seems everyone in walking distance knows only one chicken keeper--me. I'll drive down to the house with the coop later, but it seems likely this is a case of drive-by chickening.

I love that more people are keeping flocks, and I appreciate that not everyone can keep roosters, but abandonment is a rotten plan to cope with unwanted birds. If they'd at least taped a note to the door telling me the chicken was deliberately left here, I'd know I was in my rights to eat it, keep it, or give it away. But really, asking would have been even more fair.

 

[chfite]

The rooster must have been dropped off. I cannot imagine that my rooster would wander far from his hens.

My rooster got out once, back before they free ranged. He spent all his time circling the run where his hens were. I waited until the opportune moment, opened the door to the run as he passed, and in he went.

If you intend to keep him and since you have already integrated him into the flock, you might check him over for parasites or other problems.

Chris