Chicken Roundabout

dinosaw

dinosaw

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Saw a news story last week about chickens being dumped on a roundabout that once used to host a feral colony of up to 200 birds, did a search and came up with this site. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tomhoneywood/index.html

Apparently a feral flock existed in the area before the roundabout was built going back as far as the late 60's living on spilt grain from the local maltings and later being fed by a local man. Unfortunately due to people rustling them and poisoning them they had to be removed and rehomed in 2010. Just thought it was an interesting little story and I had no idea that a feral flock of that size had ever existed in the UK, apparently they produced some quite interesting cross breeds as well.
 
wow is all i can say , but i wander how many accidents have been caused by them over time with people looking :-)05
 
Apparently road safety was the reason given for the local council trying to remove them in 2000 Karminski but local residents objected and they were allowed to stay, I reckon that if the accident record had been particularly bad on that roundabout they would have got rid protest or no protest. When the roundabout was first built it would certainly have sorted out those with road sense from those without Marigold, I would think being out of harms way during the nightime hours would have helped too as it seems to be the time when most critters get squashed on the roads.
 
A great story Dinosaw. Noticed a Cream Legbar hen in one of the pictures. There are many flocks wandering about at the side of the roads further South than we are. Not sure if they are feral or if they are trained to go back to the coop to lay, because hunting for their eggs otherwise could be rather dangerous!
 
From what you say in your posts about the french Chris I would imagine any feral chickens out there would be looking at a very short bit of freedom before they arrived in someones pot. What I was wondering was how many cocks a feral flock could support? and if an increased number may have had anything to do with fox's not seeming to take much of a toll on that flock in Norfolk?
 
I live in Suffolk quite close to chicken roundabout and it was lovely when the chickens were there. There's a corner of a country road near here called cockeral corner. Where the road bends there's an entrance to a field, and at least 15 cockerals live together quite happily. There's a small wood on the edgeof the field so they must roost at night out of reach of foxes. They all look plump and healthy, we always slow down to look at them when we go past. I suppose it started with someone dumping unwanted boys, then more being added. I can't help thinking they're better off there than being culled.
 
Looking at the photos, I think I only spotted one hen... Most seemed to be cocks?

I wonder how many have appeared over night for chicken man to look after... A lovely story but I'm sure the numbers haven't been kept going by natural breeding?
 
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