What To Do If You Find A Chicken In Your Yard

We've all heard the joke about the chicken crossing the road. That kind of dry humor is funny, but the punch line can sometimes take on a whole new meaning, as the question becomes a lot more urgent the day a chicken actually shows up in your backyard. Most of us keep a pretty close eye on our yards, whether that's noticing the chickadees we've attracted to our birdfeeders or watching the deer sneak past our driveway, and every so often, we're surprised by an unexpected visitor. A chicken may be one of the last things you thought you would ever have to deal with, and you may get some conflicting advice about what to do if you find a chicken in your yard.

In areas where you can raise backyard chickens, you can often solve the mystery with a neighborly chat or a quick social media post to see if anyone has a missing chicken. But otherwise, the answer may be more complicated than it initially appears. If the chicken doesn't have a home nearby, then it's possible that it was dumped. 

While a chicken that lives nearby and wandered off may be happily pecking away at your grass, a stray rooster that's been dumped could be acting disoriented or running around scared. Either way, when you find a random chicken in your backyard, assess its condition for signs of distress or injury before you put out food and water or try to catch it.

When you find a chicken in your backyard, watch it closely for signs of distress such as visible wounds, limping, or panting. Although your first instinct may be to catch it or feed it, keep in mind that backyard poultry can carry diseases, as well as peck and scratch you. Another factor to consider is the time of day, as the problem may take care of itself since chickens often go home to roost. Chickens don't usually stray far, so this is a good possibility if they live nearby.

If your inquiries around the neighborhood haven't yielded any information and the chicken didn't go home in a reasonable time frame, you can call local feed stores, vet offices, and even chicken rescue organizations in your area. Many of these can take the bird from you or find someone who will. Otherwise you may need to call animal control, although it's worth noting that they could euthanize the chicken after they take it off your hands.

The intelligence of a chicken is often underestimated, and it pays to understand common backyard chicken behaviors before you try to catch them. If you don't find a home right away and you want to keep the animal contained and safe, chickens are usually pretty easy to lure into a cage with food and water or catch after dusk because of their instinct to perch. Or, if you ascertain that the chicken doesn't belong to anyone else and want to keep it, consider these DIY chicken coop ideas you can try right now.