My Neighbor shot at Me and My Chickens This Morning

[Then I Will]

I thought I was going a bit bonkers yesterday, when I came home from my in-laws house to find two of my roosters out of the pen with the pen door shut but unlatched.
I carefully caught them and put them up on their roosts, not thinking to check for injuries. Then I got a gut feeling, and upon investigation, found a fresh trail through the leaves leading down to my neighbor's property. A broken branch. Fresh. Wet. This same neighbor had cursed me out two mornings ago for no apparent reason- but I assumed, it was because he didn't like my roosters' crowing. The EE is pretty loud, but only when you're near the coop.
His house is over 100 yards away, and across a road, and separated by trees. And, the four roos spend a majority of the time crowing inside the coop which is fairly insulated and very dampening to their crows. It's so slight and faint within the walls of my own house, that I can't imagine it bothers anyone else inside their house- since I'm closest to the coop out of any neighbor.

But... we can't be paranoid and accuse our neighbors, husband told me last night.
This morning I go out to take care of my chickens, and I'm tidying up the coop for a customer --who is scheduled to come purchase one of the four Roos this afternoon-- when I begin hearing repeated pellet shots. So I step out and look around the backside of the coop to see the two men who live there pumping their pellet guns and shooting at my roosters.

As soon as they see me, the son begins walking forward, still pumping the gun, cursing at me about how I need to shut the chickens up and how they're waking him up every morning. I stand there with my hands out like, "What? Seriously? This is childish? You're going to shoot pellet guns at my roosters and if you injure them, then what? Get a real job and then you won't be around to hear any crowing and shoot at a stay at home mom!" I was in disbelief that someone was shooting at my birds!
They proceed to curse and fire pellets in my direction, so I retreat to my house without exchanging any words, and call my husband before trying 911. We had considered going down to talk to the neighbor and see what could be done to make them happy after the first cursing-out incident.

A while later, five troopers show up and... well, I'll spare you the details. Let's just say that sometimes the two legged varmints are your chickens' worst enemies.

 

[Bunnylady]

PUT A LOCK ON THE COOP DOOR. Clearly, they felt they were being 'wronged' by whatever you were doing, and right to take matters into their own hands like they did; they are going to be even more hostile now that you've gotten the cops on their case. Laws are for reasonable people, and these folks aren't reasonable. Not to be alarmist, but these people seem to be exhibiting the kind of mindset that results in people getting killed by a person that they took out a restraining order against.

Cameras, "No Trespassing" signs, possibly an electric fence, a "concealed carry" permit . . . . Be careful.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I thought I was going a bit bonkers yesterday, when I came home from my in-laws house to find two of my roosters out of the pen with the pen door shut but unlatched.
I carefully caught them and put them up on their roosts, not thinking to check for injuries. Then I got a gut feeling, and upon investigation, found a fresh trail through the leaves leading down to my neighbor's property. A broken branch. Fresh. Wet. This same neighbor had cursed me out two mornings ago for no apparent reason- but I assumed, it was because he didn't like my roosters' crowing. The EE is pretty loud, but only when you're near the coop.
His house is over 100 yards away, and across a road, and separated by trees. And, the four roos spend a majority of the time crowing inside the coop which is fairly insulated and very dampening to their crows. It's so slight and faint within the walls of my own house, that I can't imagine it bothers anyone else inside their house- since I'm closest to the coop out of any neighbor.

But... we can't be paranoid and accuse our neighbors, husband told me last night.
This morning I go out to take care of my chickens, and I'm tidying up the coop for a customer --who is scheduled to come purchase one of the four Roos this afternoon-- when I begin hearing repeated pellet shots. So I step out and look around the backside of the coop to see the two men who live there pumping their pellet guns and shooting at my roosters.

As soon as they see me, the son begins walking forward, still pumping the gun, cursing at me about how I need to shut the chickens up and how they're waking him up every morning. I stand there with my hands out like, "What? Seriously? This is childish? You're going to shoot pellet guns at my roosters and if you injure them, then what? Get a real job and then you won't be around to hear any crowing and shoot at a stay at home mom!" I was in disbelief that someone was shooting at my birds!
They proceed to curse and fire pellets in my direction, so I retreat to my house without exchanging any words, and call my husband before trying 911. We had considered going down to talk to the neighbor and see what could be done to make them happy after the first cursing-out incident.

