Wild birds hanging around with chickens

[txchickie]

I have a pair of ringneck doves that have all but moved in with my banty flock

They've been here for months, and I am 99% sure it's the same 2 doves.
They stay here pretty much all the time, eat chicken feed, roost with the chickens in the trees at night. I think it's too sweet!

 

[silky ma]

Watch out... Dont want the doves to pass on lice to your flock.
I have a pair of scrub jays that have been arround with my chicks all summer. Yesterday one found an egg and was feeding on it.
Needless to say he now knows that he is not a friend of mine!
If I can capture him I will drive up to the mountains and release him.
The last thing I want to do is kill him.

 

[CMV]

Wild birds carry a host of diseases and parasites. I'd just keep an eye on the birds for signs of bugs. Any diseases they might be carrying have already been transmitted to your flock, so no worrying about that now.

Pics, please? Sounds cute.

 

[elmo]

They were probably someone's pets who escaped, or who were released by an irresponsible pet owner. We have two pet ringnecks that live indoors with us; they're very tame and sweet.

It's true that wild birds carry diseases, but unless you keep your birds in a closed, covered coop, they are going to come in contact with whatever is carried by those birds anyway.

 

[txchickie]

I will have to snap some pics

They could have been pets, that is how tame they are! I can get about 2 feet away from them when they are with the chickens. Very sweet little doves.


Our chickens free-range, so keeping them away from other birds is not really an issue. They are all very healthy, I've never had a known issue with illness or disease (knock on wood!

). Just not something I worry about. I do appreciate the advice, though.