Animal abuse?!?

I have been struggling with this for awhile and not sure what to do. In april of this year my neighbors were talking about getting chicens, they are the city folk who moved to the country for the view. I asked if they knew anything about chickens and they replied "only picing them out at the supermarket" so I told them I would be happy to teach them all I know and help them build a coop and show them everything they needed to know. Well a week later they got chickens, they did not even have a coop up or even building supplies yet. Their is an old falling apart trailer in an adjacent field where the landlord lets them store things, they put the poor 12 chickens, 2 turkey and 6 ducks in the laundry room area of this condemned home with chicken wire on the window. I was horified with what I saw. I convinvced them to move them out of their. I borrowed an outside dog run from a friend and set it up for their birds. I would check on them everyday and found out she wasnt coming out to feed them or water them ( they didnt have feeders just a dish pan for food and a cat littler box for water). She decided to get angry with me for not feeding or watering her birds,,,,RIGHT!!! so I decided enough was enough, I bought a new addition to my own backyard family and they were.... very mad... and took their birds and put them back in the trailer... I built my coop out of scrap wood given to me, its not pretty but I;m so proud of what I accomplished in under 3 days.. I put my birds in and tore down the dog run and returned it. Weeks went by and the birds were spending the hot triple digit days in a closed up trailer, I tried convincing her it was bad for them. One day she came to my door with a lifeless bird in her hands, she was barely breathing. She passed as few hours after being in my care. I told her now look see what I have been telling you? still no luck , finally I gave them the left over scraps from my coop and helped put up a rough ,, very rough coop, just the outside walls. They put their birds in there, but their are no roosts or boxes or chairs or litter. I hounded for days that they needed feeders and waterers. they finally got them ( we are into early aug at this point). They butchered the ducks cause they just couldnt stand them..There was maybe an inch of meat on their poor carcasses. At this point I go by and check on them when they leave, I just peek in the window of their run, they look so skinny and their is never food or water in the feeder or waterer. The 9 yr old and 8 yr old they have are sent out there twice a day and the birds get a half gallon of water and a solo cup full of feed twice a day for 13 birds.... I'm so irratated and I just hate seeing this. I want to call the agricultural dept but they are the kind of people who would seek revenge... What do I do? I dont want to see those birds suffer.....

Sounds like they are a bit ignorant in chicken care. If you know the animals are being abused then by all means call, but if it just isn't up to your standards then give them a break and let them figure it out, seeing that it's their first time with chickens.

It sounds like you have done MORE than enough on your end to help them get started. I would take a step(or two) back from the situation. Sounds like they are trying to follow some of your advice. The way I read your post makes it sound like you might be too involved, which may not be the case, and just how I'm reading the post.

I am a huge animal lover, but sometimes people have different standards. For example while one person might use a store bought waterer, another may use an old tupperware. As long as they are getting fresh water(etc) it shouldn't really matter what they drink it out of.
Too sum it up, if I were you, I would just take a step back and decide if it is just a lower standard then you or if they are really being abused. Hope this helps.

I totally get what you are saying and yes I do need to step back, As I was trying to help they were just kind of relying on me to come and fix everything when I was trying to help prevent it. I hate seeing an animal going the weekend with no food or water just because the kids go to their gma over the weekend every weekend. And yea I guess it isnt up to my standards, nobody really has to be as obssesed about their birds as I am lol, but at least care for them, when they were using th etub for water it wouldnt get changed and that is when they had ducks who like getting in the water that is what was disturbing to me. . Maybe I should just stop helping and distance myself? I have done alot and when it comes to work having to be done they always as for my help which is fine until I become the only one working. So perhaps I should do what I have been meaning to do and just stop communication and just see if things continue to get worse and then I can decide what to do.. I like getting completely honest feedack Souperchicken I thank you so much for your true wisdom and if you have anything to add please do because that is what is needed to fix a situation..

Pick your battles carefully. I would leave it alone and hope they do not get any more birds. You have to live next to them and it sounds as if it could get rough.

They are confined and not being fed! To me this seems abusive. I just hate situations like this. But I will tell you down the road there is a beautiful bloodhound and he lives in a dog kennel that isn't much bigger than he is. I'm sure they feed him but he doesn't get out to run or play and sits there day in and day out and I drive by and it just kills me! I hear him bark bark bark all night and I think my goodness my chickens have more freedom than he does.

As far as the neighbor goes maybe you could find out if she would like you to take the chickens off her hands? I would sneak over and throw some feed out. I absolutely hate to see anything hungry or in distress.