A while later, five troopers show up and... well, I'll spare you the details. Let's just say that sometimes the two legged varmints are your chickens' worst enemies.

Omg! That is just horrible. Don't spare the details. . . what did the officers say?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Wow - that's scary! Certainly not the kind of neighbors anyone wants. There's no need to be shooting at you or your chickens. It would have been nice if they had tried talking to you and your husband, or if they felt it was necessary, complaining to the authorities. To just start letting your roosters out, and shooting at you and your roosters is dangerous and frightening.
That said, if I were in your position, I would just get rid of my roosters. Please keep in mind that some people don't work "normal" hours. Someone working a swing shift or night shift is not going to appreciate a rooster crowing while they're trying to sleep. In all fairness to them, night after night of disrupted sleep could make a person very cranky, and push their limits. Not condoning what they did, but if your roosters are disrupting the neighbors' sleep, it would be neighborly of you to get rid of them.

On one hand, I agree with you... as I've worked shift work when I was in the military. However, the neighborly thing to have done was for the neighbor to come over and talk to her in a polite manner explaining the situation. Not starting it off with a curse laden screaming fit to follow it up with the pellet guns...
I find nothing wrong with what she has done in this situation.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Okay, seriously, let's not drag libertarian-type political stuff into this. For example, the taxation thing, when the current administration just put us on track to balloon the national debt by giving enormous tax breaks to the very rich and to multinational corporations. Also for example, complaining about regulations which are there to protect us from those same multinational corporations dumping crud into our drinking water and selling us things that will break and hurt people - those regulations are a good thing, as we all know those corporations are certainly not going to regulate themselves.

I'm 'just sayin.'

Let's not make this political....goes on to make it political

 

[nightowl223]

Wow - that's scary! Certainly not the kind of neighbors anyone wants. There's no need to be shooting at you or your chickens. It would have been nice if they had tried talking to you and your husband, or if they felt it was necessary, complaining to the authorities. To just start letting your roosters out, and shooting at you and your roosters is dangerous and frightening.
That said, if I were in your position, I would just get rid of my roosters. Please keep in mind that some people don't work "normal" hours. Someone working a swing shift or night shift is not going to appreciate a rooster crowing while they're trying to sleep. In all fairness to them, night after night of disrupted sleep could make a person very cranky, and push their limits. Not condoning what they did, but if your roosters are disrupting the neighbors' sleep, it would be neighborly of you to get rid of them.

Why on earth should she get rid of her roosters just because her neighbors think it's a good idea to shoot at her? That's ridiculous. There are things called earplugs. What happens if someone drives by in a noisy vehicle? Will they start shooting at vehicles, then? It's just absurd to think it would be acceptable behavior, and to reward such illegal behavior with giving them what they want is NOT the answer.

 

[Then I Will]

I have two other neighbors with chickens that have a rooster. One on the left and one on the right, two doors down.

I was actually concerned with my customer's safety as well since I have a lady coming for one of the roosters this evening. And the other two are listed for sale also. I don't intend to keep more than two at any given time, but need at least one since I am breeding Black Sumatra.

I am concerned about my coop being burned down right now. And I am concerned about my safety since I am home alone. I'll have my husband show me which ammo goes to which gun in the cabinet tonight. I had load training with a shotgun after a home invasion back home in Mobile in 2010. But I'm unfamiliar with my husband's arsenal. Otherwise, it's the Viking sword in the hands of this Bezerker.

The neighbor is crippled and his wife passed away from cancer a few years ago so we're not worried much about him coming up here-- except that he did threaten my sister in law and mother in law with a gun when they were hunting on our land near his house last fall. His son is a bum who has no job and has probably been doing all of the dirty work for his dad who can't physically get up the hill to our property. They're really only upset that they can't watch TV without hearing crowing.

The police told them that we had more roosters than we wanted and were actively reducing their numbers and to give it a week. They informed him that if the noise didn't die down in a week or so, that he could attend a township meeting and try to get the chicken laws changed for our area.

