Help! New neighbor suddenly hates chickens!

[reddogmaster2]

So I have been living at my residence for just about a year now. I have owned the property for about 2 years. I have had chickens about that long and never had any complaints except if a rooster had escaped my property and went all the way down the road to a little old lady's house and it ate her flowers. I had to get rid of that rooster along with others anyways. So I had a new neighbor move in next to me, and she was happy that the chickens now are free range since she wanted them to eat ticks and how they ate left overs. Well ever since pandimic she started hating them. She isn't home that much, she takes care of elderly people who have demintia full-time. She said they are going on to her property and eating flowers. Even though she hasn't planted any flowers, she actually killed all of them with a mix of household chemicals. She also was happy to have them on the property which was why she bought it. What do I do. I pointed out that when she started feeding them they would go over there more, she would have to stop feeding them on her property.

It IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to keep your chickens out of her yard.

Do that and I suspect that things will get much better. Bake her some zucchini bread and invite her over for a cold adult beverage and get to know her.

But keep your chickens out of her space!

Good luck!

 

[Birdielee]

unfortunately the chickens roost in a 20+ foot tree so i cant catch them to clip their wings otherwise i would build them a better run. i have been only able to catch one and that is the one that already stays in the coop/dog pen that i use. the others are unfortunately semi wild, which is what the neighbor liked at first, since they do not have to be fed all the time since they forage almost year round. unfortunetly with the drought in my area, most of the small ponds and creeks dried up, which probably attracted the coyote.

Some of mine are pretty wild, but i can them with a fishing net.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

Can you make a smaller run and not let them free range without supervision?

 

[lesjsmith]

Seeing chickens in the neighbor's yard and deciding to put your garden right next to it won’t qualify the gardening neighbor for admittance to Mensa, especially since she has a yard large enough to use a site that won’t be as tempting to the chickens. Just because a person has a right to do something, doesn’t mean it’s a smart choice.

If the neighbor owns the property then they should be able to plant wherever they want. Good fences make nice neighbors. At least that is my experience.

Somewhat off topic, but regard to the raccoon that killed your chickens... how did he damage the hens? I’m trying to identify a Predator that killed one of my hens. Her bottom was eaten out and her inside organs were all eaten. Then she was buried/hidden under the wood shavings on the hen house floor. Does that sound like what the raccoon did to yours?

Do you have Coyotes in your area?

 

[Kellow1]

Keep in mind that chicken wire is only meant to keep chickens IN, not predators OUT. I would put a fence around my coop and make that area Fort Knox so no predators can get your chickens, and the neighbor cannot feed them. Good luck.

 

[Kellow1]

If the neighbor owns the property then they should be able to plant wherever they want. Good fences make nice neighbors. At least that is my experience.

Do you have Coyotes in your area?

Somewhat off topic, but regard to the raccoon that killed your chickens... how did he damage the hens? I’m trying to identify a Predator that killed one of my hens. Her bottom was eaten out and her inside organs were all eaten. Then she was buried/hidden under the wood shavings on the hen house floor. Does that sound like what the raccoon did to yours?

Depending on where you live, the predator could be a raccoon, an opossum, or other four-legged predator doing as you described.

 

[lesjsmith]

My neighbor killed all my chickens with her dog.

As I posted, if you can prove it then call Animal Control and file a complaint. I told my neighbor that we would be going to Small Claims Court if she did not pay the damages that her dogs caused. They literally pulled out a 40 lb poop drawer to get to them. And we were able to follow a trail of feathers. We went to her door and told her what happened. She said she was wondering where the dead chicken came from.

 

[Fishychix]

@Fishychix, good fences make good neighbors. Her chickens, her responsibility to keep them safe. The best way to do that is confinement, either in a run or by fencing some or all of her property. If her neighbor then continues to come on her property it is a matter for the sheriff or police. It was not clear where the chickens died or if they died from poisoning.

It doesn't matter how the neighbor used to feel, she doesn't want them on her property any longer and has said so. She may still like them and maybe that is why she tries to interact with them on the owner's property (pure conjecture here). Nevertheless, boundaries (physical or otherwise) need to be set.

Too true. I was focusing on the parts where it said she actually crossed onto the owner’s property and also put food onto the owner’s property as well. I highly recommend welded wire fencing instead of deer or poultry netting. Depending on your area you should be to get at least 6’x100’ 2x4 mesh welded wire rolled fence for around a $100. We’re suffering a shortage right now and it’s been iffy getting any fencing. Someone mentioned t-posts, they will work well. I usually tend to get u-posts because they have the notches in them already. If you use T-posts you’ll have to attach it somehow. The excellent things with using welded wire are that you can electrify it and it will also keep predators out. Both are bonuses.

 

[Hidrainja4]

Thanks. I am not sure if there is a lumber mill near me. I will try Craigslist again. Also, has anyone tried to do a shed conversion. There seems to be a bunch of sheds for sale near me for this prebuilt sheds/ small building and they seem to be the same as Craigslist but newer for the same price. Would something like this work and what would I need to do other then put roosts, food, water, nest boxes in it. As in, how will I keep it closed, just a padlock or install some sort of doorknob that I can lock? Anything else I might not be thinking of that I can do myself?

this is my converted shed:

 

[Fishychix]

this is my converted shed:

Wow! It looks great. Could you post some interior pictures and maybe some tips on how you did this?