Neighbor shooting BB guns at my birds!

[Dumb Kluck]

So yesterday evening I see our neighbor (who is in training to become a police officer of all things) put on his swat commando gear and go hide behind a shed on their property. Next thing I know there are bb's pingin' of my feeder while my roo and his favorite girl are getting a snack inside their fenced run! Of course the shooting stops as soon as I round the corner and stare directly at missing shed slat he was shooting from. My husband and I leaned a sheet of plywood up against the side of our run to block the neighbors view of my birds when they are locked in the chicken run/cage. Now I'm afraid to let my chickens out in the yard because obviously my neighbor doesn't even have enough respect to discuss any issues with us before trying to kill my livestock in my yard , and inside the chicken pen even!
This is not a cram packed little suburban neighborhood either, I'm on a rural acre surrounded by empty 5 acre lots, and the coop is on the opposite side of the property as my one & only neighbor :/ In fact we built the coop awfully close to my bedroom window just so it would be as far from our neighbors as possible. This is the same neighbor whose pit bulls frequently get out of his yard and roam the neighborhood. I usually just put his dogs back in his yard when I see them out, and occasionally even secure whatever part of the fence they broke out of... perhaps I should rethink how I respond to his animals on my property, knowing how he is opting to respond to my birds that are on my property, and in their coop/run?!
Grrr.

Suggestions?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Me thinks time to rethink your response.

Letting the dogs roam is illegal most places. Firing projectiles at livestock is illegal most places.

The dogs would be in the pound if it were me and he'd have to bail them out of jail.
The local law enforcement would be called on the bb pings, if it were me.

It would be good to get a picture of him firing in your direction.

This could bode poorly for his future in law enforcement.

 

[TaylorEggMan]

This would make me mad as a fire ant. Personally, this guy and I would have words. He wouldn't like my words. I'm a former Marine and I am VERY attached to my chickens. This guy would be walking on my fighting side if I caught him doing this.

He's an idiot. Police officers aren't required to shoot birds with BB guns, so it isn't like he's "training" or anything like that. He's just a moron. You might want to get the law involved. That might be your only option.

As for the dogs, I too live in a rural area and the unwritten law where I live is, if a dog comes in your yard and they are eating your dog's food, attacking or harrassing your dogs, chasing your chickens, etc., you warn the owner. If it continues, the dog either gets shot or you go have words with the owner which sometimes can get physical. I don't like it, but that's how it is where I come from.

You seem to be peaceful and reasonable. Buy a BB gun and shoot his dogs when they are on your property. They're pits and they can become a bit territorial when they run in small packs of 2 or more. Don't get me wrong. I've owned pits and I love them, but they can and will kill your animals. Pop them with a BB gun (not pellets) and they'll learn to stay away. I won't injure them.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

TEM makes good points. Check the laws in your area. In MO, any dog that worries livestock, you can track across the state and kill it wherever you find it except in a pen on its owners property. I have a neighbor with 7 malamute/husky crosses. They've attacked my flocks 5 times that I know of. Killed 9 the first time and 4 more last fall. They were back a couple weeks ago before they were out of their coops. She heard the shotgun blast and I told her, next time, the dogs won't be coming home.

 

[centrarchid]

Report this individual promptly to authorities. You will have a burden of proof issue but will get him on their radar. Shooting animals in manner described likely illegal everywhere, especially since on your property and not a pest organism or otherwise threat. Such would be under animal cruelty if not already covered by state agriculture statutes.

 

[Dumb Kluck]

Me thinks time to rethink your response.

Letting the dogs roam is illegal most places. Firing projectiles at livestock is illegal most places.

The dogs would be in the pound if it were me and he'd have to bail them out of jail.
The local law enforcement would be called on the bb pings, if it were me.

It would be good to get a picture of him firing in your direction.

This could bode poorly for his future in law enforcement.

I agree with everything you said, and I also want to avoid starting a Hatfield & McCoy style war with my only neighbor LOL. In my experience, the kind of meat-head idiot who fires at my livestock on my property is NOT likely to understand that the consequences of his actions are his own doing :/ I am also worried about what to do when my husband & I both work on the same day (so far we've been lucky and one or the other of us is usually home). Originally the coop was started behind our shed, about 30 feet from the neighbors house (we weren't going to have a rooster originally), but they got a pair of pit bulls before we finished the coop so we opted to move the coop the the opposite side of the property, about 150 feet from their porch. and half behind my house. Neighbor had to go down into his pasture to get a clear shot at my bird. I might invest in surveillance cameras to avoid any confusion if/when I do need to contact authorities. :/

 

[sandspoultry]

Years ago when we lived in town our young neighbor shot one of our rabbits that was in a cage with a .22 rifle. I was able to resist the urge to choke the life out of him and called the sheriff. They came and took a report and arrested him, they knew the in's and out's of the legal system and asked for continuance after continuance but I made sure I was there every court date. The last time I spoke with the DA and made sure he was aware of how many times the case was continued and he told me it would be heard that day. The judge convicted him of cruelty to animals and gave him a nice size fine and as a surprise asked me how much restitution I wanted. I had no clue what to ask for the rabbit so I asked the judge if their was any way they could seize and destroy the rifle and that was what he ordered, they had 48 hours to turn in the rifle.


To the OP I would contact the police/ sheriff and file a complaint. That will come back to haunt him when he tries to get into law enforcement as it should... would you want somebody like that to have a badge and gun?

 

[centrarchid]

Alert authorities now and work on getting evidence if activity continues. I suspect activity will stop if law enforcement simply discusses issue with him. To get legal response you will likely have to have multiple complaints made. I have done same and did not get results until other neighbors also lodged complaints then problem person was fined and is in the process of being evicted.

 

[Dumb Kluck]

This would make me mad as a fire ant. Personally, this guy and I would have words. He wouldn't like my words. I'm a former Marine and I am VERY attached to my chickens. This guy would be walking on my fighting side if I caught him doing this.

He's an idiot. Police officers aren't required to shoot birds with BB guns, so it isn't like he's "training" or anything like that. He's just a moron. You might want to get the law involved. That might be your only option.

As for the dogs, I too live in a rural area and the unwritten law where I live is, if a dog comes in your yard and they are eating your dog's food, attacking or harrassing your dogs, chasing your chickens, etc., you warn the owner. If it continues, the dog either gets shot or you go have words with the owner which sometimes can get physical. I don't like it, but that's how it is where I come from.

You seem to be peaceful and reasonable. Buy a BB gun and shoot his dogs when they are on your property. They're pits and they can become a bit territorial when they run in small packs of 2 or more. Don't get me wrong. I've owned pits and I love them, but they can and will kill your animals. Pop them with a BB gun (not pellets) and they'll learn to stay away. I won't injure them.

I did walk out and stare him down in his hiding place, and immediately put plywood up on the side of my pen before he slunk away from behind his broke down shed, so hopefully he realizes he's not very good at playing ninja commando chicken killer. Ironically enough, he served in the Army and is now studying law enforcement on a GI bill while renting the house next door. He also never mentioned an issue with our roo (only had the boy for a couple weeks, but I hear other roos across the fields so it's not like we are the only chicken keepers around here. I'll have all day to think about it while I'm trying to get to work, (I have a long commute to the big city LOL). I love Love LOVE my birds!

 

[TaylorEggMan]

Living in the country and getting upset about hearing a rooster crow is like going to the beach and getting upset about how sandy it is.