Neighbor using strobe lights at coop at 5 every morning... remodel fix ideas?

[DLA]

We have a coop and run combo and some very lovely hens and one adorable rooster that are great. We have had them for 3 years now and they are wonderful! We keep them very clean and happy. We have a neighbor that does not want us to have a rooster so he shines a light at our coop every morning between 4:30am and 5:30am to get him to crow in the coop to bother the other neighbors. We are currently going through the court systems so yes he may have some bigger issues.

Here is what I am asking for help with. We built the coop so that the ventilation is the top few inches at the very top of the walls underneath the roof. It would be one thing if it were just a light that was on but he manually flashes a spotlight on and off of the coop every morning. (he can hit three of the four sides with his lights) Sometimes he does it on and off for several hours and he also plays gun shots and acoustic beats, etc from speakers to wake him and get him to crow as well.

While we are waiting for the court system to do it's thing we are trying to come up with a solution to block the light from coming in the coop while keeping the ventilation good for the chickens and keeping the other neighbors happy. (it's not good having a rooster crowing at 4:30 in the dark regardless of the reason, for the neighbors or the chickens). I thought about closing in all but one side of the coop and putting a whirly bird on top of the coop but I'm afraid a light shined on that will also reflect down into the coop. I've considered putting foil on the roof inside between the rafters and tacking it down on the sides but I worry about ventilation and I still believe some light will seep in. I've also considered putting a fan in the top of the coop to help with the noise. I tried a noise maker and put foil on the door but it doesn't help when the light is flashed on the coop ceiling from outside or when his loud speakers are played. I'm considering Rockwool insulation to the ceiling but worry about ventilation. The coop is 10 x 14 and the run is 14 x 30. I'm considering 4 large posts and a reflective tarp at this point but that would be rather expensive. I am an older lady so I want to do it once and I really want my chickens to be safe. Any suggestions?

It's really sad that some people are so disturbed that they do stuff like your neighbor is doing to you. While I understand that you want to stop him from bothering your chickens, I'm concerned that anything you do as a reaction to his behavior will just encourage it. If you do find a solution he may simply just change his tactics or escalate the situation if he's not getting the reaction he wants. He's trying to annoy you and everyone else and will probably get a kick out of seeing you waste time and money jumping thru hoops. Anything you do to block the light from coming in the coop or to sound proof it should probably not be overly obvious from the outside. Chickens are pretty resilient so if they aren't overly flighty they may get used to the noise and lights and learn to ignore it. I would say that may be the best thing for you to try and do also, ignore him as much as possible. I have a motion light that gets tripped and shines in my coop fairly regular (rabbits mostly) and several people that leave for work early (5am) with noisy trucks and my chickens just ignore all that now that they're used to it. The other recommendations about a camera to record if he ever attempts to come on your property is good. If it were me I would also put locks on my coop and run so he isn't able to get at your chickens easily if he were to escalate his behavior. Please stay safe and prayers that this harassment stops soon.

 

[Blue is my chicken]

This man sounds like a jack ass (as many others have said) I have some idiot neighbours too they drove at my horse and my mum will they were out walking, my mum asked them to stop their car so they could get passed, they stopped the car and just as my mum started to move the drove at them my horse (mocha) jump on to the verge pulling my mum with him and they drove by, we have not done anything to them and they do this! They also came on our land without permission and when they were fixing the boundary fence they hit my dog on the head she came back with a red mark on her head (it bled a bit but not that bad)
They have been to court with another neighbour and have had huge arguments with another and fed their dog green potatoes, she eventually died of liver poisoning coincidence i think not (we live on a farm in a group of 4 houses that were barns)
(We are moving can you guess why!)

I know exactly what you are going through but make sure you and your family are safe you have no idea how crazy this person is, talk to your neighbours tell them your situation and they should be more understanding if they do get woken up by your cockerell, they my even have their own problems with this man or they may have had problems with him.

