Neighbors have hens and they are NOISY

[Birdielee]

It worked for my fruit trees. The neighbor put out corn and APPLES for the deer. Across the street from my apple trees. The deer visit me often. If it had been done on purpose, I'd have to call the plan a success.

 

[Chickens Tired Neighbor]

You mentioned an HOA. They allow chickens but not fence changes? That's a head scratcher.

Agreed. We are only allowed 5ft black rail fencing. They are required to allow chickens bc it is allowable in our town and 20 yrs ago it wasn't considered when writing bylaws.

 

[TARDIS37379]

My neighbors bought the house next to me (some 700’ away) and they weren’t very happy about the rooster who fired up about 3:30 every morning.
My answer?
Your moved next door to a farm. You’re in the country, it’s a rooster, he crows.
They thought he was only supposed to crow at dawn

 

[Chickens Tired Neighbor]

Hi! I read the whole thread to try to be useful and not repeat.

A few things to consider:
A 5 chicken flock means they might be personally attached to the hens- makes it harder to get rid of some.
But it also means they might be very aware of who is noisy and who is quiet. It's possible they are more attached to the quiet ones and wouldn't mind rehoming the noisy ones.
Also, if it's been 3 years and the same hens, some may have stopped laying. Or will slow down soon. It mostly depends on the breeds they have. I've read some lay like crazy then basically stop after about 2 years. Others lay less but longer. Maybe they'd be happy to get rid of a noisy poor-laying hen who makes the neighbor unhappy.

Their responds depends a lot on how the owner feels:
1 about keeping the chicken project going,
2 about their individual hens, and
3 about you. And
(4 about eating chickens, but that's getting into dangerous territory for you to bring it up. Maybe best mention "rehoming" instead of "get rid" or "kill/eat". People have chickens for different reasons.)

One suggestion i have not heard is fencing the free ranging hens AWAY from your side during the day.

Also, hens and even roos' noise levels and schedules vary a lot. My landlady used to have a roo who crowed at 2am, 4am, 5:30, etc. The 2 and 4 am crowing were harder to deal with than the firehouse nextdoor. And THEY made a lot of noise banging metal (repairing firetrucks?) Even late at night with blazing spotlights.

If the neighbor cares a lot about eggs and not so much about the individual hens, she might switch to a quieter breed. It would take half a year for the new babies to start laying, though. If the neighbor wants to be cooperative in this way, you might need to continue being patient for a while. Craigslist is a good way to find a new home for the older hens, before the new ones are ready to go outside. I see likely downsides to this plan. 1. Chickens added, maybe none subtracted. 2. Maybe new chickens are just as noisy.

If your neighbor's hens are inside at 530 am, the owners can likely add insulation that would block a lot of sound until they are let out at a later hour. Even a layer of shingles on the outside would probably help.

And here's a terribly horrible suggestion that is very unneighborly. Attract predators. This option to be reserved for much later, and definitely after conversation plus some months time for neighbor to act on conversation.

Great suggestions, thank you! I love my pets and certainly can empathize with anyone who counts chickens on their loved list. That's why I came on here so I appreciate the range of options. We truly have tried to live with it/them but it is interfering with our happiness at home. I will have a conversation with them. Fingers crossed.

 

[Chickens Tired Neighbor]

My neighbors bought the house next to me (some 700’ away) and they weren’t very happy about the rooster who fired up about 3:30 every morning.
My answer?
Your moved next door to a farm. You’re in the country, it’s a rooster, he crows.
They thought he was only supposed to crow at dawn

No rooster, not an isolated noise, not a farm and we were here before the chickens. Your situation I can empathize with though.

 

[Birdielee]

Hen houses also need ventilation. It's possible that the openings can be turned away from your house for the AM noise. Probably making new vents, and closing the ones in your direction is much more practical than trying to turn the hen house.

 

[casportpony]

I will try to load video

Upload to YouTube or Vimeo, then copy and paste the link here.

 

[bobbi-j]

Agreed. We are only allowed 5ft black rail fencing. They are required to allow chickens bc it is allowable in our town and 20 yrs ago it wasn't considered when writing bylaws.

Can you plant some nice thick vines along the fence?

 

[Chickstarrs]

Agreed. We are only allowed 5ft black rail fencing. They are required to allow chickens bc it is allowable in our town and 20 yrs ago it wasn't considered when writing bylaws.

I think it is time for someone to contest those old fence laws. If they are going to allow chickens, they need to allow homeowners to separate themselves from the neighbour's chickens. A nice solid wood fence can look quite nice, provide privacy and block out unwanted noise. Take your noise recordings to the next HOA meeting and state your case. You are not pushing for the neighbours to get rid of their chickens, you are just asking to allow a fence. Seems reasonable to me, but I have never been part of a HOA so I don't know how opposed they are to change.

 

[Birdielee]

Although the Fence currently can't be tall, a " trellis " in front of the fence can maybe be very tall.