Neighbor Claims my chickens have given her husband Histoplasmosis

[Criticalicious]

Be sure you're aware of the local ordinances (if any) regarding setbacks. It sounds like maybe your coop is close to or next to the fence. Just to be sure all your bases are covered.

 

[Lizzy733]

You could go the murder with kindness route and advise her you'll make sure to be extra diligent with your flock by keeping them and their housing extra sanitary and regularly have them checked over with your avian neighbor\vet. If he's willing to pop over with you introduce himself, his profession, vouch for their health and clarify the risks of his likelihood of being infected by a well managed flock, that would probably help. Maybe offer her a pastry or cake made with your eggs once the girls start laying.
Make sure she sees when you bathe them and send them on their way to dry in the sun and how well behaved they are when they line up waiting for a snack of mealworms... surely these tidy, well behaved chickens are not harbingers of death.

 

[Henriettamom919]

You could go the murder with kindness route and advise her you'll make sure to be extra diligent with your flock by keeping them and their housing extra sanitary and regularly have them checked over with your avian neighbor\vet. If he's willing to pop over with you introduce himself, his profession, vouch for their health and clarify the risks of his likelihood of being infected by a well managed flock, that would probably help. Maybe offer her a pastry or cake made with your eggs once the girls start laying.
Make sure she sees when you bathe them and send them on their way to dry in the sun and how well behaved they are when they line up waiting for a snack of mealworms... surely these tidy, well behaved chickens are not harbingers of death.

Yes! Orrrr, one of us could "accidentally" release a flock of pigeons and a pile of meal worms in her backyard under cover of darkness Then you could go to her house and ask if she's aware how much disease pigeons spread and could she PLEASE do something to control these dirty pests!?

J/K...kinda

 

[SarahFrost]

Hi All,

I am seeking advice. I have my very first flock, they were moved outside about 3 weeks ago. They are 12 weeks now, or so.

Today my backyard neighbor, who I have never in my life spoken to came to our door with print outs from the Mayo clinic explaining Histoplasmosis. She claims our chickens have made her husband sick and is asking for us to move or remove our chickens.

Before speaking to us, she went to all of the neighbors to tell them about our chickens and the risk they pose to everyone. So that made me really happy.

Research tells me this is bologna, that although possible to contract this from chickens, it's in high volumes. I have 5 chickens that free roam the yard during the day and are in the coop at night. I have cleaned the coop every week as well.

My city ordinance allows us to have chickens, so she has no recourse there. But I have literally no idea how to handle this. I can move the coop, I dont want to, but I can but I'm not moving it to the front yard as she has asked.

Any advice from anyone who may have delt with something similar? I can easily tell her to pound salt but I want to be sensitive to her as she is my neighbor, and probably for years to come.

I would be so mad! First thing I would do is get my birds checked. Tell her to stay off of your property and possibly sue her for defamation! You have the grounds to do that. I cant believe she went around and spread all that web md bull honkey to your neighbors. She needs to chill out. I would watch my chickens carefully and make sure she doesnt poison them or some stupid thing. Dont get rid of your chickens because of one crazy lady.

 

[SarahFrost]

Hahaha I have an idea! You could move your chickens to the front yard and then put a bunch of pigs in your backyard! That would teach her.

 

[AmyJane725]

Hi All,

I am seeking advice. I have my very first flock, they were moved outside about 3 weeks ago. They are 12 weeks now, or so.

Today my backyard neighbor, who I have never in my life spoken to came to our door with print outs from the Mayo clinic explaining Histoplasmosis. She claims our chickens have made her husband sick and is asking for us to move or remove our chickens.

Before speaking to us, she went to all of the neighbors to tell them about our chickens and the risk they pose to everyone. So that made me really happy.

Research tells me this is bologna, that although possible to contract this from chickens, it's in high volumes. I have 5 chickens that free roam the yard during the day and are in the coop at night. I have cleaned the coop every week as well.

My city ordinance allows us to have chickens, so she has no recourse there. But I have literally no idea how to handle this. I can move the coop, I dont want to, but I can but I'm not moving it to the front yard as she has asked.

Any advice from anyone who may have delt with something similar? I can easily tell her to pound salt but I want to be sensitive to her as she is my neighbor, and probably for years to come.

I would not move my coop, and I would tell her that if she trespasses on my property again I'm calling the police. It's not your problem that her husband has lung problems. He's at risk all the time from wild birds anyway. They're way filthier than your chickens will ever be. If she can't stand it she can move. I'd probably go around to your neighbors and address what happened. Assure them that they're not in any danger from your chickens, and explain how the fungus is already present in soil anyway and carried by wild birds, so they're at no more risk now than they were before. (And maybe bring them some cake or cookies or something) How many people did she try to turn against you anyway?

If she tries anything I'd sue her for defamation. That's irresponsible fear mongering trying to turn the entire neighborhood on you like that. Bitch. If you really want to make her life difficult, go talk to every lawyer in town. Once you're "their client" they can't take a case against you, so she'd have to go way out of her way to find someone to represent her.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Tell her you want to see a diagnosis from a doctor that shows a lab test positive for Histoplasma capsulatum. Histoplasmosis usually only infects infants or severely immunocompromised people. And just to protect yourself, you could get your chickens' poop tested for spores at a lab if he does come back positive for some God forsaken reason. I would not move my coop.

It turned out she'd initially misunderstood; he had it when he was young and is supposedly at high risk for getting it again. So he's not even sick yet, but apparently will undoubtedly be sick eventually according to his wife

 

[SarahFrost]

It turned out she'd initially misunderstood; he had it when he was young and is supposedly at high risk for getting it again. So he's not even sick yet, but apparently will undoubtedly be sick eventually according to his wife

It sounds like this chick is completely nuts. You cant reason with someone like her. It sounds like she just plain doesnt want the chickens around and she is trying to get everyone to gang up on you. I mean, her husband isnt even sick...wtf

 

[AmyJane725]

Y

It turned out she'd initially misunderstood; he had it when he was young and is supposedly at high risk for getting it again. So he's not even sick yet, but apparently will undoubtedly be sick eventually according to his wife

Sorry, I was so ticked off I posted before I finished reading the thread. I fixed my post now.

 

[Henriettamom919]

It sounds like this chick is completely nuts. You cant reason with someone like her. It sounds like she just plain doesnt want the chickens around and she is trying to get everyone to gang up on you. I mean, her husband isnt even sick...wtf. I would tell her to chill out or you will sue her for defamation
At this point she is just being a jerk.

I guess seeing as he's in poor health anyway and she slandered OP to her entire neighborhood BEFORE she ever approached her I fear she's laying a foundation for a lawsuit down the line; maybe they're drowning in medical bills Either way, it sounds like she's laying framework for something legal down the road