Neighbor Problems

[agirly4chicks]

I don't have my chickens outside yet. BUT, I have had the same problem with my neighbors regarding a outside cat and to make matters worse both of my neighbors are in-laws. My poor husband was stuck in the middle. After a lot of time and uncomfortable gatherings I decided to man up.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
I think the OP knows they were in the wrong too. It's just a bit of a rub to be expected to right your wrongs while the other side uses you as a doormat. There should be better communications. The neighbor thought the chickens were an intrusion and a nuisance and had no qualms about telling the OP. The OP now needs to open the communication the other way and air their grievances. Personally, I would say, "I know my chickens have been an issue in your yard. I am solving the problem with a fence. It's nothing personal, but I have to contain the birds. I also think that the fires in my yard present a liability. I'm sorry but you will have to establish your own burn pile. Since the chickens free range, the herb garden may have to be moved too. I will help you move the plants. I hope you're not offended and understand that I need to keep my chickens safe, and I want to be friends. Let's go have lunch!"

If the OP has a talk with him, he will either get it or he won't. If he's a decent person he will understand and move on. If he gets mad and stays mad, he wasn't really a good neighbor anyway and it would have escalated to much worse without the fence and new rules.

+10!

 

[jbowyer01]

Ditti on what Horsejody just posted!

 

[sweet_peeps]

I love the tall pallet fence. Paint it up and it would look great!

I also wanted to say that some preachers are so used to having people obey them that they can let it go to their head in all areas of their life.

Even though he is a "man of God" he's clearly not behaving as one.

Good Luck

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Not sure what the laws are where you live, but in Ohio you can force a neighbor to pay half of an agricultural line fence. Not sure if that's the way you'd want to go, but I'm just throwing it out there.

Also, if my neighbor put ruts in my lawn and then didn't fill them, roll it and re-seed it, all on his dime, I'd have him charged with property damage. It's not legal when kids to doughnuts in your lawn, and it's not legal if your neighbor does it either.

 

[Picky Chicky]

Quote:
Wow... are you serious... so if I lived in Ohio and my neighbor decided to put up a fence on his property, by law I'd be forced to pay half? Seems like there's a big catch I'm missing.

 

[A.J.'s]

I fenced in an acre of my pasture for my chickens to free range. It took one day with the help of two teen aged boys from the neighboorhood.
They pounded in the fence post, gotten at the feed store and together we put up 4 feet high chicken wire fence. It was a length of about 400 feet.
I clipped a wing on each of my chickens that night as they went to roost.
I simplified it by closing the door to thier house after they went to roost and taking one down at a time and clipping the wing over a trash can and then putting the clipped one in the pen by the closed door. When they were all clipped I opened the door and let them come back in to roost.
It didnt cost much. The main expense was the post and labor. The fencing was fairly inexpensive.
Four feet is high enough as long as you keep the wings clipped.
I might add that once I had an extra rooster that was not allowed in side the pen by his nemesis RooHoo. He would walk the fence row over and over and this kept he chickens from trying to fly over the fence. I named him BP (border patrol) I wish i had kept him but a man stopped and asked to buy him one day and I let him go.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Huh. Seems like the Ohio law changed less than a year ago for new fences, but it's the same for old fences. And if you put up a fence and your neighbor uses it to keep any livestock any time in the next 30 years, they have to reimburse you:
http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/aglaw/docs/Line Fence Law Fact Sheet 2008.pdf

Honestly, Ohio can't be the only state with a law like this. It might be something that you at least want to be aware of.

edited because I accidentally put up a link to the old version of the law.

 

[OverEZ]

Go with the fence! It will keep your flock in place and more importantly your neighbor out! I feel your pain. I live next to a very picky, wealthy non-practicer of what he preaches kind of guy.

 

[erinm]

no offense but it is up to ourselves to control our animals. How many of us have vented about dogs getting loose and going in our yards and killing our birds. You are in control of your animals also. just because we give them eggs does not mean they have to tolerate our animals in their yards. As far as them going in yours They shouldn't either. and are they doing it as a tit for tat thing? if that is the case communication needs to be improved. Good fences make good neighbors! get the fence up. Erinm