Unexpected Chickens

[CollieCountess]

I'm considering putting some hardware cloth up the sides as well. The only other predators I have laid eyes on, have been a baby opossum that I had to take to a rehab center, and copperhead snakes. That doesn't mean they're not there. Just that I haven't seen them.

Predators that are native include coyotes, bobcats, opossum, skunks, raccoons, and various snakes.

Now, most of my neighbors are cattle farmers, and most of them have big dogs and pew pews, so the large predators tend to stay away. I also have 7 large dogs of my own, who would absolutely go bananas if something came on the property. My dogs are penned, securely, away from where we are putting the chickens, but they can still see the coop, and would riot if something big showed up.

My neighbor who is gifting us the adults property joins ours, but the part that joins our property, is a huge cattle field. So they're far enough that there wouldn't be an cross contamination. Honestly I didn't even know they had chickens until he called, and I can't see their house from mine.

I can keep the juveniles indoors for an additional week. They're not supposed to go outside until next week anyway, so an extra week indoors while the hens quarantine won't hurt anything.

 

[CollieCountess]

My bonus hens arrived.

Unfortunately, the neighbor managed to capture another neighbors rooster with them. So we need to figure out who he belongs to, and return him.

EDIT: We have been asked, to please keep the rooster. I don't know anything about him, so when I start banding chickens tonight, I'm going to have to talk with him, and explain that if he's a jerk, I will turn him into kibble.