Should we try to adopt a neighbor’s chickens?

[Chicken poppy]

Egg eater or productive flock member, we took her in. She’s here to stay, now, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter much at this point, we’ll do everything we can to give her a good life.

We’ve gone two days and she hasn’t eaten any yet. She laid one both days and left it there in the nest. I’m probably speaking wayyy too soon, though. Ive seen her nose around the eggs a bit and maybe she was thinking of cracking them open, but idk, I didn’t let it go on for too long before I collected them. I’m fortunate in that I am able to work from home, so I can frequently collect their eggs. We also have a camera to watch them, so that helps me be able to go out there right away when a hen gets off the nest. Hoping if i collect them quick enough and leave only the fake ones in there to be pecked at, she’ll learn and we’ll be okay.

Either way she’s welcome to stay. As you said, separating her in her own little coop is an option if she can’t break the habit.

Keep in mind they will nudge them with their beaks and everything and all chickens will do that! Totally normal behavior, sometimes they roll it quite far from the nest or sometimes just turn them.

 

[alinas2010]

She seems so nervous in the kennel in the run. I feel so sad for her. I’ve been having her spend time in the coop until she lays an egg in the nesting boxes and then I move her out to the run in the kennel. In the evening when I’m done working I got out and let her out to roam the run for a hour or so while the other girls are in the yard. Yesterday she came out to the yard and ate grass with them for a bit. I hope she starts feel a little less lost this weekend.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Everything is new to her, she is with a new flock, in a new yard, new run and new people. She will bounce back to her normal self soon, but don’t feel to bad. It’s good for her to absorb it all in a more confined space til she gets used to all the changes.

She seems so nervous in the kennel in the run. I feel so sad for her. I’ve been having her spend time in the coop until she lays an egg in the nesting boxes and then I move her out to the run in the kennel. In the evening when I’m done working I got out and let her out to roam the run for a hour or so while the other girls are in the yard. Yesterday she came out to the yard and ate grass with them for a bit. I hope she starts feel a little less lost this weekend.

 

[alinas2010]

Everything is new to her, she is with a new flock, in a new yard, new run and new people. She will bounce back to her normal self soon, but don’t feel to bad. It’s good for her to absorb it all in a more confined space til she gets used to all the changes.

Thank you for always replying and making me feel better. I appreciate it more than you know, it’s been a stressful couple days!

 

[Chicken poppy]

Thank you for always replying and making me feel better. I appreciate it more than you know, it’s been a stressful couple days!

Of course, i’m glad i can help. I completely understand, i was quite stressed when i started upgrading my flock (and though not as much, still am now.) It’s always stressful but you’ll learn a bit more each time. I’m sure everything will go great and she will soon be accepted by the flock.

 

[Shadrach]

Of course, i’m glad i can help. I completely understand, i was quite stressed when i started upgrading my flock (and though not as much, still am now.) It’s always stressful but you’ll learn a bit more each time. I’m sure everything will go great and she will soon be accepted by the flock.

Good for you. Lovely to see someone step up and do the right thing.
I would get them all. So what if they eat some of their eggs. I would thinking rescue rather than productive and not care about whether they were going to contribute to their keep.
I think you'll have integration problems. Space will certainly help. It would have been better to have got them all at once as that should help to reduce the bullying.

 

[alinas2010]

Good for you. Lovely to see someone step up and do the right thing.
I would get them all. So what if they eat some of their eggs. I would thinking rescue rather than productive and not care about whether they were going to contribute to their keep.
I think you'll have integration problems. Space will certainly help. It would have been better to have got them all at once as that should help to reduce the bullying.

I would love to get them all. I really, really did not want just the one chicken. It just happened to be that the guy was gonna kill her right then and we were there so we stepped in. After how he said he was going to kill her, there was no way we could just walk away. I didn’t realize it before, but apparently we are her 3rd home. Her first home didn’t want chickens anymore, she ate eggs at her second home, and now here we are. Kind of heartbreaking really, considering she’s only about a year and a half.

Anyways I’m with you, I don’t care if she eats eggs, i have the time to work with her and I’m happy to give her a better life. The main concern I have right now is with integrating her. Crossing my fingers we can make a lot of progress this weekend with some more supervised visits.

 

[alinas2010]

Progress? She’s been roosting on a makeshift roost below them the past 3 nights. Last night she got pooped on, so tonight I threw her up there at the other end of the roost (it’s an 8 ft roost)to see if she would stay or if she’d try to roost below again.

Not only did she stay, she moved over to them. She’s on the right end. Jafar, the one she’s next to is the lowest on the pecking order, so I figured she’d tolerate Ravioli a bit more than the others, although i have seen her jump on poor Ravioli. There was a bit of pecking from, but actually my others were worse tonight at bedtime. Jafar seemed to sort of accept her sleeping there after they all settled down. Of course I stood there and watched them until daylight disappeared and threw my arm between them to try to settle things, so maybe Jafar just got sick of me nudging her.

I could just be wishful thinking, but maybe they’re warming up? I know tomorrow is going to be another story. I’ll have to up before light to make sure she doesn’t get hurt/bullied off the roost.

 

[alinas2010]

A final update:

It took about 6 weeks, and she’s still the lowest on the pecking order, but Ravioli is no longer a loner. She gets along well with the others and is confident enough to mingle with them and do normal chicken things all day. They’ll still make sure she knows she’s lowest, but it doesn’t stop her from interacting with them. I hope it will only get better as time passes.

With that being said, I agree with what everyone here has said about taking on one one chicken, it’s sad! And a lot of work. I would do it again for a chicken in need, but I’d prefer to always integrate more than one.

It was awful at first and I thought she’d never have any other friends besides me. With time and patience, she is a full blown member of the flock now. She doesn’t hide out in corners anymore, doesn’t avoid the other girls and jumps right in the dust bath with them. They all tolerate her pretty well. Thanks for the help everyone!!

 

[alinas2010]

Oh and:

She has not eaten a single egg. Not one.