Neighbor's new chickens are on my property

[Fatheroftime]

As the person that has 36 acres, but whose chickens still go on the neighbors property, I have to sympathize with the angry neighbor for a minute.

My neighbor across the street has chickens, which attracts my rooster, which attracts my flock. Initially, everything was fine, but now that he's complaining my chickens are over there, I have to fence them in, something that I really don't want to do. It sucks. I feel bad for the chickens, and it's healthier for everyone to have them wander around. I like hanging out with them. They make better eggs ranging. Food costs are lower. I don't feel like spending hundreds of dollars on a fence, or the time to fence them. I am barely surviving as it is.

Doesn't seem like there is an easy solution. But lots of sympathy for the owners of wandering chickens.

 

[Battlepants]

Please reconsider this from your neighbors point of view:

Food costs are lower.

Food costs are lower at the expense of your neighbors property and they are clearly not happy about this.

Initially, everything was fine, but now that he's complaining

This is neighbor code for "I hope my neighbor sees this issue and fixes it, but over time the issue hasn't changed and has now gotten worse to the point where I need to say something or get the authorities involved."

I don't feel like spending hundreds of dollars on a fence, or the time to fence them. I am barely surviving as it is.

This is just the cost of caring for chickens. If you are not willing or not able to care for them, I would suggest rehoming or selling them.

Perhaps a middleground of selling some of them so you can put up a proper fence for the rest of them?

 

[Fatheroftime]

Please reconsider this from your neighbors point of view:


Food costs are lower at the expense of your neighbors property and they are clearly not happy about this.


This is neighbor code for "I hope my neighbor sees this issue and fixes it, but over time the issue hasn't changed and has now gotten worse to the point where I need to say something or get the authorities involved."


This is just the cost of caring for chickens. If you are not willing or not able to care for them, I would suggest rehoming or selling them.

Perhaps a middleground of selling some of them so you can put up a proper fence for the rest of them?

Yeah, basically I'm not going to get rid of my food source or theirs, and no, I'm not a boomer, so I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend. Seems like there's not a great option. I could try to move their coop farther away from the neighbors property perhaps.

"if you don't have a thousand dollars, don't get chickens" lol

 

[Battlepants]

Yeah, basically I'm not going to get rid of my food source or theirs, and no, I'm not a boomer, so I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend. Seems like there's not a great option. I could try to move their coop farther away from the neighbors property perhaps.

"if you don't have a thousand dollars, don't get chickens" lol

I was also thinking about moving the coop farther, but chickens do like to wander and roosters voices travel. You said that your neighbor has chickens - unsure if they are attracted to another rooster or just looking to mate with the hens, but I'd bet they'd still make their way over there. Despite this, I do actually agree with moving the coop. If anything, this shows effort on your part to resolve the situation for your neighbor, even if it fails.

To your point of needing a thousand dollars to get started with chickens, I would generally agree with that need. Chickens get expensive FAST, and such issues need to be planned for. It is possible to care for chickens at much cheaper price, but this comes at the cost of effort and using second-hand materials. It's all about finding a balance in effort vs price for what you can handle, but NOT about making your neighbors suffer because of your choices.