I made a stupid mistake. But I don't want to give away my chickens.

[Lucy4]

Thanks for all the lovely support and ideas, everyone.

They actually are in a "chicken courtyard" right now. The neighbors can't even see them. But they know they're there, and that's what bothers them. (Among other things.)

Gnarlydog is right. I might as well stop making myself anxious about it now, since they might not even look. (Unfortunately, one of the community's board members knows about them but I hope he lets it go.)

If they do report them and I have to rehome the girls ... then shawnkfl's advice is exactly what I'll be doing. I've had enough.

Thank you again. Keep your fingers crossed that this all blows over.

 

[mediazeal]

well, you could always go up
how many feet up would you have to build a coop or a platform in a tree house
to be 100 feet away from everything?
you could put your chickens to bed in an elevator.

Ok, kidding aside
I would move the chickens to my friends while I fought this battle.
It will keep the chickens completely out of the mix as you battle their counter complaints.

Plus if you wanted to completely hide your coop/chickens later
I would build my coop in the garage so it could be locked up at night and the kids are no where near anyone but you

tractors might be a great idea to keep out of the ordinances/building codes
if it's movable they can't say you 'built' anything for chickens too close.

good luck!
ps have you thought of sending your chickens to your friends for a bit and then working to change the laws in your area?
are your other neighbors supportive?
do your other neighbors have trouble with the mean neighbors too?
does everyone (you and meanies) own their homes?

 

[breezy]

I have a neighbor that the police have told us is mentally ill.He does similar things as far as turning us in for the weirdest stuff and spying on us as well as complaining about things we have no control over. He made sure to spit at our house everyday as he walks back and forth to work. He once called the police and had us hauled out of bed at 11:30 at night because he thought we were playing a recording of loudly chirping birds at his house. The sound he heard was a clutch of baby sparrows in a nest over one of the doors to my house.

What we did to get this guy to back off was to purchase a used security system from craigslist. We paid 200 bucks for a monitor and 5 cameras and a motion activated sensor. We installed it then told this yutz that we were recording all activity that happens on our camera. Since then he wont even look our way as he knows he will be caught and recorded if he does.
I planted vines all over the privacy fence we installed a couple of years ago too. Im sure he knows I have chickens but not how many. I have 4 and am only allowed 2 so I am illegal . I think he called the city to find out if they are legal and since he cant prove how many I have and knows that I am allowed to have 2 and since he cant really go snooping now without getting caught on film he finally has stopped.
I wish you the best and hope you keep your birds. I say keep them till officials come knocking then if you have to re-home them.

 

[Lucy4]

Mediazeal: Sending the chickens away for a bit is a good idea. I was thinking we could bring them back when we get the privacy fence, though the neighbors could still see from their top windows. These people are better spies than James Bond.

I am going to build a tractor if we get to keep them.

The other neighbors are supportive. And no... they don't like those people either. (The meanies have called the cops on others numerous times.) We all own our homes.

Breezy, I feel for you. I've been told that the wife (of the problemsome neighbors) is also disturbed. Cameras may help... or they may push her into sneakier ways of punishing us. But we'll start with the privacy fence and see what happens.

 

[muell112]

Wow, your neighbor situation sounds terrible. I would try as hard as possible to stay on their good side, and make sure there's as little as possible for them to complain about (e.g. the toys). And don't tell them about the chicken ordinance/draw attention to it if they're not aware. I wonder if you could have an indoor space for them in the garage and then have an outdoor run that is walled on all sides but the side that doesn't face their property? Or make a long skinny run on the farthest side of the yard - they would have to be real dinks if they found out about the ordinance and were arguing about 2-3 feet under a hundred feet, esp. if you don't have roosters. Free eggs or having them over for crepes or something might be another way to break the ice, unless they are totally irrational.

 

[littlefarm_bighappy]

We just had a guy in Madison found guilty of 8 counts of stalking because he wouldn't leave his neighbors alone. The guy videorecorded people, threw feces on their roofs, and made threats..

he is now facing up to 30 years in prison.

If these people are nuts ( and they sound nuts) they are the type that won;t go away unless you face them down. Are others willing to file complaints with the cops?

 

[Judy]

I imagine these neighbors would be the last one to call the authorities. People like that generally don't want the law to know they exist.

 

[Lucy4]

Actually, they used to call the cops all the time because they didn't like my neighbor's dog. I wonder if they're not pushing on the authorities this time around because they know they have a reputation for making frivolous calls.

We're laying low right now, but if they report us, the chickens go to my friends for a couple months, we'll build a chicken tractor out of their view, and get the privacy fencing. And if they blast the music even once, we call the cops. Our other neighbors will too. Just yesterday, my town passed a new noise ordinance. Good timing!

Thanks so much to everyone for the help.

 

[LynneP]

Since you have a Plan B, I'd sit tight. Sometimes a nasty neighbor gets worse if success comes of pestering you. It's only 4 hens, and if you eventually have to move them to a friend, you could offer the coop to her as well, and possibly care for them there. But don't rush- ordinances in many communities are in flux and it's not as though you have 100 birds. I'm sure the police are as tired of these people as you are.