My Neighbor shot at Me and My Chickens This Morning

[PirateGirl]

I want to comment on the idea of you carrying a gun. This is only a good idea if you are comfortable and competent. That being said, if you are legally allowed to shoot on your own property, perhaps setting up a target and target shooting at least once a week would be beneficial. This would help you become more comfortable with a firearm, but also potentially make your neighbors a bit more hesitant to walk onto your property unannounced. If they routinely hear gunshots from your property and know your schedule is one where you are often home, they'd probably think twice before wandering over.

In terms of a privacy fence, I know your neighbors are not exactly reasonable, but you could propose it to them and see if they will split the cost of the fence where it borders the two properties.

I know you shouldn't have to do any of these things, but a truce is definitely needed. What if you had an arrangement where occasionally an extra cockerel is culled and the neighbor gets the bird for dinner? It might be a way of keeping peace and they sound like the sort of neighbors that would be extremely satisfied to know the bird is no longer alive as opposed to knowing that you are trying to re-home it. I know you mentioned a breeding program so this may not work for you, but is something to consider.

 

[Then I Will]

Thank all. I understand the booby trap is not legal.

Ag laws would be on our side since we have chicken houses within mile up the road- (and in sight) I live off rt. 934 outside of Annville, PA. Very Ag around here. In fact, two $400,000 homes are up for sale now just because they don't like the smell from the chicken houses across 934. But the chicken houses were built after the homes... the land on our side of rt. 934 is still agricultural.

My husband has considered putting up his trail camera to watch the coop the next couple of days.

I'm going to speak to the neighbors on either side of us to see if the roosters have been annoying them also. If they say the chickens are not bothering them, then I will ask them to help me watch my property without mentioning any neighbor. That way I can leave on errands without too much worry.

 

[PirateGirl]

oh, also invest in some crow collars, it's not expensive and wouldn't hurt to try

 

[JanetMarie]

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.

Try earplugs.

 

[RiverOtter]

I totally agree with a privacy fence - or any really sturdy fence. Cattle panels where they are coming across, for now, at least.

The problem with setting booby traps on their land is, if the neighbor got hurt, the OP would still likely be liable for injuries

This varies a lot by location, and in a lot of places, you have to prove malicious intent or active neglect.

But if, on my farm, I happened to drop some loose wire (even barbed wire, or thin, almost invisible electric fencing wire) and it just happened to be where someone was coming across or riding an ATV on my land, well, these things happen when you're out working on your fence. Fences need constant tweaking - you add some here and there, sometimes wire comes down. Maybe a deer dragged it down and it got tangled around those 2 trees. Deer get tangled in fences all the time. A tree branch fell on it and weighed it down to ankle height.... you live in the country, these things happen.

If I am having a problem with coyotes, I can very legally put traps for them on my land.

Or maybe I have bear around. I need a really, really strong electric fence charger for bear. But if your corner posts are tight, you only need an itsy bitsy, hard to see in the dark fiberglass support post here and there. You can have 20 feet between them.
If the fence is inside my perimeter fence, it's cross-fencing and I don't need a warning sign on it most places. And if I do, oh, look, there it is, in the grass, that plastic gets brittle fast.

 

[Then I Will]

I want to comment on the idea of you carrying a gun. This is only a good idea if you are comfortable and competent. That being said, if you are legally allowed to shoot on your own property, perhaps setting up a target and target shooting at least once a week would be beneficial. This would help you become more comfortable with a firearm, but also potentially make your neighbors a bit more hesitant to walk onto your property unannounced. If they routinely hear gunshots from your property and know your schedule is one where you are often home, they'd probably think twice before wandering over.

Our property is too narrow for shooting a firearm on. My husband has room to sight his bow here, but gunshots would raise alarm and police would be called.
Also, I am concerned with the benefits of obtaining a license to carry... since I could get into big trouble if I had to shoot at someone... who was just hanging around my coop. It's not the same as them trying to get into your house....

Also, there is a busy road between my place and my neighbors place. They are not adjacent neighbors. They are diagonal to us since our property crosses the road also.

