Neighbor threatening to "take out my roosters"

[calliexw]

Do they have a laws where you live about killing other peoples livestock on their own property? I would find out. And also what the laws are about what sort of force you can use to protect your property. Also I would get a survailence cam and a shotgun. And let him know. He has no right to threatin your roosters or be so rude, if you dont nip it in the bud he will never stop. Don't escalate the situation, just be firm and clear. Bullys suck!!

 

[Beekissed]

I would find some scrap lumber..doesn't really matter what it looks like...and build a very tall, very ugly fence on that side of your garden~stain it something pretty on your side. That way you won't have to look at him looking at you and he won't have to "see" all that you are doing on your land. I'd also invest in some electric fencing between the property and get a nice, big GP or Anatolian LGD to guard your sheep and your roosters.

Your land, your stuff, your life. It doesn't sound like this is a person who cares about "nice" and you really can't deal with those kind except ignore them as best you can and keep the moments of direct exposure to a minimum.

 

[speckledhen]

I always wondered why some unpleasant folks think that death threats against someone's animals are the way to "win friends and influence people". Nasty old codger, that one.

And you asked about giving him eggs as a peace offering. I have a hunch that it probably won't help you. I had a friend in CA whose covenants gave her a specific right to breed chickens for her family's use-it was plainly spelled out. Well, of course, you can't breed chickens without a rooster, rooster's crow, and she got one. ONE rooster is all she had, a beautiful show quality Ameraucana. The next door neighbor complained to animal control several times about the rooster crowing, in spite of the fact he was periodically given eggs and had also bought eggs from her, as I recall. Seems it was just too much to hear one rooster crow out in the country for that city slicker as well.

Me, I only give eggs to folks who are a positive in my life, but that's me.

 

[NYREDS]

His attitude is downright confrontational, and just plain out of wack in comparison to your other neighbors. If you are feeling at all threatened, I would take it to the local law enforcement immediately - even just to get their advice.

My best advice to you now? document every single interaction - if you come to them as an "emotional young lady" they will treat you like that... if you come to them with written log/journal of the interactions and what has occured between you two, they will see you as someone to be taken seriously. Be factual, state what was said.. try to leave emotion out of it.

Exactly right. His behavior is threatening & he has in fact threatened to kill your roosters. In many jurisdictions killing someone else's livestock constitutes animal cruelty which is a crime. I'm a local court judge & I'd grant you an order of protection based on what you've reported here.

 

[Kathryn4629]

Wow you guys thanks for all the moral support!!

I do have fencing. 5ft tall wire mesh fencing (horse fencing) all the way around the perimeter, and everything is cross fenced. Also have a gate at the end of the driveway that stays locked. I am a little paranoid. I also have 3 dogs lol. 1 mini schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and an old Australian shepherd.

I am planning on planting a couple rows of broom corn, it gets about 12ft tall to have some privacy.

Yeah, giving him eggs is probably a waste of time.

Mostly I am just so incredibly sad by this!! I have been so thankful for my nice neighbors. I guess now I am even more thankful for the nice ones now.

 

[Kathryn4629]

Hi this sounds like a terrible situation to be in and I am like you in that I hate confrontation, I have had this once with a neighbour and a noisy rooster but I don't have anywhere near as much land as you and live in a built up area

I would not bother giving him eggs he sounds horrible! you could just ignore him after all it is up to you what you do on your land and if there are no restrictions he can't do anything, how far is his house from yours and how far are the roos from him? it does sound like they are irritating him, they can start crowing in the early hours it may be worth you moving them back as far away from him as possible or he may take it into his own hands! he had no right to speak to you like that though.

I would say that the coop is about a football field away from his house... and the coop was there before he built the house! Yes there are no resrictions on land use for livestock. Other than the numbers of livestock. I calculated it once and I think I remember I could have up 260 chickens of something like that. lol

 

[Kathryn4629]

I agree with everyone, don't offer free eggs. My older neighbor luckily enjoys listening to the roosters and has told me. Stand your ground, it's your property and you can do with it what you want. I know it's hard, but stay strong!!

I also have a neighbor tell me he loves that sounds of my roosters! Have to love a neighbor like that.

 

[halo]

Dont let him ruin your life. Dont give him that power over you. You have 20 acres! You are doing absolutely nothing that isnt allowed, and enjoyed by 99% of people.

Good grief dont give him eggs!!! Thats all you'd have to have come down on you is for him to say he got sick on your eggs. Just ignore him.

Not that I would recommend it, but a friend of mine was in a similar situation. He had 20 acres, and a nasty old neighbor complained to him about his rooster crowing. So my dear friend built a hog pen and put some hogs on that end of the property so the neighbor couldnt hear the roosters.

He didnt keep the hogs there long, just long enough to make a point. He got rid of the hogs, and never heard from the neighbor again.

One thing you could do is to plant a hedgerow of evergreens on his side of the property.

 

[Kathryn4629]

I can't offer much in the way of advice but I can sympathize. We had a neighbor like that and I hate confrontations as much as you do. Our neighbor called the township a couple times to complain about our yard being a "mess". The thing was, we were in a rural community and "mess" was not spreading chemicals on our lawn to suppress weeds or mowing twice a week. They kept their yard like a subdivision but the nearest subdivision was miles away. Luckily the township came out and shook their heads at the neighbors. We were doing just fine for where we lived. But the neighbor kept up with her nastiness, complaining about us behind the fence LOUDLY when she had company. I would suffer from anxiety attacks when she started up. We moved to an even more rural area but haven't sold the house yet. I got a call from our realtor the other day saying that the neighbor called her with a threat - that if we didn't mow the lawn she'd call the township -_- Not a request or a concern, a threat. But the township, once again, is on our side and says we only have to mow once a month and we have it mowed every other week!

Anyway, if I had any advice at all, it would be to contact your township and give them a head's up about the issue and see what your rights are and what his rights are. If they're supportive at all, they'll help you out. We put up a privacy fence to get rid of that lady and it ticked her off big time but it worked pretty well because she couldn't really complain after that... except for the grass which is her problem.

You just explained this guys yard!! So many chemicals, and he mows every other day!!

 

[Kathryn4629]

Make sure you've got a copy of your survey on-hand so the next time he grumps about your garden location (or nabs veggies he thinks are on his property) you can point out where the property line is relative to the fence/drive/road whatever. Maybe also keep a copy of your local codes handy, tabbed/highlighted/referenced per your particular situation, in case it comes up in "conversation".

I'd call the cops and file a report about his threat to your pets (the roosters). Just to have it on file, in case something horrid happens. Mount a game camera just in case, and secure your chickens at night. Otherwise, ignore him.

Thanks for the advice! I am going to look up the codes again and print them out. Maybe I should laminate them and zip tie the sheets to the fence.