Neighbour complaing about the 'thud' noise of my treadle feeder. I'm thinking of ...

[Mother of Chaos]

I lean toward polite kindness, but a gentle refusal to dance to ridiculous tune requests.

Shoot, I’ll bet that OP has access to a decibel meter on their phone. Record the thump right at the treadle, then 6 feet away, then 10 feet away, then at the point along your fence that’s in a direct line between the feeder and her kitchen or back porch or wherever.

I bet the results would show a dramatic drop in decibel level with distance.

 

[Appalachickens]

I would take a middle ground approach. I would not alter the feeder or stop using it, but I would remain civil to any neighbor if humanly possible. I probably wouldn't be taking them cookies or eggs, but I'd stay pleasant because we're neighbors. I also wouldn't be rude, retaliatory or making an effort to humiliate them because I feel like lowering myself is not good for me or for the world.

 

[Al Gerhart]

That's a great story and I love it, Al. Well played in all aspects. But there's a big difference here. In your scenario, Smartypants had the opportunity to take his wounded pride in hand and walk out the door, never to be seen again. In OP's situation, however, her grumpy neighbor is someone she has to live with indefinitely. It just seems to me that diplomacy is the better part of valor here, as opposed to one-up-manship, which only opens the door to resentment and further escalation. But ... yeah, that's just me.

You might be right Bigbluehen. Might try things your way the first time but you know, tigers don't change their stripes.