My neighbor won’t stop complaining

[Vicker]

Ignore her. If she makes a report to some authority, and if they investigate, they will tell her that her that you haven't broken any rule. Different issue, but someone in our neighborhood made repeated complaints about some horses that they deemed were being neglected. The county finally had enough of wasting their time investigating healthy horses and threatened action against the baseless reporter. The owners haven't heard another peep about it.

 

[Shellymo54]

I have six hens, under the county limit. When they lay, they sing egg songs. Sometimes I can dissuade them with a little shouting or feed, but normally that’s what they do.

My neighbor is on me constantly to shut them up. She, I swear truth, videoed a recording of them claiming they were louder than a jet plane flying into the nearby airport. I asked her if she’d appreciate me videoing her dinner parties for sound. She denies she has any.

Anyway. The rule in our county is that ppl can make noise until 10 pm. Everyone puts up with others leaf blowes, construction noise, adolescent musical tries and so forth because there’s not a choice about it. And as my birds are legal, same situation.

She keeps insisting on more talking about it, and I think I am done, but she is just the biggest Karen ever.

Should I just ignore her from now on?

Have you tried offering her an egg or two as a peace offering and praying for her.

 

[gdlejeune]

I have six hens, under the county limit. When they lay, they sing egg songs. Sometimes I can dissuade them with a little shouting or feed, but normally that’s what they do.

My neighbor is on me constantly to shut them up. She, I swear truth, videoed a recording of them claiming they were louder than a jet plane flying into the nearby airport. I asked her if she’d appreciate me videoing her dinner parties for sound. She denies she has any.

Anyway. The rule in our county is that ppl can make noise until 10 pm. Everyone puts up with others leaf blowes, construction noise, adolescent musical tries and so forth because there’s not a choice about it. And as my birds are legal, same situation.

She keeps insisting on more talking about it, and I think I am done, but she is just the biggest Karen ever.

Should I just ignore her from now on?

That’s why I moved to da country, send her some eggs and see if she excepts if she don’t just tell her To flake off and deal with it. Or hook up some out door speakers and play music all day 7am to 8pm and then ask her which she rather. My 2c

 

[addctd2plnts]

We have a vary nice house in an expensive town. It's an all white colonial, but looks like 3 stories from behind because it has a walk out basement along the whole back and a 10 ft pour. Neighbor behind us bought an old ranch, tore it down and built a house. We see him out there when they are building and go to introduce ourselves. He's standing there looking at our house and comments that's a massive white house and couldn't we plant some trees to block his view, or change the outside so it's not all white LMBO Well, if he didn't like our house, I figure he shouldn't have built behind us LMBO I flat out told him that I'm a gardener and I wasn't planting a bunch of trees because my perennials won't grow in shade. He's also looking at a massive rock garden packed with flowers that rivals The Missouri Botanical Gardens, with a waterfall and pond, so I think he still has a nice view. A few months after they move in, it's a a really insanely hot day and close to 105 degrees, with Missouri humidity. He calls us and I hear hubby (super nice, type B guy) saying, "Generator, we don't have a generator on", so I get closer to the phone and he's telling hubby that they are having a party with some really important people and want us to turn our generator off... Keep in mind that means he thinks we have no electric at 105 degrees, and the audacity of his request! We didn't even know what he was talking about till I realized the only thing we had on that made noise was the fan over our stove! We have 1 acre lots, so we're NOT that close to him. Unbelievable!

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

If I had only heard normal hens' egg songs, I wouldn't be saying this, but...

We had two extreme singers. After many years keeping many different breeds of chickens.
The batty ones were Cream Legbars, although I've heard of several breeds doing it.
They would sing extra loud for hours. They would start up singing again every time another hen laid an egg, even when the actual layer made minimal noise. It was an all-morning affair. It was driving me bonkers.
Roosters crowing don't bother me, and I've never paid much attention to a typical hen singing. So, at first my mom didn't believe it was really an issue. Her hearing is... not great.
Then we figured out that her bathroom insulates her room from chicken noises, but my room has no such luxury. Even my office area is much louder.
Acoustics can be weird that way. The topography of land and exterior shape of buildings / internal layout / materials used, can change what one party is hearing compared to the other.
When we rehomed those noisy hens? OH MY, the relief! We're back to normal chicken noises for normal lengths of time.

