Next door chickens a problem

[widge85]

Hi everyone

I have 4 lovely ex bat ladies who are thoroughly enjoying their now free range existence. Warms my heart to see them enjoying the sun and rooting around for goodies.My next door neighbours also have chickens, and 2 come to visit on a daily basis. However they are quite aggressive to my girls and also I'm feeding 6 chickens instead of my 4.
Is there anyway to deter them? I can't prevent them from coming as they come through the hedge and both myself and neighbour have large rural properties with big gardens.
I do chase them back to their own home when I see them, but this only works for a short time before they come back.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Politely discuss the situation with your neighbor, let them know about the aggression issues as well as the matter of bio-security, and request that they keep their birds on their side of the hedge. It can, and should, be done - keeping one's animals on your own property is part of being a responsible owner.

 

[aart]

Boy, not sure what I would do in that situation.....probably the same thing I do now, keep my birds confined to a large mesh roofed run.

 

[Mrs. K]

If the area is large, and you do nothing, this will sort itself out. They are aggressive not because they are mean and the battery chickens are victims, this is just territory and pecking order. If you do nothing, they will get it established and get along just fine.

As for feeding 6 instead of 4, once they get the pecking order established, your hens are going to get braver and they will be traveling back and forth to the neighbors. Yours will be eating at her house too.

Unless you fence them, they are going to become one flock. It does not sound like either of you have a rooster, which sometimes will keep flocks separate on the same property.

If you want two separate flocks, at least one of you is going to have to fence. Otherwise, you will have a comingled flock.

Fencing is the only way to keep birds out of or inside of an area, they don't get propery lines

Mrs K