Good luck I hope you can find a solution

 

[Squawkers]

This man sounds like a jack ass (as many others have said) I have some idiot neighbours too they drove at my horse and my mum will they were out walking, my mum asked them to stop their car so they could get passed, they stopped the car and just as my mum started to move the drove at them my horse (mocha) jump on to the verge pulling my mum with him and they drove by, we have not done anything to them and they do this! They also came on our land without permission and when they were fixing the boundary fence they hit my dog on the head she came back with a red mark on her head (it bled a bit but not that bad)
They have been to court with another neighbour and have had huge arguments with another and fed their dog green potatoes, she eventually died of liver poisoning coincidence i think not (we live on a farm in a group of 4 houses that were barns)
(We are moving can you guess why!)

I know exactly what you are going through but make sure you and your family are safe you have no idea how crazy this person is, talk to your neighbours tell them your situation and they should be more understanding if they do get woken up by your cockerell, they my even have their own problems with this man or they may have had problems with him.

Good luck I hope you can find a solution

That’s crazy! People are such jerks. Good luck with the move!!

 

[Blue is my chicken]

That’s crazy! People are such jerks. Good luck with the move!!

Indeed we have 2 viewings on Friday hopefully they lead somewhere

 

[SandyRiverChick]

This is going to be an unpopular approach, I'm not saying that your neighbor isn't a fruitloop... but if you're considering all of your options, have you thought about not having a Rooster? I live waaaaay out in the country, I can have a Rooster if I want and sometimes I do, but I gotta admit, the constant crowing is annoying to ME. And when we go to visit fam in Hawaii, ughhh the next property has a Rooster that crows ALLLLLL day, it's the peaceful Hawaiin retreat LESS that guy... Just sayin, even though you're allowed to have a Rooster, its sounds like you're pretty close to neighbors.... ??

 

[ChicNmom]

Don’t forget you pay for the police to keep you safe.

It used to seem that way. Police officers are there to enforce laws. Your personal safety is further down on the list.

Am I right in saying that it’s the rooster he objects to ?
Is the rooster any problem with any of your other neighbours or is he the closest ?

This whole situation makes no sense to me. The only think I can think is that he's hoping that by making the rooster crow extra early then other neighbors will be annoyed and complain so you would be pressured to get rid of the roo.

And somehow making himself get up at 4:30 every day to be an
A hole makes perfect sense to him.

Does he happen to have a dog? If so I'd be tempted to get a dog whistle. I'm not sure what the range on those. LOL

 

[Squawkers]

It used to seem that way. Police officers are there to enforce laws. Your personal safety is further down on the list.

This whole situation makes no sense to me. The only think I can think is that he's hoping that by making the rooster crow extra early then other neighbors will be annoyed and complain so you would be pressured to get rid of the roo.

And somehow making himself get up at 4:30 every day to be an
A hole makes perfect sense to him.

Does he happen to have a dog? If so I'd be tempted to get a dog whistle. I'm not sure what the range on those. LOL

Yes!! Payback!!

 

[Krugerrand]

It used to seem that way. Police officers are there to enforce laws. Your personal safety is further down on the list.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ... ruled that police have no specific obligation to protect.

https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/do-the-police-have-an-obligation-to-protect-you/

 

[EmmaDonovan]

That dude sounds like he has way too much time on his hands

That's what I was thinking. Who the heck has time to get up every morning at 4:30 and pull all that crap? Does this person work?

I don't know if he's got some mental illness going on or is just plain mean. I agree with what others have said about being concerned for your safety since he's obsessed and going to these lengths. Do whatever you need to to protect yourself.

I'm so sorry you and your family are going through all this. Life is hard enough without problem neighbors. Good for you for pursuing it in the courts. Hang in there!

 

[Chicken Heel]

This is going to be an unpopular approach, I'm not saying that your neighbor isn't a fruitloop... but if you're considering all of your options, have you thought about not having a Rooster? I live waaaaay out in the country, I can have a Rooster if I want and sometimes I do, but I gotta admit, the constant crowing is annoying to ME. And when we go to visit fam in Hawaii, ughhh the next property has a Rooster that crows ALLLLLL day, it's the peaceful Hawaiin retreat LESS that guy... Just sayin, even though you're allowed to have a Rooster, its sounds like you're pretty close to neighbors.... ??

You would love being my neighbor then. I have 20 roosters, mostly bantams, and they love crowing back and forth to each other, beginning most mornings around 4:00 AM.