 

[Then I Will]

oh, also invest in some crow collars, it's not expensive and wouldn't hurt to try

Crow collars-- even properly fitted ones, are being found to cause the death of the rooster. I would not put a crow collar on a Stag with a good bloodline that I paid a lot of money for- for any person who wants to sit around and watch TV all day.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

because anyone who knows anything about guns knows you never point any kind of gun in the direction of anyone.

Unless you INTEND to shoot...

Your friend with roosters in the city garage are *probably* illegal (ALL city ordinances I've seen so far do not allow roosters) and really their neighbors are doing them a courtesy by not reporting. Personally, got NO respect for those who think they can get away with stuff.... But NOT my problem!

No I don't hear my despite being only 20 yards from them... but they start crowing at 3:30 AM every single day. And sometimes have crow offs during the day. I do my neighbors the courtesy of not letting my roosters out until at least 8 sometimes later. My pole barn happens to AMPLIFY sound in THEIR direction but not in mine!

Even though the neighbor responded in a very inappropriate manner doesn't mean anyone with ANY maturity has to respond in the same manner. It's not what happens to you that dictates your life, but you you respond to what happens to you. I agree the original poster shouldn't HAVE to make any concessions in response to the neighbors stupidity.

One of my neighbors started cussing up a storm about my recently weaned and taken from their herd goatie kids. I started to holler things back... but decided that would only escalate the situation and ALL my other neighbors hate him. So I got in my truck and went over there (it was around the block despite our fences being connected). The instant he walked out to approach, I could see the misery on his face and the pain in his step. I introduced myself and apologized for the disruption. Explained what was and had been going on for a couple weeks (only seemed like a few day to me). If you've never seen a goat yell, check out this video..

He said he didn't want to deal with that all the time, and I agreed. We can often hear the waves crashing and sea lions barking. I asked him to bare with me while giving them time to adjust and at the end of said time frame (I made it 4 months) that if there had not been significant improvement I would work to rehome them. Turns out he was a VERY reasonable person who had been pushed to his limits with all the years of other "seemingly good" neighbors, speeding past his house despite a simple request to slow down a little for the folks who might have their dogs or children playing outside. in addition, we have dirt roads and during nice weather with windows open... brings a giant dirt cloud in to settle on everything. Those "good neighbors" also happen to burn trash illegally when it should only be garden debris. So his feelings about others were already looming before I suddenly ruined the peace of the whole neighborhood. Now I know despite this neighbors seemingly cranky disposition.. I can trust him and in the future if he has an issue, he will approach me in a much kinder way and with expectation that I will work to resolve it. I even visit sometimes to take his dogs a treat or share some eggs. Some people are just tired of being wronged every time they turn the corner. Not saying anything positive about a pellet gun toting neighbor. Just sharing that WE are in control of what we choose to do. I choose to live in peace with my neighbors, WHEN possible. You *often* get what you give. It may not always work, but I try killing with kindness first. Though that would NOT have been my reaction if I saw someone shooting at my animals on MY property. I may not have been able to control my mouth or reaction because like most people, I'm very passionate about my animals and oh boy, would my adrenaline have been pumping!!! And sometimes our emotion overrides our reasoning... temporary insanity anyone?

Anyways, most people's dogs are more annoying.

Anyways I'm just sharing that there are many possibilities. My husband does also work the night shift. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep roosters anymore once he moved home from the commute he was making for 2 years (6 hours each way) so we could move out of the city... where squatters have the right to stay and they were pepper spraying my dogs behind my fence when they walked by. He was concerned for our safety and that wasn't where we wanted to be long term anyways. We worked hard and made lot's of sacrifice to get away from that kind of turmoil. But I know that won't be an option for everybody either. Sometimes things happen... just to give us a little push. Were it not for those squatters, I might still be living contently, but not as much as I am so happy to be where we are now.

If those jerks happen to be renters, maybe contacting the homeowner would help get THEM out. To be that extreme doesn't seem like it would be a first run in with those neighbors. I hope one way or the other that this works out for your best despite being a terrible situation.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

It's possibly a felony to shoot onto your property.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

but real help will come from law enforcement.

Ya, right!