My neighbor lets her chickens free range my yard constantly?

[neo71665]

If you don't have any kind of animal control that will come pick them up I would use her birds to fill my freezer. Sounds like she full well knows her animals are going on other peoples property and causing damage but seems to not care.

 

[SusannasMom]

This is an issue
I say to get her to re-landscape your yard

 

[allenw]

Your neighbor is the bad apple that can spoil things for everyone. Sounds like several people including the op are outside the line also, so no one wants to raise a stink.

 

[Banana01]

At least I know the answer to why did the chicken cross the road now. To run Betty off into the mailbox.

 

[gtaus]

Her husband is a welder by trade, and they are pretty industrious as a couple--They build all kinds of stuff, and I've seen pics of the coop he single handedly built her for when they chickens before moving here, in another state (and it had a top on the run). I don't think the notion of containment is the issue.

I agree, I don't think the notion of containment is the issue. My suggestion to offer to help her/them build something to contain their chickens was an attempt to let them know that their chickens running around the neighborhood was the issue, but not having to put you on the spot pointing your finger at them. If they just don't care, then that is another issue. I was hoping they were just ignorant of the disruption their birds are having on the neighbors and a gentle nudge might help them along. But, maybe not. Hope you can work it out without losing friends.

 

[NatJ]

Talking to Jane might be worth trying.
(You might suggest she put a net over her chicken coop, to keep them in.)

Maybe you could start catching her chickens, and either call Animal Control or take them to the nearest animal shelter? That's not as permanent as butchering them, but still might prompt her to keep them penned up-- many animal shelters charge a fee before they let the owner have the animal back.

 

[gtaus]

Our street is fairly developed, but this area was agricultural previously

I watched a YouTube channel where the family lost their "homestead" rights because the town grew up around them and they were zoned out of keeping animals. It was a real heartbreak for them because they moved to that location to raise animals, but after a number of years, they found themselves inside the city limits and living with neighbors who did not want farm animals next door.

I know even in the small town by where I live, the town has expanded out and devoured farm land in the process. A number of small businesses were also zoned out as housing developed around them.

I have a relative who lives in literally the last house within the official city limits. They cannot park a car in their driveway that does not have current tags. If your car has current tags, you better move it every 3 days. Their next door neighbor, on the same block, is considered outside city limits and they can have chickens or whatever animal they want running around their lot. They could have 10 rusting old cars broken down and not running sitting on their front lawn and nobody could do anything. I suspect the next time the city draws its lines, those houses will be included in the city limits and life will change for them.

I live 10 miles out of town, so I have nothing to worry about in my lifetime. But those on the edge of town could be sucked up into the town boundaries at any time.

 

[Lizzy733]

What a situation. I always got paranoid when bringing up chicks to fill gaps when I was in the city even though I always ended with the 6 hen limit. - we were next to horse fields too.

Do you think Jane might be one of those 'born free, live free' types and thinks she's giving her chickens their best life by letting them roam?

The rooster was probably an accident she fell in love with - they can be real charmers.

Maybe it's best to approach it with bird health and safety in mind. If they are being hit by cars, lost to predators, exposed to wild birds and toxic plants, they are at risk to themselves.

Also, is her rooster human aggressive? What happens if he ends up spurring a small child?

For us, it's clear to see it as a case of neglect, but it's crazy what people can convince themselves of sometimes.

A neighborhood meeting to discuss would be ideal - this obviously affects multiple households and should be addressed as a community and is less likely to turn into an all out feud.

It is fortunate that she's moving to more acreage, but not for her birds as I'm sure these bad habits will continue.

I'd recommend a community approach and an educational one. Nobody in the community will want to get authorities involved if they have any dirty laundry. - maybe see if there is an exemption you can get for your own property if it's big enough and everything's on the up and up - especially if any of your poultry activities are commercial-based.

 

[gtaus]

Also, is her rooster human aggressive? What happens if he ends up spurring a small child?

I would be concerned about that, too. Years ago, a relative's little boy was mauled in the face by 2 doberman pinschers that were running free in their neighborhood. They were very friendly dogs until a female dog in the neighborhood went into heat, and then the male dogs became hyper aggressive. The little boy was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was lucky he did not get killed, but he had to have multiple plastic surgeries to reconstruct the damage and still has scars to this day. The dogs had to be put down, of course. Everyone in the neighborhood was upset and they had a big lockdown on their dog policy.

I could easily see if a rooster hurt a small child that the city might pass ordinances to ban all chickens. Everyone loses. I'm just glad I live out in the country and don't have those issues to deal with.

 

[Chickibee]

Do you think Jane might be one of those 'born free, live free' types and thinks she's giving her chickens their best life by letting them roam?

The rooster was probably an accident she fell in love with - they can be real charmers.

I think the born free live free die thing might be it, but she's also a doctor--I get subtle (or not so subtle) god complex undertones. I remember her telling me once in the spring that it was "no one's business how many chickens she has". This was before the chickens started wandering though.

The rooster wasn't an accident--she got him on craigslist, as an adult roo, because he's Cemani. He's not aggressive, but he is bold--chasing him off is difficult because he will hold his ground when you charge him, the girls just run. There are no children on our street, everyone is an empty nester or working professional.