Help! New neighbor suddenly hates chickens!

[paloozaparty]

Get some tposts and chicken wire and put up a new fence until you can fix the permanent one. You can get tposts and chicken wire up in less than a day and when the time comes, you can take it down in less than a day. I wouldn't wait, personally, but I don't know your situation other than what you've posted on here.

We had to put up metal posts and chicken wire around our OWN back patio--because, being new chicken owners--and, thrilled to support that the chickens get to roam our backyard every day as they please--that NO ONE told me or complained about online--that (yes, get ready to fall down laughing AND roll your eyes at me) chickens POOP EVERYWHERE--and, I could NOT believe that they'd hang out 80% of their time on our back porch and back steps--lean up against and all 5 fit up on our back sliding glass door--because we socialized with them so much that they were socialized like family vs. backyard pets. So, poop on EVERY square inch of our cement patio, stairs, etc--couldn't walk anywhere without stepping in hot, fresh chicken poop. THEN, you finally have time to go hose it down, to find that chicken poop is more like cement and does NOT easily go away or even scrape off. So, anyway, my husband (on his own volition) put up a temporary, yet effective chicken wire fence with the metal stakes meant to support the wire--and, this has mostly worked (except that we have one tenacious and relentless hen who jumps over the fence WITH BOTH wings cut to deter flight--started with one side, then tried the 2nd side)--but, less poop at least and I clean it up sooner than before the fence... You can look on craigslist for other peoples building materials--I find chicken wire for free very often on our local craigslist!

 

[Hidrainja4]

this is my converted shed:

this is my converted shed:

Cant get my phone to send pics. I did have an exclusive neighborhood handy man (if he doesn't like you he won't work for you) do the woodworking but he was inexpensive. The Windows are reclaimed from a little shop that was going to be razed. There are three equal height roosting bars across the back in front of the windows. The exterior nesting boxes have roll away paint trays in them and there is a tarp under the bedding that I can lift drag out and dump into the compost. Like people due with fall leaves. I found all these ideas on line. The interior paint is left over from house projects the exterior I spent money on house paint primer and paint in one ,and I went with the recommended colors -polar white and no more drama red. I primed the bare spots and two coats of paint. It is possible to do something real nice on the cheap.

 

[svh]

Over the past few days, I have read this whole thread, and I have a possible solution !

Motion sensitive sprinklers along the fence line !!!

This, or something similar, could train your birds to stay away from the fence line, or guard any gates or openings in the fence.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...3470F21DBD5AC9ACFDC53470F21DBD5A&&FORM=VDRVRV

Plus it will water your lawn, and if positioned properly, water your neighbor as well !!!

You can thank me later .....

 

[Bantumbarnyard]

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

Well, there really isn't much with city laws since I am not in city limits and the neighbor on the other side of me has 70+ chickens along with ducks and she hasn't said a thing about his. Just mine. She said it was originally some flowers, which where the chickens were scratching at were already dead. now they have moved to the porch area, which I understand since they poop everywhere. I do share eggs with her at first, but I haven't since I don't have enough for everyone. And I was hoping to use some to hatch more chickens. But not until I am sure they can't go anywhere. Also, ever since she told me she didn't want dogs on her property, I have heard that today there have been 5 dogs that have shown up dead after being poisoned. It could be a coincidence but she is the only new person here, and no one else has had problems with dogs except when me and a neighbor had one kill our chickensl

 

[Bantumbarnyard]

Over the past few days, I have read this whole thread, and I have a possible solution !

Motion sensitive sprinklers along the fence line !!!

This, or something similar, could train your birds to stay away from the fence line, or guard any gates or openings in the fence.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...3470F21DBD5AC9ACFDC53470F21DBD5A&&FORM=VDRVRV

Plus it will water your lawn, and if positioned properly, water your neighbor as well !!!

You can thank me later .....

I will try to get some of these. Do they have to be connected to a hose or something?

 

[Miss Valerie]

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.

Hey, I work in behavioral health. She is having some real issues to kill her own flowers. Keep your flock as far away as possible. Your property is yours so she can put on headphones id if she doesn't like sound.
Be careful

 

[Bantumbarnyard]

I am losing my chickens to a coyote instead. Unfortunately the neighbor is unable to catch them since they are roosting over 30 feet up in a tree. The idea of spraying them to get them out won't work since most squirt guns and hoses can only spray water about 15-20 feet at most. So I guess neighbor won't have to worry about the chickens.

 

[paloozaparty]

Well, there really isn't much with city laws since I am not in city limits and the neighbor on the other side of me has 70+ chickens along with ducks and she hasn't said a thing about his. Just mine. She said it was originally some flowers, which where the chickens were scratching at were already dead. now they have moved to the porch area, which I understand since they poop everywhere. I do share eggs with her at first, but I haven't since I don't have enough for everyone. And I was hoping to use some to hatch more chickens. But not until I am sure they can't go anywhere. Also, ever since she told me she didn't want dogs on her property, I have heard that today there have been 5 dogs that have shown up dead after being poisoned. It could be a coincidence but she is the only new person here, and no one else has had problems with dogs except when me and a neighbor had one kill our chickensl

Oh wow!!! These types of neighbor issues are so unsettling and nervewracking--I'm so sorry!!! Do you have video monitors or Ring? I'm thinking that if not, you could consider putting up "property under surveillance" signs around your property/on fences--to discourage malicious behavior...

 

[svh]

I will try to get some of these. Do they have to be connected to a hose or something?

I believe they do. I've never used one, but I did watch a couple of videos. They seem to be effective.

 

[cknfrmr]

tell her they are therapy chickens and they are there to help with her anger issues. and that they identify as flamingos.