I need some advice. My hens are visiting my neighbors and it is time to take action. What would you do?
I have 5 hens who are about 7 months old. They have a lovely coop you can see in my profile pic and I have been letting them free-range in my suburban backyard all summer. They are very happy little hens.
My next door neighbor on one side of my house loves my chickens. He is a 79 year old man in fragile health, and he loves to come out and visit my hens. Some of you may remember that he was throwing feed over the fence for them. Well, now I believe he must be putting the feed down in his own yard. My hens have started visiting his yard regularly for the past week or two, and I see them scratching in the grass like they are going after feed. He sits outside in a plastic chair and enjoys them.
When I see them over there, I call them back and toss them some food on my patio and they come home.
Well, this past weekend, the neighbors in the next house over noticed my hens in my neighbor's yard, and became enamoured. They came over and started asking a lot of questions. The wife stood by my fence and watched my hens with a goofy smile on her face for about an hour. I would not be surprised if they don't get some chickens.
Well, yesterday I found 2 of my hens in that yard (2 doors down from me). The husband said his wife had been outside "talking to them" while they were in my next door neighbor's yard. Jimminy Crickets! I can't have my hens visiting all over the neighborhood!
Here is my dilemma: I bought bamboo poles and netting to attach to the chainlink fence to construct a temporary fence 7 feet tall, but when I told my next door neighbor he got very upset. He said his wife would not like it. She is very particular about her fence, and if I were to do it she would probably call the county on me. I'm not sure if this is a violation or not, but I don't want to invoke the ire of my neighbors because we currently have a good relationship. However, letting my chickens go visiting is definately a violation of the city animal ordinance and my birds could be immediately confiscated if a city official sees them outside of my yard.
I have fence poles up for a run, but never have enclosed it due to the fact it was working well for the hens to free range. It is on the opposite side of my yard. I think my neighbor will be brokenhearted if I confine the chickens to the run, because they are on the opposite side of the yard from his house. I do not really want a fence there. I do not really want to pen them in.
The city is getting ready to come out here and inspect, because the neighor on the side saw a rat. So, my girls are going to be confined to their pen for a few days. If those city inspectors see my hens go over the fence, they can confiscate them on the spot. :-(
How would you solve this problem?
1. Put up the temporary fence between our yards in spite of the neighbors' objections.
2. Enclose the run on the other side of the yard and hurt my neighbor's feelings.
3. Some other solution I have not thought of yet (please specify!).
I have 5 hens who are about 7 months old. They have a lovely coop you can see in my profile pic and I have been letting them free-range in my suburban backyard all summer. They are very happy little hens.
My next door neighbor on one side of my house loves my chickens. He is a 79 year old man in fragile health, and he loves to come out and visit my hens. Some of you may remember that he was throwing feed over the fence for them. Well, now I believe he must be putting the feed down in his own yard. My hens have started visiting his yard regularly for the past week or two, and I see them scratching in the grass like they are going after feed. He sits outside in a plastic chair and enjoys them.
When I see them over there, I call them back and toss them some food on my patio and they come home.
Well, this past weekend, the neighbors in the next house over noticed my hens in my neighbor's yard, and became enamoured. They came over and started asking a lot of questions. The wife stood by my fence and watched my hens with a goofy smile on her face for about an hour. I would not be surprised if they don't get some chickens.
Well, yesterday I found 2 of my hens in that yard (2 doors down from me). The husband said his wife had been outside "talking to them" while they were in my next door neighbor's yard. Jimminy Crickets! I can't have my hens visiting all over the neighborhood!
Here is my dilemma: I bought bamboo poles and netting to attach to the chainlink fence to construct a temporary fence 7 feet tall, but when I told my next door neighbor he got very upset. He said his wife would not like it. She is very particular about her fence, and if I were to do it she would probably call the county on me. I'm not sure if this is a violation or not, but I don't want to invoke the ire of my neighbors because we currently have a good relationship. However, letting my chickens go visiting is definately a violation of the city animal ordinance and my birds could be immediately confiscated if a city official sees them outside of my yard.
I have fence poles up for a run, but never have enclosed it due to the fact it was working well for the hens to free range. It is on the opposite side of my yard. I think my neighbor will be brokenhearted if I confine the chickens to the run, because they are on the opposite side of the yard from his house. I do not really want a fence there. I do not really want to pen them in.
The city is getting ready to come out here and inspect, because the neighor on the side saw a rat. So, my girls are going to be confined to their pen for a few days. If those city inspectors see my hens go over the fence, they can confiscate them on the spot. :-(
How would you solve this problem?
1. Put up the temporary fence between our yards in spite of the neighbors' objections.
2. Enclose the run on the other side of the yard and hurt my neighbor's feelings.
3. Some other solution I have not thought of yet (please specify!).