Also souperchicken, I find those chicken waterers to be crap and the best dang water bowl is an old cool whip bowl!! My chickens have the easy life that's for sure. I'm a bit overboard but I like to make sure fresh water is available always so I have like 10 difference water bowls lmao! Now only about 4 of those are store bought. The others consist of reject dishes from inside the house lol!

I would offer to take the animals,or I would just back off and let them do as they please.There is no law that requires you to report animal neglect,but morally it is something most of use would want to do. I know I would be itching to report them.Being neighbors though I would not want to create a neighbor from hell(NFH) situation.People freak over the simplest things,and then you have years of abuse to look forward too.

People get tired of pets.Feed cost is going up.Offer to take in or rehmome the birds.Maybe they would like to eat them,but don't want to dispatch and kill?
Best wishes!

For what it's worth, I would make the call. Most of the time, they're just told "we've received a complaint"...with no names. However, it may be "obvious" to them Still, it may just be a matter of ignorance on their part, they don't seem to be intentionally abusive. You might try the SPCA rather than the the ag department. I think they might be more willing to teach them. Perhaps if they hear it from "officials" they'll take more notice? I don't envy your situation at all...best of luck...for you AND the birds!

maidenwolfx80 said:

.... so I decided enough was enough, I bought a new addition to my own backyard family and they were.... very mad... and took their birds and put them back in the trailer... I built my coop out of scrap wood given to me, its not pretty but I;m so proud of what I accomplished in under 3 days.. I put my birds in and tore down the dog run and returned it.

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I didn't really understand this section of your post as it sounds like you were reacting in a vengeful manner and playing "pay back" with the neighbors because they were upset with you. As a result, the condition of their birds went from bad to worse. If you were really concerned about these birds, why not leave them with the dog run to use instead of tearing it down? And you didn't say what the addition to your own backyard family was but the way this is written it makes it sounds like you added something to try to get their attention and/or make them mad?

I have offered to take the birds but they say they want them. I have always offered my help, they know I have alot of knowledge with chickens and other animals, I'm the go to lady for animal care and probs with all my friends and neighbors. I always keep relationships on the neutral end with those neighbors that I know are trouble. I am always willing to help no matter what. I think the main issue is laziness. If any kind of work is required its SUCH a BIG deal, if you have every met a prissy city girl with a drama queen complex,, oh yea that is the blow out here. I tried explaining that chickens take work, constantly no matter if you dont feel good or its hot out or cold out or your tv show is on. But those are the things that come first. I want to report it, I hate seeing this and I hear them crow and cluck at me when they see me cleaning feeders and getting water and it breaks my heart. But then its the neighbor thing, out here our houses are set on 7 acres ( we rent) and we are surrounded on both sides by trees and creeks so that kind of huddles us together so our other neighbors are acres away and cant see or may not even know they have chickens. So it would make for bad blood totally. As hard as it will be I'm going to have to turn a blind eye to it and send those birds all the positive energy and luck I can. But if I find that they are not being fed at all or something along those lines I'm calling and wont care about the messy after effects,,, hhhhmmmm I have been wanting to move.. I know all you animal lovers like I get that "the owners need to be treated that way and see how long they last" feeling inside and it just makes you so angry!!!

HEChicken said:

I didn't really understand this section of your post as it sounds like you were reacting in a vengeful manner and playing "pay back" with the neighbors because they were upset with you. As a result, the condition of their birds went from bad to worse. If you were really concerned about these birds, why not leave them with the dog run to use instead of tearing it down? And you didn't say what the addition to your own backyard family was but the way this is written it makes it sounds like you added something to try to get their attention and/or make them mad?

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No not at all, I bought my own new chicks to hopefully get them to learn from what I did with mine. All the birds were in the dog run together and before I went ans got my new birds I talked to them about it and told them we could raise them together and I could be there to help as I was tending to mine they could be there learning and they thought that was an excellent idea. Until they learned the work involved with tending to chickens. They stopped coming out to the dog run/ coop at all and when I asked if they were going to feed their birds this week they got angry and said I should be doing it since I was already going to be feeding my birds and I said no feeding their birds was their job and that is when they took the chickens back to the trailer.. I borrowed the dog run from a friend told him I would have it back in 2 weeks I informed the neigbors bout this agreement before I even picked the dog run up they said they would have a coop done in that amount of time no prob. I got mine done iin a few days..