Suggestions for rehoming to a good home

[bobbi-j]

I don't know about the OP, but I, for one, would never re-home my pets to someone I think would eat them. Even if it meant I had to drive a long ways to find them a home.

And there is nothing wrong with that. We all have the right to do what we think is best for our flock.

 

[aart]

I don't know about the OP, but I, for one, would never re-home my pets to someone I think would eat them. Even if it meant I had to drive a long ways to find them a home.

Have you kept chickens for a long time...how many years??
Do you have a really good job that pays for all the feed.....as well as rent, utilities, and other food for your family?
It's fine to keep pets, if one can afford to feed them, I cannot do that.

 

[JedJackson]

Unfortunately, due to life events I may have to rehome most or all of my flock in a few months. I care about them very much and want them to at least go to loving homes if it does turn out that I can't keep them. Does anyone have suggestions for rehoming? Chickens are easily abused and I want to avoid letting them go to a bad home. I'm just not sure how to go about making sure of that. Is it okay to ask to drop them off myself and see their new living conditions? And to ask for photo updates for a while? Or is that too much? I've heard I shouldn't give them away for free since that encourages abusive/ill-intent owners to pick them up.

Thank you! Your thoughts and experiences are very appreciated.

I'm sorry you may have to rehome your birds. It's a very tough thing to do when you're attached to them. I've been there.

If I were you I would put on my thinking cap and try to recall anyone who has been around and admired your chickens. Friends, neighbors, even acquaintances. If there are such people and you know and trust them, you could offer the birds to those people and be reasonably assured that they'll treat the birds well. If you have a coop that can be moved, you might give the people that, too, as incentive. And feeders, waterers and other supplies as well.

If none of this applies, you could put an ad on Craigslist and focus on giving the birds to young people or children. I think they would be more likely to value them as pets. And you could ask at the local feed store if they know of anyone who wants pet chickens, and maybe even post an ad there if they have a bulletin board. The idea is to think outside the box and come up with a happy solution, if possible. I believe in the old saying "where there's a will there's a way."

And, no, I don't think it's too much to ask to see their new home, but I certainly would not go to it alone. Bring a friend or two or three. As for pictures and updates, I see no harm in asking. But before all of this happens I would develop a correspondence with the new owners and not be hasty to turn the birds over. Folks that just want them for meat are unlikely to bother with more than a couple of emails, so you could hopefully weed out the bad prospects.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Have you kept chickens for a long time...how many years??
Do you have a really good job that pays for all the feed.....as well as rent, utilities, and other food for your family?
It's fine to keep pets, if one can afford to feed them, I cannot do that.

I have 11 chickens, 10 of which are not actively laying... I think I have them covered.

 

[red horse ranch]

Unfortunately, due to life events I may have to rehome most or all of my flock in a few months. I care about them very much and want them to at least go to loving homes if it does turn out that I can't keep them. Does anyone have suggestions for rehoming? Chickens are easily abused and I want to avoid letting them go to a bad home. I'm just not sure how to go about making sure of that. Is it okay to ask to drop them off myself and see their new living conditions? And to ask for photo updates for a while? Or is that too much? I've heard I shouldn't give them away for free since that encourages abusive/ill-intent owners to pick them up.

Thank you! Your thoughts and experiences are very appreciated.

Hens are easy to sell. Even older ones. If someone is willing to pay $10 to $20 for a chicken they are not likely to eat it or abuse it.

 

[Morrigan]

I feel for your situation and hope you find a way to keep your flock. But as to your question -- I would be very reluctant to take on birds in a situation where the previous owner wanted to examine my flock and have periodic updates. I would be worried I would be getting on-going unsolicited advice and questions, and I wouldn't want to have to explain myself if I thought there was a reason I needed to cull a hen at some point. It wouldn't be worth the hassle.

Your best bet would be to use your existing network of friends and try to find someone you already know and trust who might like chickens. If you find someone you trust, then you need to let go and trust them, and not hover in the background. Maybe they will reach out to you voluntarily, but maybe not.

Finally, if your hens are older and no longer in their egg-laying prime, you should to make that clear, particularly if you are finding a newbie chicken owner who probably will not understand how egg production, particularly in the fall and winter, will drop off fairly dramatically after the chickens are older than 2. As you can see from the discussion here, there is a difference of opinion on whether older hens should be humanely culled when their best days are behind them.

