Chickens vs. Neighbor Kids

[dulcimer lady]

Yes, I'm putting this in here because as far as I'm concerned these kids are predators and pests!

Dang it, now I've got a headache.

We have some neighbors that I don't know too well. For the most part, things are quiet enough over there but at least twice a month they get inundated with kids. About 6, 8, or 10 kids ranging in age from about 2 to 10. They are usually there a couple of days. During these days, it can get pretty loud because all the kids stay outside. I can deal with all the yelling and hollering - they're kids. I can even deal with all the trash (snack wrappers, etc) that they leave in my yard - I simply throw it back over the property line when I'm out there. I can even deal with a bunch of kids playing in my yard, spilling over from the one they are actually supposed to be in. I'll even hold my piece about the pit bull that's always in my yard, because it's obvious that it is calm and tame and doesn't even bat an eye at my chickens.

But you mess with my chickens, and you got a problem.

I was laying in bed reading a book with the background noise of about 8 hoodlums screaming bloody murder. Fine. Whatever. But then...I heard my chickens making the sounds that they only make when they are upset. Oh, heck no. I pop up to my bedroom window which faces my chicken coop and run, expecting to see kids playing in my yard and my chickens being divas about it. But no, what I see is a gaggle of kids with the run door open going in and out as you please!! And then....I see one of them toss something black up in the air. Surely not. I didn't even stand at my window long enough to try and make out if that was one of my chickens or not, I busted through my backdoor and out to the yard. I yelled at all the kids to get away from my coop and do not touch it again!! I swear, kids of questionable upbringing scattered everywhere. I stood there until every single one of them was out of my yard.
My husband and I went to the neighbors house. By now, all the kids were in the front yard and when they saw us come over they got that, "oh crap" look that kids do when they know they've done wrong. My husband told one of the boys to go get an adult. The kid goes inside hollering, "There's some man out here.." Mhmm.

I explained to the woman who came out what had happened and all the kids start trying to back peddle saying only one boy was in there. Uh, no nice try but I saw every single one of you! Then they said that they were just trying to get my chicken back in! Grrrrrr! So yeah, that black thing I saw one of them toss up in the air *was* one of my chickens! Then, one of them told on themselves without even realizing it. I haven't been getting a normal amount of eggs lately. One kids pipes up and says they were just going in there to see if there were any eggs! Gah! Anyway, the lady was mortified enough to calm me down and made all the kids go inside.

I went out to my run and stuck my head in the coop to check on my girls. That's when I realized those kids must have been in there running amok quite a while. There were big sticks (that I usually keep out in the run for one purpose or another) thrown in into the coop, the ground had been dug in in certain spots, lots of hoodlum footprints everywhere.
I swear. I'm going to have to lock my run up!!

I cannot stand people who do not supervise their children!!! And I can't stand kids who think the whole world is here simply for them to destroy it!
Ok, vent over. I just had to get that out!!

 

[cgmccary]

I see why you had to vent. I would be mortified too. I would have made a police/ incident report as well -- not file a charge but make a report so if it happens again, you have that as a record.

Never underestimate the two-legged predator.

 

[janinepeters]

Never underestimate the two-legged predator.

Agree. They're the worst of all. I keep my runs locked whenever I'm not able to play guard animal. I once had a wonderful rooster, my favorite, ruined by a hyper, aggressive 10 year old boy. The kid was running around maniacally in the coop and run, chasing and grabbing at the hens. The rooster and I were both horrified. Unfortunately, the rooster, hitherto mellow and sweet, learned from that experience that kids are potential predators and began jumping at them from then on. That would not have been a problem if I didn't have kids myself.

 

[bobbi-j]

Sounds like you need to put a lock on your run. Hopefully the adults in the household have given the kids strict orders to stay away from the chickens from now on, but you never know... Maybe you can teach the kids about chickens and how to properly handle and care for them.

 

[dulcimer lady]

It is locked now. I'm down to just a couple of chickens because something recently killed the rest of them. A different neighbor told me she thought it was dogs belonging to these same people with the kids. So,,,grrr. But it's locked up tight now.

 

[mrsc1951]

Sorry for your loss. I would follow up the original police report with one about the dogs. It never hurts to have it on record, especially in the event that something else happens. You will have established a baseline.

 

[KnobbyOaks]

That's a horror story for sure. Unsupervised, untrained, disrespectful children and their parents are a big pet peeve of mine. I'm old and out of sync, I know.

 

[speckledhen]

Kids never learn if there are no consequences. Report it.

 

[Extra Java]

I don't even know what to say other than that's awful.

I hope things improve soon.

 

[Luvmykiddos]

If you want to stop children from doing that on your property, perhaps you should earn their respect instead. May I suggest that next time you see those children, get permission from their parents/guardians to have them come see your chickens, and teach them about your feathered friends. Make those children your friends, not your enemies. This is the surest way to help clear the path for a more respectable young adult in the future to honor authority and others property. Your chickens will thank you, too!

Love...it cures so many ailments, including the foolishness bound up in the heart of a child.