Chickens got into my neighbors backyard!

[kellgirl360]

So I am not sure where else to post this but my chickens flew out from my fenced backyard into my neighbors. They dug a nice sized hole in the neighbor's grass too. I was able to get them out of the yard but their feathers are in the hole. My neighbors also have a huge garden and I am soo scared to go and talk to the neighbors and replace any damaged plants. That being said, the neighbors don't really know that it was MY chickens, and I dont think they saw them in the yard. What should I do??

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

So I am not sure where else to post this but my chickens flew out from my fenced backyard into my neighbors. They dug a nice sized hole in the neighbor's grass too. I was able to get them out of the yard but their feathers are in the hole. My neighbors also have a huge garden and I am soo scared to go and talk to the neighbors and replace any damaged plants. That being said, the neighbors don't really know that it was MY chickens, and I dont think they saw them in the yard. What should I do??

You go knock on the door, explain what happened, apologize and ask what you can do to repair the damage.

 

[MySweetChickens]

x2

 

[6of6chicks]

x3.

Take responsibility for your chickens. They're like any other pet or kid - sometimes they do stupid things and as their parent it's your job to clean up the mess they made.

Your neighbors will be far more forgiving if you step up and do the right thing. Because trust me - they already know it was your chickens.

 

[kellgirl360]

I know and I will be responsible but knowing my neighbors I have a feeling they will want to blame me for ANY damage done, even if it wasn't my chickens. We have lots of rabbits and other birds in my neighborhood that like to wreck gardens and I fear they will blame me for those animals too.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I know and I will be responsible but knowing my neighbors I have a feeling they will want to blame me for ANY damage done, even if it wasn't my chickens. We have lots of rabbits and other birds in my neighborhood that like to wreck gardens and I fear they will blame me for those animals too.

Unfortunately, that comes with the territory in being a responsible animal custodian. All you can do is suck it up this time and then make sure that you keep your chickens better contained. How long were your birds on their property?

 

[kellgirl360]

Probably only about an hour. If it was our neighbors on the opposite side it would be no problem, but these guys are... well.. interesting. I'm hoping they will be more understanding because they used to have chickens, but probably not.

 

[MySweetChickens]

you could leave a note on their door saying you are sorry for any damage taken with maybe a 20 dollar bill taped or wrapped up in paper on the bottom to pay for any damage since you don't want to face them yourself

 

[kellgirl360]

I left a note saying sorry for the damage please contact me so I can fix or replace anything that was damaged.

 

[6of6chicks]

Ahh, that's too bad. I'm lucky that I've never had neighbors like that, but I know plenty of people who do. I can understand why you're nervous!

Maybe when you are explaining what happened, tell them you saw exactly what your chickens did. Ask them to go out in their yard WITH you so you can specifically point to any damages your birds are responsible for. That way your neighbors won't have the luxury of perusing the whole yard when you're not there and claiming extra stuff after the fact. If they do point to other things you will be able to challenge questionable things ("sorry, no, that damage looks a lot older than this..." etc.). Might be tense and uncomfortable, but better than giving them free reign to blame you for whatever they want.

If they are the vindictive types them I'd also try to take some of the power out of their hands. You don't want them blaming you for every little thing in the future, just because of this one incident. Do something to show you're on top of fixing the problem. Put up a fence (even a temporary one), or keep the chickens in a run for a while. That way when rabbits get in their garden they won't be able to automatically blame you. You can point to the fixes and confidently say, "No, sorry, not my chickens this time!"

Best of luck!