Where No Chicken Has Gone Before!

[oldhen2345]

afraid of birds... I wish I had a neighbor like that

No, you don't. My cousin has 3 acres in the country. She let her chickens free range - they slept in the trees most nights. The neighbors hated them. They would fly over the fence and lay eggs on their patio. Eventually they got real ticked and shot the chickens. Can't say I blame them, but that sure was final. Now she clips their wings and they roost in the coop. You DO need to keep your stuff on your property.

 

[WallyBirdie]

I swear my polish are like feral chickens. We bought two of them and the person who had them before didn't really handle them, so when we let them go in the fenced-in area they just did their own thing.

I honestly thought that something had got it that's why it didn't come back, but the next morning it was in the yard with it's sibling. We plan on having a group of free range chickens because I am hatching eggs and I want one of the roosters because of the coloring it should have and two pullets... I have two Jersey Giants in the fenced-in area so I won't put the new rooster in there because they are quite large and I feel like they'll destroy another rooster. I think the Polish might want to join those free range chickens if they see them.

They're actual bantam polish and can fly really high. One flew 10 feet up into a tree and my husband went climbing to get it.

We only got them because we wanted the smallest chicken we could find and the largest... Should see the Jersey Giants chase them, they're so clumsy with their big bodies

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I understand completely what you mean by size and behavior.
Glad the little one is okay. And good luck with your endeavors there.
Thank you for the picture! Beautiful birds!

 

[FortCluck]

No, you don't. My cousin has 3 acres in the country. She let her chickens free range - they slept in the trees most nights. The neighbors hated them. They would fly over the fence and lay eggs on their patio. Eventually they got real ticked and shot the chickens. Can't say I blame them, but that sure was final. Now she clips their wings and they roost in the coop. You DO need to keep your stuff on your property.

My stuff stays on my property... My neighbors not so much. They have 5 dogs that come visit all day and annoy my animals. They also have several cats that they let run wild.

 

[WallyBirdie]

No, you don't. My cousin has 3 acres in the country. She let her chickens free range - they slept in the trees most nights. The neighbors hated them. They would fly over the fence and lay eggs on their patio. Eventually they got real ticked and shot the chickens. Can't say I blame them, but that sure was final. Now she clips their wings and they roost in the coop. You DO need to keep your stuff on your property.

That sounds rough but is very true. Animals should be kept on the owner's property.
In theory and concept minus the danger, chickens in the neighbor yard is comical.

 

[FortCluck]

That sounds rough but is very true. Animals should be kept on the owner's property.
In theory and concept minus the danger, chickens in the neighbor yard is comical.

When I had free range chickens they always stayed in my yard... I don't think I've ever had one go into the neighbor's yard the closest they ever came was in the woods that separates our yards, but that's fair game in my opinion.

 

[WallyBirdie]

When I had free range chickens they always stayed in my yard... I don't think I've ever had one go into the neighbor's yard the closest they ever came was in the woods that separates our yards, but that's fair game in my opinion.

Same here. Never really had that issue. Worst scenario I've had was getting them out of the trees along the woodline when I need them back in the coop or run, and that was only a couple times.

 

[FortCluck]

Same here. Never really had that issue. Worst scenario I've had was getting them out of the trees along the woodline when I need them back in the coop or run, and that was only a couple times.

I wonder why some free range chickens don't go far away and some do...

 

[WallyBirdie]

I wonder why some free range chickens don't go far away and some do...

Interesting question. I have one Buff Orpington that likes to toe around the woodline, but my birds generally stay close.

 

[oldhen2345]

I wonder why some free range chickens don't go far away and some do...

We have feral chickens here. Don't know if they belong to someone or if they moved and left them. About 6 of them - two are roosters- beautiful too. They would fly over my privacy fence and get into the chicken yard. I clipped a wing and tossed them back over the fence. The flock does make it's way in about a 4 block radius - you hear the roosters from different directions during the day. It is funny to watch the traffic come to a stop on the highway so the chickens can cross the road. They have been making the rounds for a bout a year now.