AHHHH!!!! Anyone else have problems with neighbors???????????????

[P-Funk]

Interesting and very well written. Just because you're neighbors doesn't mean you have to be friends. I can go the rest of my life never talking to this jerk across the street and sleep soundly knowing his incontinent mutt will never be digging it's way into the barn again. I actually considered getting a very large dog to protect the flock. The sherrifs' department took care of that.

 

[jlbpooh]

He has complained about the guineas several times also. We called the Sheriff's Dept to see if there was anything we had to worry about and they said he didn't have a leg to stand on. I keep everything squeeky clean too, so there is no odor at all with any of our animals, no room for complaints there either. The fact that the ducks snuck into his yard is a different story though since they are technically trespassing then. Doesn't matter that they only went a few feet. I have kept them penned up, the ducks are not happy, but it is for their safety. I thought about the electric, I do have a second charger, but the birds don't seem to be affected by the electric on the goat pen, so I am not sure if it would do any good. We have checked into cameras though. We haven't said a word to him. This guy is a wierdo though because he repeatedly was standing naked in front of his window facing the main road and playing with himself. The cops had to get involved on that too. Thankfully that side of his house isn't visible from our house. All was well with him until he lost his job 2 1/2 years ago. He has lived there for 4 years, and we didn't have any problems with him before he lost his job. He even took care of the birds and pigs when we went on vacation once. My husband automatically started doing ALL of this guy's mowing and trimming when he was out of commission for a few months from open heart surgery and when his wife had her aneurysm and was in the hospital. We just did the neighborly thing then, we always try to help the neighbors when they need it. That is just what people do. That is why this whole negative obsession he now has with the animals really hurts us.

 

[mulewagon]

Huh - with that last info, I think you should recast the question as, "What should we do about our neighbor who is showing signs of stroke or dementia?" With the major surgery and loss of inhibitions, that's what it sounds like...

It would be nice to ask his wife is she needs any help. And somehow I think the Sheriff's dept will be understanding of your difficulties!

 

[Pineywoods Peepers]

I have heard that having heart surgery can change a person's personality. A friend of mine's husband had heart surgery a few years ago, and she said he's been a different man since then. Less jovial and quicker to anger. Not a complete 180, but a distinct change in him after surgery. She said the surgeon warned her of the possibility before the operation.

 

[Oregon Blues]

It's terrible to have to deal with whacky neighbors. You have my sympathy.

However, it is your responsibility to keep your animals on your own property. If the neighbor puts up a piece of wire and then takes it down, it is not his responsibility to keep your ducks confined. It's a strange thing for him to do, but it still isn't his responsibility to fence your ducks. He is well within his rights to complain if your animals are on his property.

A smaller pen for your birds to make sure they stay at home sounds like a better solution than getting rid of your birds.

I don't suppose you know his children? If you do, you might mention that their father's behavior is getting odd and that you are worried about him and suggest that they check up on him.

The world is getting crazier and unfortunately, it seems that there is nowhere to move where there isn't a resident difficult nut job neighbor.

 

[cubalaya]

a couple of cliches fit your neighbor: ' idle hands are the devils workshop'
'good fences make for good neighbors'
i would guess that sooner or later he will have to go back to work, in the meantime keep your animals off his place and talk to your other neighbors about the common problem that you share with this guy.

 

[KFox]

I have a not-so-nice neighbor too.

I know that his feral children cross the fence line. That doesn't seem to be an issue. However, if my chickens or dogs were to cross, it would for sure be an issue. So I just keep my kids/livestock and pets on my own property. I realize accidents may happen but I will do everything I can to be sure it isn't. I won't act a fool like him and complain about trivial things.

If I were you, I'd probably just put some shrubs, grasses and other natural boundaries inside the fence perimeter so the animals are less likely to cross--if you absolutely can not make the animals a smaller pen for when you aren't home to supervise.

 

[jlbpooh]

He's not going to go back to work, because he decided to retire and live off of his wife's income from Wal-Mart. We already have a ton of vegetation covering the fenceline since it is in the woods, this duck loves thick brush. Since we have two shared lot lines of 1000' total, it is just too much to put additional fenicing up. All of my other birds respect the fence. I am just going to sell this pair to make him happy. I have them in a 20x20' pen right with a water trough to swim in now and they are miserable. They much prefer the woods and pond. I think an Ostrich that can stare at him over his 8' privacy fence might be a good replacement since out property line comes within 25 feet of the back of his house. Maybe I should get peacocks since they can be even louder than the guineas from what i have heard. I have a 20x30' pen that would work for that. LOL He ought to be thanking me though for the 5 raccoons, and 4 possums that I trapped within 2 weeks and relocated a few months ago. Those might poop in his yard, can't call the sheriff about them.

 

[Laigaie]

Some folks seem to be getting confused on this point: You repaired the hole in your fence, and HE tore it down. All the comments about how you have a responsibility to keep your animals on your property seem misdirected because of that singular point. If he's damaging your property or instigating the issue with the ducks, it is not you who has done anything wrong. Also, next time you trap an animal, I'd relocate it right into his pool.

 

[la-pro]

Can you put a camera on the fence patches to catch him in the act of removing your patches?