Neighbor problems

[mediazeal]

I live in a neighborhood in the county with big lots. Chickens are legal in this county.
I have dogs too.
So the coop is 200 feet from anyone's house and the dogs are locked in the house from 9pm to 8am weekdays and 10am weekends.

1 neighbor doesn't work any more and likes to sleep late. So he has taken issue with my dog making any noise (one is louder than the other) and came over today to complain/bully and insult me because he doesn't want me to have chickens.

I told him I would rehome the rooster if he was bothering him. Hate to do it, but a rooster in a neighborhood, I can see the point.
he was not satisfied with that
he wants them gone and was very mean about it
sort of scary mean in his bullying way

I told him I was not getting rid of my chickens or dogs and I was not moving
but if he wanted to move I'd be glad to have someone take care of my dogs and chickens til his house was sold since he said he couln't sell his house with them all here. He's not trying to sell his house, he just wanted to complain

so now I"m worried he is going to hurt my animals

we do have neighborhood CCRS he says say no chickens but they also say no people of color are allowed so I do not consider them to be a valid document and the county says chickens are ok.

any ideas on how to handle this?
yes, I have offered them eggs, they haven't wanted them of course

 

[calista]

Where are you located that such discriminatory CCRs are legally enforced? ("No people of color...") Wow, I can't believe that.

You need to get a local reporter and an ACLU investigator on your side RIGHT AWAY. And I'd talk to the Sheriff and Animal Control.

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I think you were exceedingly generous to offer rehoming your rooster and in keeping your dogs penned up part of the time.

Document EVERYTHING this neighbor says and does. Be careful.

 

[lurky]

I would talk to the police about your concerns so if anything happened you would have gotten your fears documented. I suppose it depends on where you live as to how that would go over.
Some areas are too busy to bother with something like this, while other areas are not so busy. Its just a thought

 

[BackToMyRoots]

That situation sounds awful! Maybe you could call the county and make sure you're completely safe? We have some nasty old neighborhood covenants where I live, and it's generally accepted that racist requirements are in conflict with federal law and therefore ignored, but everything else in the covenant holds.

Having had a crazy neighbor at one point in my childhood, I believe that chicken or dog injury is possible, but not probable. We only had one unexplained death over ten years, and although in that case our vet felt that our goat may have been poisoned, we never sent it in for a necropsy and therefore don't know for sure. Instead we had two or three visits from Animal Control/Welfare until all the county employees figured out the situation and refused to come out any more. Has anyone else had this situation on BYC?

Edited to support the police suggestion--very good idea! Once you know you're within your rights, fill out a report just to get the paper trail started.

 

[noodleroo]

Sounds like you've done everything I might try in order to get along. But there is only so much you can do when the other side only wants to be disagreeable. He probably just wants to complain at this point so don't let him. So far, he probably feels pretty powerful about being able to bully you so that needs to stop now. Where do you usually see him; back yard or does he knock on your door? If he harrasses you while you are outside, tell him to stop speaking to you; that you will not be harrassed in your own yard. If he continues, remind him that you are neighbors and this is no way to behave. Tell him to leave you alone or you will have to call law enforcement to explain harrassment to him. If he comes to your door, don't answer it. Take his power away.

I wouldn't be concerned about the 'subdivision rules' either; most are not enforceable and its the last thing law enforcement wants to be involved in.

Good luck. I wouldn't get rid of anything that you don't want to; he will never be pleased.

 

[BackToMyRoots]

Right on, noodleroo! Engaging in any further discussion with him will only feed his fire.

 

[mediazeal]

Quote:
The 'people of color' clause is not enforced and in the 20 years I've lived here, I believe they were even 'stuck down' by a county board as not enforcable, illegal, etc. So that would never be enforced.
I was just saying the document is not something I respect and I crossed out parts of it before I signed it when I moved in many many years ago.

 

[jjparke]

NO people of color in ccr's? that's hilarious. Tell your neighbor to mind his own business then go get 3 more roo's.

 

[mediazeal]

Quote:
I agree. I will not let him talk to me anymore. I'm sure in some measure that will make him call the county, call the neighborhood board, etc etc. But no matter what, you are correct, he will never be pleased.

He approaches me when I come out the front door on the way to my car. He has never knocked on the door that I recall, called on the phone or talked over the fence.
He just yells at me from his front yard.

If I were to remind him that neighbors do not behave like this, he would be very angry and say I was the one not being neighborly. He is not willing to concede any inch to be neighborly.

He was completely angry today because I said no, I was not getting rid of my chickens or dogs
that I was willing to rehome my beautiful rooster, and then I walked away.

I said I would rehome the roo because I think he has a point on a rooster in a neighborhood, even if I'm legal. Its pushing it I think.
A guy down the street has a roo. I dont' mind but I imagine there might be others that do.

So, thank you for your ideas and concern. Much appreciated. I hope you are correct that harm to animals is unlikely. And I'll expect a visit from the county animal control soon. Sigh.

 

[Lbrad7]

What a total turd!!! I would make sure and make your local authorities aware of the situation in case he were to harm you or your animals. I want to say rehome that roo since its in your CCRs that you can't have chickens but after the way he acted, I would be hard pressed not to move the coop to the property line right next to his rat hole of a house and fill it with the rowdiest Roos I could find along with a few dozen cats that are in heat!!!!!

Good luck to you, I hope you can work through this situation. When you say the coop is 200 ft from the house, you obviously have a very large lot so your birds should be no problem to anyone in your neighborhood.

I gotta tell you...you are a LOT nicer than I would be to him. When you offered him the free eggs that should have been the end of it. He is an idiot...don't waste another min of your life worring over his sorry butt.

By the way...if you live in Texas they have laws where you can see that he never steps on your property again. I live in GA but I gotta hand it to the Lone Stare State, I'm sure they have a lot less neighbors acting like yours since they passed those laws.