Help! New neighbor suddenly hates chickens!

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This may have been covered, but how many chickens are we talking here? 6? 60? She definitely needs to stop trespassing on your property and feeding your animals. I am wondering if - before you put up your fence- she liked the few she saw and fed them, but then realized how distructive they can be? Chickens can destroy a garden very quickly. Even though you say her plants were dead, she may have just planted new ones or bulbs.
Everyone needs to stay on their own side of the yard. I would tell her ‘I’m so sorry to have to ask this, but my chickens have gotten a bit sick and are now on a special diet, so please don’t feed them’.
I might have to try that. Maybe if she stops feeding them long enough they will stop goitover to her place looking for food. I have been making sure they have extra food just to be on the safe side.
 
This may have been covered, but how many chickens are we talking here? 6? 60? She definitely needs to stop trespassing on your property and feeding your animals. I am wondering if - before you put up your fence- she liked the few she saw and fed them, but then realized how distructive they can be? Chickens can destroy a garden very quickly. Even though you say her plants were dead, she may have just planted new ones or bulbs.
Everyone needs to stay on their own side of the yard. I would tell her ‘I’m so sorry to have to ask this, but my chickens have gotten a bit sick and are now on a special diet, so please don’t feed them’.
If you tell this woman that your chickens are sick when they're not, you're asking for trouble! That's all she'd need to sick the authorities on you ... and once they hear "I lied about it" you'll be hard pressed to prove your honesty to them when she trumps up her own claims.

If you need an inexpensive, sturdy, predator resistant coop and run, try a child's wooden playhouse. Mine is actually two, side by side. The platform was there when we bought the place. The cabin was a freebie from my brother. Until my kids grew up, it was their home-away-from-home-at-home! If you check your local ads, there's almost always someone giving away a playhouse "free if you haul it." A couple of strong backs and a pickup or flatbed, and you have a fine start for a coop and run.

The cabin becomes the coop. The sandbox underneath is your run. Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth over sides and openings and dig a narrow, 8" deep trench around the bottom. Fill the trench with dry concrete mix, add water & mix. Once it's cured (about 48 hours) it'll deter even a digging raccoon or coyote. And besides ... it looks cool!

CoopS.jpg CoopE.jpg
 
If you tell this woman that your chickens are sick when they're not, you're asking for trouble! That's all she'd need to sick the authorities on you ... and once they hear "I lied about it" you'll be hard pressed to prove your honesty to them when she trumps up her own claims.

If you need an inexpensive, sturdy, predator resistant coop and run, try a child's wooden playhouse. Mine is actually two, side by side. The platform was there when we bought the place. The cabin was a freebie from my brother. Until my kids grew up, it was their home-away-from-home-at-home! If you check your local ads, there's almost always someone giving away a playhouse "free if you haul it." A couple of strong backs and a pickup or flatbed, and you have a fine start for a coop and run.

The cabin becomes the coop. The sandbox underneath is your run. Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth over sides and openings and dig a narrow, 8" deep trench around the bottom. Fill the trench with dry concrete mix, add water & mix. Once it's cured (about 48 hours) it'll deter even a digging raccoon or coyote. And besides ... it looks cool!

View attachment 2273647View attachment 2273648
I think she can be smart about the ‘illness’ so as to not attact attention. For example, my cream legbar has always had digestive issues, so I ask the neighbors to not feed her, but they feed the others. Lots of chickens have tummy issues and LOTS of dog owners are very protective over what they eat. It’s a common practice, I feel.
 
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.
Put up a tall fence around and if she complains make sure you have proof they didn’t eat the flowers. I hate people like that who just want to be misurable. You could also make a very big backyard area for the
With a roof on the top and put a camera out to show they are not in the neighbors lawn.
 
I think she can be smart about the ‘illness’ so as to not attact attention. For example, my cream legbar has always had digestive issues, so I ask the neighbors to not feed her, but they feed the others. Lots of chickens have tummy issues and LOTS of dog owners are very protective over what they eat. It’s a common practice, I feel.
You're right - but I wouldn't take the chance. It sounds like this neighbor is going out of her way to be nasty ... and it's best to err on the side of caution.
With that said, I also have one with digestive issues (a bird, not a neighbor!) I supplement with cracked corn in the winter (to help them keep warm,) and have to make sure it's cracked really fine. Anything bigger, and I have crop issues & a sick hen. She's getting up there, but she's really sweet-natured and great with everybody's youngsters ... even the goofy kids next door ... so I do what I can to help her out. Zheesh ... what we do for our birds! :)
 
You're right - but I wouldn't take the chance. It sounds like this neighbor is going out of her way to be nasty ... and it's best to err on the side of caution.
With that said, I also have one with digestive issues (a bird, not a neighbor!) I supplement with cracked corn in the winter (to help them keep warm,) and have to make sure it's cracked really fine. Anything bigger, and I have crop issues & a sick hen. She's getting up there, but she's really sweet-natured and great with everybody's youngsters ... even the goofy kids next door ... so I do what I can to help her out. Zheesh ... what we do for our birds! :)
I thought the same when it was suggested she call her chickens sick. A little alarm went off in my head. ...how to fix that report to the authorities? Better to not say that
 
After you have your chickens securely staying in your yard, politely ask her to stop throwing her garbage in your yard, and if she persists,take a shovel and throw it back in her yard.
 
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.

I presume that you share eggs with her? I haven't had to deal (yet) with anyone complaining about our 3 hens, and I just hatched 9 more (gave away 2--had to rehome our 9 chick's young dad early part of Quarantine)... so, we live in the city and will have up to 7 hens (thank GAWD I found a home for any boys in our 3 month old hatch)--we're allowed up to 8 hens total.

Every neighbor that I see (including strangers who walk by our house--especially moreso over Quarantine) I apologize for our loud rooster (that I rehomed) and prepare them to hear the up to 4 that started roostering 10 days ago... Anyway, to my shock--every single one of the neighbors say that they LOVE hearing our rooster, and hear others in the area too--how nice of them!

PS after I rehomed our rooster, who roostered ALL DAY LONG (NOT just when the sun rose like in the movies/cartoons)--I work from home and I could NOT stand the constant roostering--way too loud and startling every single time... anyway, once we rehomed him--I was literally shocked that ALL of our hens actually are about as loud as him--but, less often--one in particular CLUCK CLUCK CLUCKS right before she AND each hen (3 total) lay an egg, and, again, DURING laying her eggs, AND right after laying eggs... It's the most insane thing I've ever seen/heard (I read that they do this around egg laying to ward off potential predators).

I CAN though, get her/the other 2 to quiet if I call them over for treats--whereas, I could NOT divert the roostering of the rooster, so if it's convenient, I plan to run out and give them treats when they're about to go nuts clucking. So, I was going to ask, does your neighbor complain about sound or just the chickens getting out / into her yard?

And, I don't know if you've looked into your local "laws" about owning chickens? Because when I went to buy a permit (required to own chickens in our city, at least), besides agreeing to a list of things like: not owning a rooster, not rendering chickens for meat on my property, building a coop 10' min from any structure, that I was surprised to know that the main complaints are for noise vs. just owning--so, if there's no audible concerns on behalf of any inspector who is responding to a complaint--that they're likely NOT to give you any warnings or tickets, etc.

One thing I did for one neighbor who seemed apprehensive about our getting chickens in the first place, is that I let her ADOPT one (that she could name, and we'd 100% feed/take care of--just that she basically gets to have a courtesy egg-laying hen that she can claim)--and, that she can come get eggs any time -- this mere offer turned her into a chicken lover and proud to help us tend to them :)
 

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