Neighbor complaining about feathers

[lazy gardener]

If the neighbor is concerned about her dog eating feathers, then said neighbor needs to put up a fence. If the dog is eating feathers, either: her dog needs more protein in her diet, or her dog is the type of dog who simply seeks new and novel things to round out her diet. Um. My dog is one of those. Chicken poop, plastic spoons, ear plugs, acorns, sticks, plastic from the trash can, and the list goes on. Oh, she's eaten her share of feathers also. If I took her to the vet every time she ingested some non food item, we'd be going at least once a week. If it goes down the gullet, it usually makes an exit within a day or two.

As for the white camper spoiling the neighbor's view when she eats breakfast, perhaps you need to paint a smiley face on it.

 

[dekel18042]

Hello all

We have a neighbor that is complaining about feathers blowing onto their land.

We all have about 4 acres each and are spaced out. We are out of the city limits and there are no covenants.

There are probably a few that have blown over there. It has been really windy.

They want us to split the cost to install mesh on our fence. It seems excessive. But they are worried about their dog eating one feather and dying.

Have. Any of you ran into similar issues? Any advise?

Oh, my! Do you have a huge flock? I usually have an average of thirty or so birds (chickens, ducks and guineas and in the past geese) and I have yet to see feathers blowing around. I may see them on the ground or inside the coop but I have yet to see them blowing around.
You could also point out how leaves blow. I've seen leaves blown upwards then come down elsewhere or ride the wind up and down until they finally land.
If they're going to be neurotic, might as well give them something to be neurotic about.
We have multiple dogs and through my entire life no dog has ever gotten sick from eating chicken feathers. I also have known dogs to eat chicken poop.
Right now I'm collecting feathers for a friend who is making home made dog toys for his retrievers to retrieve. So I don't think chicken feathers are the problem. If so, retrieving breeds could be sick a lot.

 

[bobbi-j]

Seems to me the neighbor is just looking for someone to help pay for a fence. I wouldn't be that person. It also seems that once said fence is up, and if you were to move the camper, your neighbor would just find something else to complain about. They appear to be *those* neighbors. If you are zoned for chickens and are within whatever laws you need to comply with to have them, I don't think you have anything else to worry about.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

We once had a neighbor that complained when we built our barn that it would block her view of the woods (our property) from her kitchen window so she circulated a petition to stop it. That failed so then she petitioned the county to all her to pick the color. That failed as well. She finally moved, but it's an irritation while it's all going on.

As long as you have no restrictions regarding your animals, I would carry-on. I wouldn't pay anything towards their fence unless it benefited me.

 

[lutherpug]

Yikes, I feel for you. I'm one of these people who just HATES confrontation so this would be my worst nightmare.

That said, I wouldn't pay for the fence. If the law allows you to have chickens that's that. The NPIP certification is a good idea if it won't be too complicated. I would also call your own vet and get their opinion on whether a dog eating a feather is a crisis (it isn't) so you've got your own "expert opinion". I wouldn't make any concessions with your neighbors at all because it sounds like they're generally unreasonable. I mean, come on.....the feathers aren't the issue. Give an inch and some people will take a mile.....

Also, what kind of crazy expectations do your neighbors have about living on acreage? A very common reason people choose to live on acreage is so they can have room for their toys and animals. I understand when city neighbors think having chickens is a little nutty (my situation) but on 4 acres? Please.

 

[tmarsh83]

I would be inclined to inform this busy-body that they may be more comfortable in the relatively safe confines of a more urban living situation.

What with dangerous chicken feathers causing such a kerfuffle.

Some people are just breathing my air...this neighbor is one of them...

 

[peeper89]

this is ridiculus

 

[centrarchid]

I would take into consideration the number of feathers crossing the property line. Dog health would not be the issue. The feathers are not exactly leaves in that they take much longer to decompose and can stand out in yard more than leaves in a typical yard. At some point, I would begin to treat the feathers like the birds themselves, they need to be kept on owners property if they become a nuisance. Most people already have that consideration with animal feces.

 

[Flock Leader]

Listen, I know this kind of people. We have neighbors who went bananas because of a surveillance camera we installed so we could keep an eye on the kids as they play outside. They thought that we put up the camera to spy on them and... what? I dunno. Sell them to the KGB?

One day, after a weekend away, we came home to find our camera broken. We knew who did this, but had no way to prove it. So instead of confronting them, we installed a hidden camera, which we still have to this day. The neighbors think they won, we know we won, and everyone's happy.

I realize this doesn't apply directly to your situation, but you should accept that this is the type of neighbors who are impossible to please, and one needs to find a strategy to evade direct confrontation.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

I would take into consideration the number of feathers crossing the property line. Dog health would not be the issue. The feathers are not exactly leaves in that they take much longer to decompose and can stand out in yard more than leaves in a typical yard. At some point, I would begin to treat the feathers like the birds themselves, they need to be kept on owners property if they become a nuisance. Most people already have that consideration with animal feces.

Yes, it would be easy to just patrol the property line tallying up how many feathers are blown across the line. Of course some people have actual things that need to get done during the day so that would certainly interfere with your ability to count all the feathers but if you are volunteering to do this free of charge as a courtesy then perhaps it is in some way a viable option. Otherwise its just nonsense. There is no way a flock of 30 birds is losing so many feathers that not only is OPs 4 acres covered with them but the neighbor's parcel is too? That sounds like garbage and a made up excuse to try and intimidate the OP into paying for a fence.