How to Convince my Neighbor

[Nicole01]

Buy a couple more hens and gift them with eggs. I have one noisy one that squawks all day, but it's not nearly as loud as a rooster. They will alert when they see danger, like a hawk in the sky or if they hear a noise that scares them.

My dh built my coop inside our garage with the run along side the house. I clean both coop and run 2-5 times a day depending how cold it is outside. We covered their run with plastic and the ground never froze inside. There is zero smell. We can smell pine chips and that is all.

I hand raised and held my chicks everyday when they were young and now I have 8 lap chickens.

My neighbor hated the idea of our chickens, but once we got them she changed her mind. Our neighbor across the street got a rooster and he's not even that loud. We only hear him when we are outside.

Our family of 5 we can go through up to 15 eggs in a day depending what I need to bake, especially if we eat egg burritos or french toast. We actually could use 2-3 more hens. Not all our chickens lay everyday, only 3-4 do.

 

[Charm1704]

I live in the country and have 15 pens of chickens...my Marans are the quietest ones I have....and very sweet chickens, and easy to handle.If you want to keep the noise down this would be a great breed. ~Charm1704

 

[bwilson]

Like you, we were afraid to tell the neighbors. It took us 2 weeks to get the word out since the chicken coop was being built. Both of our neighbors love the chickens which reminds them of their childhood. Naturally, we give them fresh yard eggs and they love them. MMMMM so much better than the bought ones. We started out with 8 pullets and stressed hens....Needless to say 4 of them turned out to be roosters...Yep, they were competing with their lungs.....hahhah....we returned 3 roosters and came home with 2 more hens. The rooster that was left had a personality change and was King of the roost....I wonder why. hahha...
You will enjoy your chickens. My husband just loves to listen to them communicate to each other. Yep, our chickens are spoiled...Good luck with yous

 

[Sissiepoo]

I have gone and checked out the restrictions and such. Our neighbor wakes up SUPER early and when she gets home to go to bed it is normally really late...late enough for the chickens to be asleep already. So she wouldn't technically ever hear the chickens except on Sunday.

We decided on getting Easter Eggers just because they sound best for our situation. We have a "little one" in the house and I know that she will be interested when we get them.

 

[Nicole01]

My Easter eggers are quiet. My oldest EE is in LOVE with my husband! Whenever they free range outside, which my husband is always outside. My EE Sunshine will seek him out and follow him everywhere. It's so cute! My oldest EE is very friendly. I held my chicks daily and they are all very friendly.

Here is my sunshine

Here's Cheeks, my other EE. She lays olive colored eggs. Cheeks is also my avatar photo. She was an impulse buy due to her incredible cuteness.

 

[SweetSarah]

You can always start cleaning your gun on the porch with it "accidentally" aimed at your neighbor

 

[jak2002003]

I can say that I must be very luck because I have never had any real problems with adding new Chickens. I am always doing it because I keep seeing different colours that I like (Japanese Bantams).

The key is space! If they have a large run or free range then the new ones keep their distance and gradually get in with the flock over several days or weeks. I always provide plenty of roosts and nesting boxes so they are never short of space there either.

Have you got your hens yet? The other posts were correct in saying they will not really smell if the poop is kept dry. You can even cover the run with a waterproof cover.

 

[bobbi-j]

In the interest of being a good neighbor, I'd suggest speaking with her before you begin. If it's legal to have them where you are, of course you don't HAVE to. As I said, I'd just do it to keep good relations (that is assuming you have a good relationship with them to begin with). Eggs may be a good way to help her see the advantages of chickens next door.

EE's are fun. I have 5 of them and they are curious, friendly birds. And I get 5 different shades of green to blue eggs every day! Good luck - I hope you and your neighbor can make it work.

 

[Presidential]

If you want to have a good neighbor - You must be a good neighbor! Show some respect and go talk with your neighbor. You don't need to ask their opinion on the addition of chickens or get their approval... Just let them know what to expect and tell them your plans to reduce smell & flies (probably their biggest concern). If you open the lines of communication to keep things friendly, your neighbor is more likely to feel friendly right back and overlook the occasional funky run or squawky hen.

 

[Oregon Blues]

For a starter, find another place to locate your coop. Placing barnyard animals right under your neighbor's bedroom window is hostile and rude.

I suggest that you build a coop with some insulation which will help with sound-proofing. That way, your hens can't disturb the neighborhood with noise at night or first thing in the morning.

My ducks and geese set up an enormous racket when I go out in the morning to feed, so I don't feed them until 9 AM. That way they are quiet until a decent hour.

Hens can be really loud. The noise bothers some people and doesn't bother others. If your neighbor leaves early and returns late, then noise at night will probably be your main concern, and you can control that with a little effort.