Sorry to read that you have such an inconsiderate neighbor.[/SIZE. Hello , I'm new here and I'm really aggravated about my neighbors chickens.. I live in the country but my home is located in a small subdivision. Our covenants say you cannot have chickens without approval from the board . My neighbor does not have approval from the board but as we all know HOA regulations aren't worth the paper they are written on. I installed a very expensive 3 board fence several years ago before he even mentioned chickens. He built a small pen for his chickens but has now decided to let them free range. Keep in mind his house is close enough that I could throw a rock and hit the side of it. Now his chickens are pooping all over my drive and patio and have completely destroyed my wife's flower bed. So after shooing them away and constantly washing chicken poop away I approached him and told him very politely that his chickens were destroying my wife's flowers and making a nasty mess for me to clean up. I did this because after reading posts here that's what everyone agreed was the best way to handle the situation. I told him I'd prefer that he kept his chickens in his own yard. He told me he couldn't do that so I suggested he keep them in the pen he built . He went ballistic, screaming and yelling and stormed off and has not spoken to me or my wife in a year. And guess what, when I go out of town and come back I find chicken poop all over my patio and driveway and my wife is constantly upset about her flowers being dug up. The other day I came home to find a hen sitting on the hood of my wife's car.
I'm writing this so if any of you newbies are considering getting chickens you will consider how it affects your neighbors when your not a responsible owner. So here Are the things you need to know.
1. Respect your neighbors property line. Having backyard chickens does not turn your property into a farm. Just because chickens naturally roam doesn't mean they can cross that line .
2. Offering someone eggs which is a suggestion I saw on this site does not make up for them having to clean up chicken poop daily. If your neighbor has complained that your chickens are destroying their property they do not want your eggs.
3. If your neighbor tells you your chickens are causing problems apologize immediately and do whatever it takes to remedy the situation. If you can't afford a pen you don't need chickens.
4. Don't get mad if your neighbor is fed up and tells you so.
5. Be prepared if they go to the city or county and complain because after all you are being pretty inconsiderate.
6. Realize that if your neighbor wanted chickens in his yard he would have his own, not yours.
7. Ask yourself how you would feel if your neighbor decided to get goats, pigs or any other animal that digs and destroys things and let them run loose on your property.
8. Ask yourself am I really ready to do all it takes to be a responsible chicken owner.
Sadly after comming home from our last vacation we found 93 holes in our flower garden . My poor wife just broke down and cried. Today she told me she wants to move . We've lived in this house for 18 yrs and I guess I'll have to consider leaving but who's going to buy it when it looks like a chicken pen.
And just so you guys know, I've already called the county and there are no laws that say he has to keep his chickens on his own property. All of my friends say just kill the **** birds when they come in your yard but I can't do that and besides it would only make things worse. One of the local police officers suggested I get a BB gun and pop them in the butt but I told him it's not the chickens fault that their owner is an inconsiderate jerk.
Don't know what I'm going to do next but I just wanted everyone to realize you have a responsibility with chickens and if you can't be responsible you shouldnt buy any.