I told the police that we only assumed from the cursing incident two days ago that there was a problem, but even prior to this husband and I had been discussing putting up a privacy fence to reduce noise for this neighbor in the winter time when the leaves are all gone. Recently we wondered if we should plant Evergreens instead since a fence can be expensive. And I had been actively selling the extra roosters prior to that.

The main issue, the police admitted, is that this man and his son have a record and are not sane. Thank you all for your support.

If they're too worked up and don't look both ways before crossing the road to get to my coop they'll get hit by one of the Semis or dump trucks and other noisy Agriculture/Quarry vehicles that frequent the road- and are- frankly-- ten times louder than any four roosters combined.

 

[theoldchick]

In my husband's part of the woods, shooting at one's wife will shorten the shooter's lifespan. Yep, those mountain folks don't like it when you mess with family. They'll get to feuding right quick over such things. Yep, where he came from you don't mess with the wife or the Liquor Still.

 

[ronott1]

So those ignoramuses are clearly in the wrong... however you are mistaken about it not bothering them, obviously.

My roosters crowing doesn't bother me either... but some people have single pane windows, back aches, issues sleeping, family drama, and such.

You will be putting your life in danger if you go try to talk to them... indicated by their previous behavior. Some people are simply crazy! I seriously wouldn't recommend that.

Fact is, in my jurisdiction... they could complain to animal control or code enforcement and either one of those authorities would give me a warning. We can have what we want as far as number of chickens UNTIL the neighbors complain about noise... even in the country.

I too wanna know what the officers say... here it MIGHT have been a Hatfield and McCoy shoot out. and we don't own a pellet gun!

Just guessing your neighbors' name is Stew? Stew Pidasso! Glad you are OK! Any reasonable neighbor, I will try to work with. But neighbors like that are best avoided and let the law deal with them as you did.

Definitely must have been scary, heart pumping, head spinning..

I would think that neighbors complaining would need proof of noise--like decibel levels and certain times. Check the actual ordinance. Most communities know that neighbors can be cranks and complaints are not real sometimes.

Roosters usually do not make noise at night. Most places will allow construction or ag noise after 6 or 7 in the morning. My guess is that most places have rules like that.

The odd thing to me is that someones dog can bark all night but a rooster crowing gets people worked up

 

[kwhites634]

I thought I was going a bit bonkers yesterday, when I came home from my in-laws house to find two of my roosters out of the pen with the pen door shut but unlatched.
I carefully caught them and put them up on their roosts, not thinking to check for injuries. Then I got a gut feeling, and upon investigation, found a fresh trail through the leaves leading down to my neighbor's property. A broken branch. Fresh. Wet. This same neighbor had cursed me out two mornings ago for no apparent reason- but I assumed, it was because he didn't like my roosters' crowing. The EE is pretty loud, but only when you're near the coop.
His house is over 100 yards away, and across a road, and separated by trees. And, the four roos spend a majority of the time crowing inside the coop which is fairly insulated and very dampening to their crows. It's so slight and faint within the walls of my own house, that I can't imagine it bothers anyone else inside their house- since I'm closest to the coop out of any neighbor.

But... we can't be paranoid and accuse our neighbors, husband told me last night.
This morning I go out to take care of my chickens, and I'm tidying up the coop for a customer --who is scheduled to come purchase one of the four Roos this afternoon-- when I begin hearing repeated pellet shots. So I step out and look around the backside of the coop to see the two men who live there pumping their pellet guns and shooting at my roosters.

As soon as they see me, the son begins walking forward, still pumping the gun, cursing at me about how I need to shut the chickens up and how they're waking him up every morning. I stand there with my hands out like, "What? Seriously? This is childish? You're going to shoot pellet guns at my roosters and if you injure them, then what? Get a real job and then you won't be around to hear any crowing and shoot at a stay at home mom!" I was in disbelief that someone was shooting at my birds!
They proceed to curse and fire pellets in my direction, so I retreat to my house without exchanging any words, and call my husband before trying 911. We had considered going down to talk to the neighbor and see what could be done to make them happy after the first cursing-out incident.

A while later, five troopers show up and... well, I'll spare you the details. Let's just say that sometimes the two legged varmints are your chickens' worst enemies.

I hope the cops ran them "downtown" to the "grey bar hotel"