Crazy Neighbor

[Attila the Hen]

I'm new and have never participated in an online forum like this. Also new with chickens but doing well with them. The neighbor is the problem. We are in a rural subdivision where everyone including the neighbor is a weekender. He actually is only here about 2-3 days a month but is obsessed with my chickens as a problem. Firts it was the crowing, but my rooster is an Orpington Buff who rarely crows, then it was the smell--I clean the coop daily and moved the compost heap to the other side of the house. The guy wanted us to build another coop on the other side of our house, but I have spent a fortune on fences etc. and really the current location is ideal. The chickens went into his yard yesterday and he insists they roost under his house making a smell. This is not the case as they rarely go over there and are not there long before I discover they are out of my yard and next door. (they do not run free when I am not at home) We all live in a forest where there is no landscaping at all.
Long story short, I got all of the chicken's wings clipped yesterday because they were getting outside the run. There are no restrictions in our area as it is rural and there are no deed restrictions. He is an attorney and we have been going over this for months. He wants to sue us for the decline in his property value! I have one rooster and five hens--hardly a huge flock. I will stand my ground but it is distressing. I've offered to bring the rooster inside the house when the neighbor is here etc. but I suspect nothing will make him happy.

 

[J.Pryce]

Some people are just not nice. Especially most attorneys, like my brother in law know it all. I would say that as long as you can keep them on your property, there is no issue.

 

[1shelby1]

ah,I do sympathize with you and your chickens.Where do people think it's rural without animals?Our 'weekend 'neighbor also has put up a sun screen fence-just so the chickens aren't seen by his wine friends/renters.I really had to laugh at him when he accused 'our' bees were keeping him from his 1/4 acre grape harvest(since when do bees bother grapes-and I should send him an invoice for pollination)!small minds...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If it were me I would just keep the chickens in my yard and that's all you can do!!! I hope things work out for you!

 

[speckledhen]

but I suspect nothing will make him happy.

and therein lies the rub. Some are not happy unless they are controlling others and making them conform to a certain standard they set for themselves. If he's an attorney, he knows he hasn't a leg to stand on, but he may think he can make you think he does. All you need to do is keep your chickens off his property and stand firm on your legal rights if there are no ordinances against poultry. The best defense is a good offense. If he continues to be a nuisance, perhaps you can tell him he's crossed the line into harrassing you and you may have to take legal measures. He can't sue you for something that is within your legal rights. Well, he can sue you, but it's an exercise in futility. You can, however, sue him for harrassment and he ought to know that. . All this hinges on you keeping your birds off his property, though. Sounds like one of these city folks who come to the country because they like it, then try to change it into where they came from. We see it all the time here in the N. GA. mtns.​

 

[redhen]

First step is to keep your animals in your yard.

 

[herfrds]

Make a pen to keep your animals on your property.
If it was me I would get a survey crew out and get the boundaries marked clearly and if possible put up a privacy fence on his side.
think he would get the hint???

Now I would document every time he contacts you.

 

[ladybug99]

This thread makes me giggle a bit...about 7 years ago I was living in a different town... chickens or livestock were not permitted at all... well one day I see three chickens in my yard.. and I was so excited... thought they were adorable...well after a week or so I was out in the garden and found the crator they had dug in my rose beds... they chewed up the roots and ate half of the plants... now I am not amused... knowing chicken behavior I decide to follow them at sun down to find where they live.....we traveled about 1/2 mile ...I knocked on the person's door and nicely explained to him that his girls were destroying my garden!! the guy shook his head and said ... they aren't my chickens they have been here ever since I moved in... he did not feed them, they would not come to him... he was actually trying to catch them for a friend. HE told me he had planted a vegetable garden one day and the plants were all gone in the morning... these three chicken terrorized the neighborhood for about another 3 or 4 weeks....we all started feeding them.. then feeding them by hand...but we could never catch them

and one day as I am feeding the girls the animal control officer happens to drive by.....he slams on his brakes and comes out of his truck screaming at me....I told him to calm down... these are wild chickens and the whole neighbor hood has been trying to tame them so they can be caught... He quiets down and asks me how it was going....I told him we have them eating out of our hands but every time we go to grab them they run for the hills.. he went back to his truck and gave me his net and a cage and told me to use these and call him when they are gone.

It was amazing how much damage those three chickens did to our neighborhood.....they were "diggers" holes were everywhere in our nicely manicured lawns and gardens... They were lucky that we were animal lovers... I can easily see how people who don't have chickens could get upset

We finally caught all three and they went to someone who had chickens a few towns over.. we were told that they would not touch the feed for a few weeks... they only would eat scratch and treats....they free ranged and intergrated into the flock nicely. They were the big brown chickens.. may be leghorns... they lived many years after that.....

 

[un-named]

good fences make good neighbors and it sounds like you are trying here.
get a good fence, document any further contact he has with you and document what you can clearly remember from previous encounters. perhaps mention harrassement if it continues.
some city folk like to live out in the "country" minus the smells, bugs and noise of farm and wild animals.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

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