Keeping the neighbor's chickens out of my yard

[Rosebud25]

I am looking for some advice. My neighbor has chickens that year after year continue to come into my yard. Year after year (several times per year) I am over there telling them about the chickens and that I NEVER ever want them to come into my yard...and year after year they continue to do so. One year, my dog got extremely sick and after a $1000 vet bill, we finally figured out he must have been eating/licking his paws that had chicken poop on it. I went over there again, to explain this to them...but, guess what....they continued to come over! Our city does have a chicken ordinance that clearly states you can only have 4 chickens and that they have to be in a chicken coop and or fenced in area at all times, but either they don't know about it or they just don't care. I want to be neighborly and not cause any problems. I have even considered getting a fence, but at a cost of around $10,000 to fence in my back yard, that will not happen. Any helpful suggestions, would be greatly appreciated. The last thing I want to do is call the cops, but I am not sure what to do. I thought about calling the Humane Society to see if they would do something.

It is their responsibility to keep their chickens out of your yard. Chickens are very beneficial at keeping ticks and other bugs away. But if you feel they are intruding on your land I would confront them and if they ignore your request then call the town. Or as others have suggested make them just disappear by catching them.

 

[ShannonR]

Ironically, I was over there twice this week after chasing the chickens out of my yard again. I explained to her that I should not have to keep on asking her to do this, and asked her how she was going to prevent it from happening over and over. I also explained again I should not have to come over here several times a year, every year. She stated she was going to need to put up a fence, but since being pregnant, it was not that easy for her. Well, she has not been pregnant in the previous years. She then proceeded to measure the length of my backyard that night. I have a feeling she will try and put one right on my lot line. Unfortunately it is going to have to go to the city or police.

What do you mean put a fence on the lot line? That's where fences go, right?
Is she supposed to just give away part of her yard because you told her to put up a fence and now you don't like the way she is doing it?

 

[Here_Chickie_Chickie]

Motion sprinkler... motion detection sprinkler! It will keep everything out of your yard. And it will be fun to watch it spray the birds away.

 

[margaretbyrd]

I am looking for some advice. My neighbor has chickens that year after year continue to come into my yard. Year after year (several times per year) I am over there telling them about the chickens and that I NEVER ever want them to come into my yard...and year after year they continue to do so. One year, my dog got extremely sick and after a $1000 vet bill, we finally figured out he must have been eating/licking his paws that had chicken poop on it. I went over there again, to explain this to them...but, guess what....they continued to come over! Our city does have a chicken ordinance that clearly states you can only have 4 chickens and that they have to be in a chicken coop and or fenced in area at all times, but either they don't know about it or they just don't care. I want to be neighborly and not cause any problems. I have even considered getting a fence, but at a cost of around $10,000 to fence in my back yard, that will not happen. Any helpful suggestions, would be greatly appreciated. The last thing I want to do is call the cops, but I am not sure what to do. I thought about calling the Humane Society to see if they would do something.

Living close to others can be problematic. I have found that finding solutions that do not escalate things is always to be preferred. I'm not sure how big your yard is but putting in a few posts every week eventually adding wire over time might make a good barrier without breaking the bank. The other thing would be to catch their birds in your yard and dispose of them quietly.

My neighbor's peacocks kept coming into my yard and killing my hatching turkey chicks. They'd wait and watch an incubating hen then kill the brood day one of the hatch leaving bodies all over the yard. I sell my turkeys so it was an economic loss as well as an emotional one. I would send them emails telling them what was going on and how the birds were not welcome at my house. They would put them up a few days then the birds would return. I finally decided I was not going to lose any more of my poults and that spring I was going to disappear them if they continued to come over during hatching season. I told them once more via email the birds were coming over and how it was a problem and why, They finally confined them full time!

Chickens fly out of yards so confining ones that have escaped can be difficult if not impossible.

 

[margaretbyrd]

I have even considered getting a fence, but at a cost of around $10,000 to fence in my back yard, that will not happen. Any helpful suggestions, would be greatly appreciated. The last thing I want to do is call the cops, but I am not sure what to do. I thought about calling the Humane Society to see if they would do something.

P.S. I have used wood posts and 5' high woven horse wire on my pasture. The chickens never try to breach this barrier. Sometimes folks share the costs of a fence shared between two properties. I've never done that I've usually just bought the material and made the fence.