 

[aart]

I have 11 chickens, 10 of which are not actively laying... I think I have them covered.

Avoided the pertinent questions tho, eh?

 

[RodNTN]

There is nothing wrong with asking for a small fee for the birds, but I have to agree with most members, looking over their property and asking for updates is a bit much.

I had to rehome a beloved rooster a couple of years ago, and I wanted to make sure that he would be going to a loving home where he wouldn't be eaten or not taken care of.

If I didn't want a certain person to take them, I wouldn't bother with asking them if they knew how to care for the birds.

I am so glad that I found our rooster a good home, though. It was an older man who lived on a farm, he kept telling us how beautiful he was, and he even gave us some money for the rooster! His coop was clean and spacious, and he even took us on a tour around his beautiful farm.

Every once in a while the man would even call us and tell us how he was.

Why don't you ask some friends if they would be interested?

 

[WVduckchick]

When someone buys a bird from me, I usually comment something like "if you'd like to send me pictures in the future, I'd love to see them any time"... so if they want to share, they can. Some have. I especially like to see chicks from my hatching eggs, but not everyone will keep a seller updated.

But honestly, if you want to word your ad to put in all your stipulations, you still may get some takers, but you will definitely limit your options. Its up to you.

 

[happyhens1972]

Of course a person can ask for pictures, updates, and to drop them off, but in a situation where one HAS TO get rid of their birds, such requirements would make it a lot harder.

This, definitely!

I think you absolutely can ask for whatever you want to ask. They are your much loved pets and if you want to sell them on as such, and not potential meat, then that is your choice but it does mean you cut down on potential homes and lengthen the amount of time it takes to find said homes. I had the same issue when I had to reduce a flock by half. I used to work at a school and I was the head chicken keeper. In fact the only chicken keeper! When I sold my home and planned to move on, I had to re-home most of the flock as there were too many for any of the other staff to want to care for. There is no way I wanted them to end up on a plate....not because there's anything WRONG with eating chickens....I love chicken dinner as much as the next person....but these were birds I had raised from eggs, loved, nurtured and cared for. I loved them and wanted someone else to do the same. In the same way that I do not condemn any 'livestock chicken keeper', I would also not expect to be condemned as a 'pet chicken keeper'.

With that in mind, WELL BEFORE the intended move, I advertised them on Preloved (something akin to Craiglist, I believe). There were 18 birds altogether and I was expecting to re-home in groups or trios. Anyone that responded, I asked for pictures of their set up, questioned their chicken keeping background/experience and asked why they wanted the birds. Some never responded....they clearly felt the same way as some of the posters on here....that being questioned was 'too much'. Fine by me too. Absolutely. But they didn't get my birds. Some responded but with little detail or dialogue, no real interest. Fine by me. But they didn't get my birds.

One chap responded with a harrowing story of a free range flock lost to the fox, including pictures of his much loved and all named birds, happy, healthy and alive, pictures of him holding them, them sitting in his lap, perching on his shoulder. Then one awful picture of the carnage left by Mr Reynard! Then pictures of his new purpose built, fox proof pen, throughout various stages of building. Then pictures of his bags of food and medicaments. Then he asked about my birds....including whether there were any older or non-laying ones that needed extra supplements. He asked about how I cared for them, what health regimen I had. We discussed different wormers and de-lousing, the dreaded red mite etc etc etc. He took all 18 of my birds. I got enthusiastic updates for a couple of months. He got in touch, asking my advice about one of the older girls who went down with EYP. He shared his upset at then having to cull her and apologised to me in case he had been the cause!! Then it petered out. After maybe four months, I never heard from him again. And that is fine too. I never expected to be invited back to see the 'grandchildren'! Lol!

My point is, you can ask what you want but you have to put in the time too. If you want the perfect owner (in your eyes), you need to start well ahead of time and don't give the birds up til it really feels right.

There are never any guarantees. That chap could have been pulling the wool over my eyes and making chicken soup within the week but he felt right, he behaved right. When he came to collect the birds, he was gentle and caring and happy to coo-coo at them in front of me, calling them pretty little ladies and handsome boys and stroking their heads lovingly as we caught them one by one. I did my very best. I could not have done more for them. Then I had to entrust them to him. And when he stopped getting in touch, I didn't chase him. I had to let go xxxx