Neighbor Took My Chickens

[luvmigirls]

My neighbor actually went through the same thing. Call animal control and have them come get your birds with a police escort. You are going to have to slap the person who took them with a restraining order or no contact to prevent this from occurring again.

Wow!!!! Okay, good luck! And yes follow through!

 

[aart]

Kind of think we all need to start asking the "adult/living with parents/child" question with every post; not age. As helpful as this community is, we are or could be giving a young adult a VERY ADULT response that could lead to some very ADULT reactions if the maturity level isn't there. As this seems to be happening a lot.

I know if an 19 year old vs a 50 year old attitude/wisdom/demeanor came at me with a couple of these responses given, my response would be much much different.

It can be hard to tell, and it's a touchy question, but yes I wish we could too.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Call. The. Cops.

 

[NatJ]

Change something so your chickens can NOT get off your property.

Getting those birds back will do no good if they just walk over and get caught again the next day!

For getting the chickens back, you said the person wants photos or other proof of ownership.

Since you don't have pictures, maybe you can show ownership with a detailed list of the chickens: description of each one and where you got it. Maybe have photos of the parents if you bred it, or a copy of the order from a hatchery or the receipt from a feed store if you bought it.

You might want to take pictures of your other chickens, just in case this comes up again. (But then make sure they cannot wander, so it does not happen again.)

 

[CrazyCochin]

Do you have any receipts from where you bought them, or perhaps what feed store?
I fully agree, call Police or animal control, but you should show some kind of proof of ownership. Do you have receipts for their chicken feed?

 

[Starburst]

This really is a tough situation. I would suggest you talk to your neighbor, explaining your situation, and ask to see the chickens. If she lets you go and see them, and you explain to her that they're yours, and she agrees to give them back...great!
However, I doubt it would be that simple. In the case that she refuses to let you see the chickens, refuses to give them back, etc. You should call the Police or Animal Control. But, as said above, you'll need to have proof of ownership.
Regardless, you should get a fence up or some other way to keep your chickens contained in your property. This will help you avoid further situations like this and help you protect your chickens.
I really hope you'll be able to solve this soon and fast, and that you'll have your chickens back with you in no time! Best of luck.

 

[CrazyCochin]

Also, make sure your parents know about this because they can handle the police and animal control business.

 

[Starburst]

Also, make sure your parents know about this because they can handle the police and animal control business.

X2

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

Maybe I missed it, but did you have your parents talk to her? She might be more receptive to speaking with an adult about returning you birds. If she still refuses, they can call the authorities.

Do any other neighbors have chickens? If no, then logic would dictate that they're your chickens. If they do, maybe get a statement from them saying they're not missing any chickens.

Frankly, I'd still go through the authorities - either ACO or police. Seems to me she's being difficult for the sake of being difficult.

 

[-Kiwi-]

my parents know about this and they are the ones handling it but they asked me to get advice on here too. I'm not planning on letting her keep them by any means. These were my first incubator hatched chicks and they are all my personal pets. I'm currently working on fixing the fence and it certainly wont happen again. We're going to try to talk to her and if that fails, then we'll get the police. I had no right letting my chickens on her property so she has the right to be annoyed but that dosn't mean she can capture and keep my chickens.