 

[peterc]

I am looking for some advice. My neighbor has chickens that year after year continue to come into my yard. Year after year (several times per year) I am over there telling them about the chickens and that I NEVER ever want them to come into my yard...and year after year they continue to do so. One year, my dog got extremely sick and after a $1000 vet bill, we finally figured out he must have been eating/licking his paws that had chicken poop on it. I went over there again, to explain this to them...but, guess what....they continued to come over! Our city does have a chicken ordinance that clearly states you can only have 4 chickens and that they have to be in a chicken coop and or fenced in area at all times, but either they don't know about it or they just don't care. I want to be neighborly and not cause any problems. I have even considered getting a fence, but at a cost of around $10,000 to fence in my back yard, that will not happen. Any helpful suggestions, would be greatly appreciated. The last thing I want to do is call the cops, but I am not sure what to do. I thought about calling the Humane Society to see if they would do something.

 

[Brooklynfarmer]

I like the idea of catching them and keeping them for yourself. I don't believe you should put up a fence or build a chicken coop for your neighbor, I can't imagine your relationship with your neighbor is great now, so either keep the chickens or call the authorities, they don't seem to care much about their chickens anyway.

 

[peterc]

Living close to others can be problematic. I have found that finding solutions that do not escalate things is always to be preferred. I'm not sure how big your yard is but putting in a few posts every week eventually adding wire over time might make a good barrier without breaking the bank. The other thing would be to catch their birds in your yard and dispose of them quietly.

My neighbor's peacocks kept coming into my yard and killing my hatching turkey chicks. They'd wait and watch an incubating hen then kill the brood day one of the hatch leaving bodies all over the yard. I sell my turkeys so it was an economic loss as well as an emotional one. I would send them emails telling them what was going on and how the birds were not welcome at my house. They would put them up a few days then the birds would return. I finally decided I was not going to lose any more of my poults and that spring I was going to disappear them if they continued to come over during hatching season. I told them once more via email the birds were coming over and how it was a problem and why, They finally confined them full time!

Chickens fly out of yards so confining ones that have escaped can be difficult if not impossible.

I am looking for some advice. My neighbor has chickens that year after year continue to come into my yard. Year after year (several times per year) I am over there telling them about the chickens and that I NEVER ever want them to come into my yard...and year after year they continue to do so. One year, my dog got extremely sick and after a $1000 vet bill, we finally figured out he must have been eating/licking his paws that had chicken poop on it. I went over there again, to explain this to them...but, guess what....they continued to come over! Our city does have a chicken ordinance that clearly states you can only have 4 chickens and that they have to be in a chicken coop and or fenced in area at all times, but either they don't know about it or they just don't care. I want to be neighborly and not cause any problems. I have even considered getting a fence, but at a cost of around $10,000 to fence in my back yard, that will not happen. Any helpful suggestions, would be greatly appreciated. The last thing I want to do is call the cops, but I am not sure what to do. I thought about calling the Humane Society to see if they would do something.

I few years ago I had my chickens go over to my neighbors....They ate and destroyed a lot of they're flower beds. I didnt do anything to resolve it. Till they called the Cops on me. The Police gave me 30 days to get fencing up. Or they would seize all my chickens. Its MY Responsibility to House my chickens correctly. That was actually the best thing that happened to me. I put up secure Chain Link Panels with Top Netting, and made my whole system Safer and Kept my chickens in therye pens. Good Luck !

 

[Chickenclaude]

Deer fence is 7’ tall and 100’ long costs about $100. You can fasten it to trees already there or get those posts that you push into the ground. It took my husband and I about an hr to put it around my garden using zip ties. Simple. Black. Disappears into the distance. AND if it isn’t pretty? So what ? Neither is chicken poop in your yard when you don’t own chickens. Or place some food scraps in a cage and trap them. Make them come talk to you before they can get them back. Tell them to keep control of their pets or you will be giving them away the next time. Either way, you’ve already tried talking.

 

[countryladyNH]

Please, the easiest most effective way is to call your town and report the violation. Tell them you have tried to speak to the neighbors multiple times but they won't listen to you and keep their chickens on their own property. Tell them you do not want a big fight, and to please not give the neighbors any names of who reported them. THEY WILL HONOR THIS. SO WILL POLICE. A town official or just about anyone could have been driving by and seen their birds wandering. This would be the most sensible and effective way to try and resolve the issue. Good luck.