Folks getting rid of my chickens!!

[TropicalBabies]

K. This is my new favorite thing. It should be on the cover of life's manual on how to live well. Instead i found it in my chainsaw manual, page 5 lol.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Yikes...your mom sounds like a certain someone I grew up with, right down to using the animals as a guilt tripping method.

If your mom is threatening you with rent as a way to control you, you could see if your situation constitutes "Tenancy at Will" laws in TX if they exist. There are usually laws in place to stop rent from suddenly being dropped on legal adults who have been living somewhere for some length of time under a verbal agreement even if there was no formal contract in place. Unfortunately, where those laws exist they may only buy a month or two before formal eviction can be initiated or rent would become due so it might do more harm than good to lean on anything like that. I doubt there would be anything with those sorts of laws that would help with the chickens though.

Proving ownership of the animals and preventing them from being given away will be extremely hard if the birds aren't identified with numbered bands or something similarly unique. Regardless of whether it's legal, if she gives away the birds one day, you probably won't be able to get them back. I know it's probably not a happy solution, but one option would be to rehome some or all yourself with people you trust so that you at least know where they're going, and then it can't be used as leverage over you. I'm pretty new to chickens but it seems like it would be hard to move quickly with 19 of them. Do you have a couple favorite chickens? If things get rough and you have to go stay somewhere where you can't keep that many chickens, consider finding someone you trust who will take most of them and then just taking a few with you.

 

[Isadora]

Unfortunately I’m not afforded the same respect as an adult because according to my mother I’m only an adult in her eyes when it’s convenient.

Been there.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I won’t do things her way meaning I won’t do what she wants regarding my health and doctors visits

Maybe Mom is looking out for you? Either way her house her rules. You are an adult, start adulting and get your own place maybe?

 

[TropicalBabies]

Maybe Mom is looking out for you? Either way her house her rules. You are an adult, start adulting and get your own place maybe?

Yeah, maybe that would be good advice for 1980 but in the land of the 2020- 2021's not so easy. No jobs, disease. Lots to think about and ground work to do b4 you can make that kind of move. Hey, I am all for tough love. Best gift you can give sometimes. Nothing more esteemable than a job and your own digs and doing it off the sweat of your own brow. But there are some major details happening. Not like when we were young people.

 

[Leslo5831]

I am glad your dad stepped in and took you. That sounds wonderful and loving.
Well, if I were to look at this objectively I'd say you need to get yourself somewhere safe and sane 1st off. Even if it is for a cooling off period. Parents are not perfect by any means, though most try to do their best. Unfortunately high end sight is 20/20 and we have no idea of the damage we do until it is to late. Best advice I was ever given was to learn to keep my mouth shut and quit digging. It has made it easier to walk away rather than be engaged in crap.
Second would be your chickens. If you rehome or find a place you are in control of their outcome. That to me would be much better than letting her do it because you love them and are attached. As a chicken person myself- I would pay you money and give you a buy back option hearing your story- no need to tell anyone all of your story- just you can not house them at the moment but would like to buy them back when you are settled. They can enjoy eggs till then. Beats them getting scattered to the wind with who knows who and no possibilities. This could be a win, win because your mom could A, see an effort on your part. B, realized she has lost control of her leverage. May even do some soul searching at that point- we can hope. C, put you in control of their outcome and buy you some freedom.

I was actually thinking of doing the buy back method with my neighbor because we have traded chickens in the past and I’ll shoot him a text to see what we can work out but in the mean time I’m still talking to my father about the housing situation because it’s not the first time I had to leave cuz of how my mom has acted. Before when I had a job I was living with my father instead of my moms but when covid hit my father along with my step mom got covid and because of what my work required( I’m a caretaker of the elderly) I had to leave immediately and every since then I’ve been here at my moms stuck and my father had to move to a smaller house cuz of the lack of work

 

[Leslo5831]

Maybe Mom is looking out for you? Either way her house her rules. You are an adult, start adulting and get your own place maybe?

It’s both she goes back and forward on treating me like a kid then switching it up the next day in me acting like an adult all because I didn’t take out the trash it’s really just a mess ultimately in her eyes I’m only an adult when it’s convenient for her. Like example if an argument arises for whatever the reason she shoots me down because she’s the adult and because she’s my mother then the next day she’ll get pissed over whatever and criticize me over me not acting like an adult yet I’m never afforded the same respect a adult should have when having a say so in a house hold or even a discussion she doesn’t want to hear on top of that she demands rent every month for me tp stay and I’m living off my chickens egggs and homemade crochet toys to keep up with a internet bill or water bill

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

It’s both she goes back and forward on treating me like a kid then switching it up the next day in me acting like an adult all because I didn’t take out the trash it’s really just a mess ultimately in her eyes I’m only an adult when it’s convenient for her. Like example if an argument arises for whatever the reason she shoots me down because she’s the adult and because she’s my mother then the next day she’ll get pissed over whatever and criticize me over me not acting like an adult yet I’m never afforded the same respect a adult should have when having a say so in a house hold or even a discussion she doesn’t want to hear on top of that she demands rent every month for me tp stay and I’m living off my chickens egggs and homemade crochet toys to keep up with a internet bill or water bill

Sounds like it is time to move out.

 

[Leslo5831]

Yikes...your mom sounds like a certain someone I grew up with, right down to using the animals as a guilt tripping method.

If your mom is threatening you with rent as a way to control you, you could see if your situation constitutes "Tenancy at Will" laws in TX if they exist. There are usually laws in place to stop rent from suddenly being dropped on legal adults who have been living somewhere for some length of time under a verbal agreement even if there was no formal contract in place. Unfortunately, where those laws exist they may only buy a month or two before formal eviction can be initiated or rent would become due so it might do more harm than good to lean on anything like that. I doubt there would be anything with those sorts of laws that would help with the chickens though.

Proving ownership of the animals and preventing them from being given away will be extremely hard if the birds aren't identified with numbered bands or something similarly unique. Regardless of whether it's legal, if she gives away the birds one day, you probably won't be able to get them back. I know it's probably not a happy solution, but one option would be to rehome some or all yourself with people you trust so that you at least know where they're going, and then it can't be used as leverage over you. I'm pretty new to chickens but it seems like it would be hard to move quickly with 19 of them. Do you have a couple favorite chickens? If things get rough and you have to go stay somewhere where you can't keep that many chickens, consider finding someone you trust who will take most of them and then just taking a few with you.

I was going to contact my neighbor also a chicken keeper to ask if he can have them and I’d pay for the food I have done that in the past before when I was sick but I usually did that with a family member but right now because of covid keeping in touch with scared relatives is hard on top of the fact that my mom will have a say so in who goes where. I also had a feeling the few laws that are here wouldn’t do that much good especially with the short notice and job lacking ultimately I’ll try to get that leverage she has over me off and work out me moving to my dads within the next month or sooner

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I was going to contact my neighbor also a chicken keeper to ask if he can have them and I’d pay for the food I have done that in the past before when I was sick but I usually did that with a family member but right now because of covid keeping in touch with scared relatives is hard on top of the fact that my mom will have a say so in who goes where. I also had a feeling the few laws that are here wouldn’t do that much good especially with the short notice and job lacking ultimately I’ll try to get that leverage she has over me off and work out me moving to my dads within the next month or sooner

Your dad will likely have rules too. You will follow yourself wherever you go