4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Henhathnofury]

I often look out of the windows and count my chickens - as well as obviously checking on them throughout the day. Today I did just this: 1 - 2 -3 - 4 - 5.......hang on a sec, I only have four chickens. There cradled in with that, was a big fat pigeon, looking quite at home. I was really astonished by this, as they used to bwark at even the robin.

 

Of course I didn't have a camera - as OH has taken one to work and my little girl has mislaid the other. Has anyone else seen chickens 'adopt' other species, rather than attack them?

[Chickvic]

No - my girls have always chased anything else out of the garden. Perhaps yours felt it was too hot today and couldn't be bothered to run after it

[atsw]

No, mine will see off even the sparrows! The only exception is a male pheasant which visits in the autumn, they allow him in the garden, but don't socialise!

 

Andrew

[Egluntyne]

We have fat wood pigeons and a robin who all think that they are chickens and join in with the scratching about and general merriment.

[Griffin]

I caught our fat baby wood pigeon helping himself to food from the feeders the other day Normally he's stationed directly underneath the bird feeder so that he can hoover up the seeds spilt by the gazillion sparrows

[Helly Welly]

Our chickens will happily tolerate the pigeons but the pigeons are too scared to go down to the ground, they stay on the bird tables with the chooks underneath hoovering up any spillages.

[C&T]

We have found the large birds (pigeons) have stopped coming into the garden, but the smaller birds have started coming in, which I think is fantastic!

[The Dogmother]

My cats keep any other birds out of the garden, but they're scared witless of the chooks.

[Scramble]

My Pekins chase away everything and they would really not be any competiton they're so tiny, mind you they can hold their ground when they're broody or if there are treats involved.

 

They chase away the sparrows, the robins, the bluetits the pigeons and once a cat

Everything can come and go in our garden, as long as the chickens don't get to it first!

[TAJ]

I caught our fat baby wood pigeon helping himself to food from the feeders the other day Normally he's stationed directly underneath the bird feeder so that he can hoover up the seeds spilt by the gazillion sparrows

 

Whilst the girls had 'left home' free ranging in the garden I saw a pigeon hop in the run to eat their food.

 

Tracy

[Lydia]

Volty killed a wood pigeon last year. It wandered into the run while they were freeranging (this was in the days before supervised freeranging and I was in the house hoovering). I arrived out to a commotion, a mass of grey feathers and a lot of blood

[ubereglu]

 

There used to be a pigeon which regularly visited my garden and ate all the spilt pellets-doesn't anymore though. It's interesting how yours Bwark at robins, mine are scared of them as there was a vicious one which tried to fly at Spice's head.

[Chucky Mama]

I am inundated with fat woodpigeons. To add insult to injury their number have been boosted as they raised fat woodpigeon babies in our honeysuckle. The girls used to chase them off but they dont anymore. They just sit around eating all the bird seed and chicken feed getting fatter. My YS wants to shoot them and have them for tea.

[Spuddy]

My YS wants to shoot them and have them for tea.

 

Not a bad idea, my Brother's been trapping them on his land recently and despatching them. He gave me some to try and I've had a go at curing the breasts and then hot smoking them and they're fantastic.

Just gently cooked in a little butter and served slightly pink was good too.

[Nats]

I've seen blackbirds going in the pen for a quick go at the food. We have pigeons but I don't know if the girls let them come off the fence or not? I let the girls free range without supervision quite a lot so must miss some of these moments! I work from home so am usually close by just not watching all the time. Typical isn't it; bet I miss the best bits!