Turkey Trespass!

0wen · Mar 27, 2016

Just wondering if there's any way to discourage turkeys? I have a neighbor who has a trio that, despite having acres on top acres of cattle land bordering his property, insist on crossing the road to come on my property to free range, screw with my garden, and crap all over my yard. I also have a 1 1/2 year old I can't let free range while the turkeys are doing so and a new baby on the way that would also like to be outside at some point as well. I don't know the neighbor (actually a few houses down and back) but tried to address it with him today, but they seem 'weird' - they wouldn't come to the door even though we could see them in their gigantic bay window so talking it through doesn't look like an option...

Is there anything I can do to keep them off my property other that hoping they get hit while crossing the road, s/s/s, etc?

And for curiosity - what breed are these?

enola · Mar 27, 2016

Turkeys are considered livestock. So by law, the owner is legally responsible for keeping them on his property.

If they were on my property, it would not take me long to have them on my table.

Maybe you should do a couple of videos of them on your property and then call Animal Control.

outlawfarmer · Mar 27, 2016

Coyote urine? Dog?

R2elk · Mar 27, 2016

enola said:
Turkeys are considered livestock. So by law, the owner is legally responsible for keeping them on his property.

If they were on my property, it would not take me long to have them on my table.

Maybe you should do a couple of videos of them on your property and then call Animal Control.

Do not assume that the laws are the same everywhere. It may be true that where you live, the owner is responsible to keep their livestock on their property but that is not the case everywhere. Where I live it is the property owner's responsibility to fence out livestock belonging to others. Of course it was the ranchers that wrote the laws here.

@Owen the suggestion to contact your local animal control organization is a good one. Get their guidance and input in figuring out what you can do.

Good luck.

enola · Mar 28, 2016

Well, at least I had one good suggestion......

turksinmaine · Mar 28, 2016

enola said:
Turkeys are considered livestock. So by law, the owner is legally responsible for keeping them on his property.

If they were on my property, it would not take me long to have them on my table.

Maybe you should do a couple of videos of them on your property and then call Animal Control.

Not a very well thought out suggestion. First off on a morality point, There is so much time and money invested in the growth of our birds then to have a neighbor freeloading our birds. Not to mention in deceptive point that a neighbor as the owner is gone can go on the property and steal birds and say they entered on their property so they took them. This is wrong on so many levels. I as a owner would be furious to put it lightly to have a neighbor taking my birds.
Now on to legal, nowhere is it legal that you can kill a neighbors livestock if entering your property. Many of times I have heard of farmers cattle getting loose from a failed fence, not once have I heard of a person shooting them after entering their property, you are talking several thousand dollars per head. Why? because farm animals are more protected and you can get prosecuted if you slaughtered other owners livestock.
Animal control cannot legally intervene either.
Best advice I would say is base your concerns with the owner of the turkeys, or maybe bring up a valid point to your inconvenience that maybe they give you one or two of them after processing for your troubles?

enola · Mar 28, 2016

In South Carolina, turkeys are considered livestock. Any farmer/owner that allow livestock to wander at large, will be notified that the livestock be contained (kept at home) or they will be fined. Enough trips to court to be held accountable for damage your livestock has done will get your animals ordered sold or destroyed.

R2elk · Mar 28, 2016

turksinmaine said:
Not a very well thought out suggestion. First off on a morality point, There is so much time and money invested in the growth of our birds then to have a neighbor freeloading our birds. Not to mention in deceptive point that a neighbor as the owner is gone can go on the property and steal birds and say they entered on their property so they took them. This is wrong on so many levels. I as a owner would be furious to put it lightly to have a neighbor taking my birds.
Now on to legal, nowhere is it legal that you can kill a neighbors livestock if entering your property. Many of times I have heard of farmers cattle getting loose from a failed fence, not once have I heard of a person shooting them after entering their property, you are talking several thousand dollars per head. Why? because farm animals are more protected and you can get prosecuted if you slaughtered other owners livestock.
Animal control cannot legally intervene either.
Best advice I would say is base your concerns with the owner of the turkeys, or maybe bring up a valid point to your inconvenience that maybe they give you one or two of them after processing for your troubles?

This also depends on where you live. Every state's laws are different and that doesn't include local ordinances and subdivision covenants.

The OP already stated that the owners of the turkeys refused to answer their door when the OP tried to talk to them.

Whether or not animal control can intervene in the case of the OP, they will be able to give advise on how to proceed based on local laws and ordinances. In my state the appropriate person to contact for livestock problems is the local Brand Inspector.

0wen · Mar 28, 2016

turksinmaine said:
Not a very well thought out suggestion. First off on a morality point, There is so much time and money invested in the growth of our birds then to have a neighbor freeloading our birds. Not to mention in deceptive point that a neighbor as the owner is gone can go on the property and steal birds and say they entered on their property so they took them. This is wrong on so many levels. I as a owner would be furious to put it lightly to have a neighbor taking my birds.
Now on to legal, nowhere is it legal that you can kill a neighbors livestock if entering your property. Many of times I have heard of farmers cattle getting loose from a failed fence, not once have I heard of a person shooting them after entering their property, you are talking several thousand dollars per head. Why? because farm animals are more protected and you can get prosecuted if you slaughtered other owners livestock.
Animal control cannot legally intervene either.
Best advice I would say is base your concerns with the owner of the turkeys, or maybe bring up a valid point to your inconvenience that maybe they give you one or two of them after processing for your troubles?

As mentioned earlier, the owners wouldn't come to the door when I tried to address this. I've seen a few previous posts where free thanksgiving turkeys solved the issue but realistically, that isn't going to work here. I simply don't want his birds on my property. If he can't afford to properly contain them, or supervise their free range and keep them relatively corralled to his acreage then I don't know that he should own them. I'm planning on giving my county animal control a ring just to get some information. If they can't do anything, then they can't do anything but at least I'll know that I probably need to let my dog do some free ranging alongside his birds - it might be good flyball practice...

R2elk · Mar 28, 2016

0wen said:
As mentioned earlier, the owners wouldn't come to the door when I tried to address this. I've seen a few previous posts where free thanksgiving turkeys solved the issue but realistically, that isn't going to work here. I simply don't want his birds on my property. If he can't afford to properly contain them, or supervise their free range and keep them relatively corralled to his acreage then I don't know that he should own them. I'm planning on giving my county animal control a ring just to get some information. If they can't do anything, then they can't do anything but at least I'll know that I probably need to let my dog do some free ranging alongside his birds - it might be good flyball practice...

Just make sure that your dog stays on your property. Here and almost everywhere else it is legal to shoot dogs that are on your own property harassing your animals. Your neighbor's turkeys are on your property and it is okay to have your dog chase them off of your property but if they continue the chase onto your neighbor's property you will be in the wrong at that point.

Turkey Trespass!

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