Some questions to maybe consider...
1. How many breeds of chickens have you owned? Do you know if these are normal noises/volumes? The part where you said they all set each other off made me wonder, as quieter hens don't tend to do that.

2. Have you stood on her property facing your hens during egg songs to see if there might be acoustic differences in what you both experience?

As I said, I never would have thought it could be a problem if I hadn't been acoustically Tbtortured by chickens.

This makes a lot of good points. Where is her room compared to where the chooks hang out. I share a fence with another chicken/rooster owner. On the other side of my yard the house has rooms are farthest away. The people on the back side are shared by an ally. The backyards and then the house. If you have been in her home think where she may be hearing them the loudest. Can you start a vine for a noise buffer on your side of the fence?

 

[Squidward]

If you are abiding within the bylaws for your area, then yes, ignore her. If she brings it up, politely remind her that you are doing so. Maybe put up a no trespassing sign if she's coming onto your property to check out the birds.

Frankly, if she's going to be a dink about it, I'd let her waste her time trying to convince the municipality that your birds are louder than jets.

LOL! I worked as an airline refueler for 35 years. Rest assured, even roosters aren't that loud.

 

[FrenchFlock]

Yep. When we bought the property, we had to sign an affidavit acknowledging that we live in a rural/ag area and we know we'll hear and smell ag related stuff.

We aren't in a city or an HOA area. That may be the difference.

I live in DEEP rural France and because all the “city dwellers” (French and foreign) have recently bought covid-escape-shelters aka holiday homes in the country side…villages have had to post signs with the same message warning of “heritage” agricultural noises AND smells. There are more cows than people here so we thought it would be sooooo quiet. My favorite part of the morning is at first light, when the donkeys bray, herds of cows collectively moo, two roosters dual from different ends of the lane, the giant goose honks, the flock of guineas do whatever it is that they do and there’s a cacophony of songbird chirps from the bushes by the window. ALL AT ONCE. And that is how my hens know it’s time to squawk and squeal and grumble for morning feed. It’s really a wonderful way to greet the day and my closest French neighbor thinks I’M the crazy one for trying to “shush” the eggs song when I notice they are trying to have a relaxing Sunday lunch on their terrace. I wouldn’t trade these noises for anything I used to hear in the States. Maybe your Karen needs a little vacation in rural France? I know a very nice farmer…

 

[Aunt Angus]

I live in DEEP rural France and because all the “city dwellers” (French and foreign) have recently bought covid-escape-shelters aka holiday homes in the country side…villages have had to post signs with the same message warning of “heritage” agricultural noises AND smells. There are more cows than people here so we thought it would be sooooo quiet. My favorite part of the morning is at first light, when the donkeys bray, herds of cows collectively moo, two roosters dual from different ends of the lane, the giant goose honks, the flock of guineas do whatever it is that they do and there’s a cacophony of songbird chirps from the bushes by the window. ALL AT ONCE. And that is how my hens know it’s time to squawk and squeal and grumble for morning feed. It’s really a wonderful way to greet the day and my closest French neighbor thinks I’M the crazy one for trying to “shush” the eggs song when I notice they are trying to have a relaxing Sunday lunch on their terrace. I wouldn’t trade these noises for anything I used to hear in the States. Maybe your Karen needs a little vacation in rural France? I know a very nice farmer…

I'm married, but can I have his #? Lol! Sounds like a lil slice of heaven out there!

 

[Jtrahan1]

It sounds like your neighbor has bigger issues than your chickens. You may just be her scapegoat.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

This makes a lot of good points. Where is her room compared to where the chooks hang out. I share a fence with another chicken/rooster owner. On the other side of my yard the house has rooms are farthest away. The people on the back side are shared by an ally. The backyards and then the house. If you have been in her home think where she may be hearing them the loudest. Can you start a vine for a noise buffer on your side of the fence?

She literally lives as far away from the coop as is possible. Its on the other side of the property.

I told her nicely that if the coop were to be moved, it would necessarily be closer to her, and no we are not turning the whole structure around so that if faces the fence and other neighbors while not allowing ample egress.