No one has messed with my chickens until today

[rancher hicks]

mom'sfolly :

This kid is ten. I have 8 and 12 year old son's; and by that age kids know what the rules are. No kid should be in someone else's back yard without permission. And kids should know not to approach animals they do not know. For both her safety and the kid's, the OP was perfectly right for yelling the kid off her property. If this child had been injured, she would be the one paying for his injuries. This is particularly important because she has other animals.

At 10, the kid should have known better. She was justified in her actions.

If they were my kids, I'd also want to be told that they were in the backyard, messing with animals, without permission.

Yep they should know better but they don't always.
Had a kid come to the door late one night. Scared the daylights out of us. Turned out he was from across the road at the ball game. He was challenged if you get my drift poor kid. Got confused and lost.

Now i'm not challenged, though I think we all are bout one thing or another, but maybe he needed some attention, or maybe he was an axe murderer in the making. Only way to know is investigate by talking to him. I have friends who have challenged kids some you wouldn't know it to look at them. Lots a "maybe's " with this one folks.​

 

[Overeasyplz]

I hate neighbor kids coming over and messing with my animals. The animals don't care for it either. I've moved into the country sorta and the kids are farther away now. I have no problem showing my animals to kids, but for them to just come over.. no. Just no.

 

[Ibicella]

Man, I don't blame you for screaming at him. I'd be screaming and holding my gun at him to to make darn sure he didn't come back.

And the main reason is the last thing I want is some stupid kid messing with an animal nastier than they are and ending up with a lawsuit. I remember years ago reading a story about a 7 year old who snuck into a local farmer's pig pen to pet the piggies and got mauled. Heck, I have scars on my legs from roos when I was working on a farm as a kid.

And you think itd ever be their idiot parents who got in trouble for not watching their kids? Nope.

 

[klf73]

I can't say what I'd do if someone pulled a gun on one of my kids

these kind of statements just give gun control people ammo to take away our guns. I would never pull a gun on a child, a male teenager if I felt threatened enough, maybe. You would actually be charged with criminal threatening here (learned that when I had a horrible neighbor that was always looking in our windows, but that's another story) if you point a weapon at someone. Heck, you only need to say you will shoot them and they will charge you

.

idiot parents only get in trouble if someone actually *tells* on them....

 

[ChickyLaura]

My daughter is 9 and is friends with all of the kids in the neighborhood. My DD knows how to handle our chickens because she is the daily egg-gatherer, and feeds & waters them from time to time (I just want to say that my roosters aren't mean). So anyway, all the neighborhood kids "know" our chickens and respect them, and know they're not toys. Well, my DD is a social butterfly and she had this one girl overnight that was never over here before. I was so freaking upset when this girl would NOT leave the hens alone, she would throw them up in the air to watch them fly, etc. etc. She wouldn't leave them alone no matter what we said. One of my hens started acting really strange, and I think that an egg broke inside of her. I was frantic and had my finger up her cloaca to see if I could feel for broken egg shells and ended up with egg all over my lap and chicken excrement, and I was crying and yelling. I thank God that my hen turned out fine, but I was so angry, I mean really really angry. I made the girl leave.

The girl hasn't been back, nor do I plan on ever having her over again. How dare she mess with one of my animals that I raised from a chick, and took care of even when it was snowy and icy, pouring rain, etc. I mean this poor hen never asks for anything, yet provides food for us almost daily (eggs). I am very protective of my flock.

Another thing that happened was when we went to Disney last summer. We came home and someone broke into my coop and busted up the inside, I think they kicked the 2 x 4s and broke the inside door, and they broke one of the windows. But not a single chicken was hurt, and they didn't even seem scared. I wonder if it was a kid that the chickens had been familiar with. If only chickens could talk!

I can't say that I'd use a gun, but I was really steaming mad both times my flock had been messed with!

 

[holachicka]

Ok, I don't think the OP over reacted, she yelled at a kid, old enough to know he shouldn't be there without asking... BUT I think a lot of others are over-reacting trying to show support... Pull a gun? I agree, the best way to keep people out is to add a lock. I agree, talk to the parents... AND the kid. I know some kids are just punks, but again, we don't know all of the situation so we should NOT immediately assume he is a rotten kid! All we really know is that a 10 year old kid walked into her coop, walked out with and egg, and that she gives the family eggs often. IF she was comfortable enough to talk to the parents and the kid, and explain that this was not ok, and it resolved the situation... GREAT! But all this talk about how rotten this kid is when no one really knows the facts seems excessive!

 

[Ibicella]

Ok, you are right, klf73. I was mad when I read this and in reality I really wouldn't actually pull a gun on someone unless they were attacking me personally. I just REALLY hate marauding ill-disciplined kids and their breeders (I refuse to call them parents because they usually AREN'T) as much as I hate maurading dogs.

I'd just get screaming mad and give them a piece of my mind if I caught them, and be darned sure to turn the camera footage over to the cops and their parents.

 

[arch_cpj]

WOW cant believe some people think its OK for a kid to be in the pen and not yelled at that kids bottom would have a size 13 imprint in it if it was over here and MR sheriff deputy would pay a visit over to mom. I have never understood why my dog has to be on a leash but your kid is allowed to roam at will???? Maybe a radio fence and a shock collar would keep this two legged predator in his own yard... If I did this my dad or mom would have tanned my hide but good!!!! I agree you acted approprately and have learned from the ole adage NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED!!!!! unfortunately it is getting hard to do well to others because the othersd then feel entitled and take advantage.... When I was a Zoning inspector I always said good fences make great neighbors well they also prove a point... Im steamed just lookin at all of these posts of people tresspassin that have been here lately WOW!!!!!

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
It's not an over reaction. I don't want kids in my coop either. They may be just curious, but they could get flogged by a rooster.

 

[Rowtag]

I don't know that I would pull a gun on a kid (had it done to me for 'trespassing' when I was younger), however, I have had to put padlocks on my pen in the last week. Funny how quick the kids realize they aren't supposed to be down there when there is a lock on the pen. The kids that were going down there are allowed if I am with them, but they were going at all hours, and my rooster is getting aggressive all of a sudden. The mom finally came down, since her kids were not back when they were supposed to be... they haven't been back since...

Some kids really do need a good scare though to keep them off other peoples property... we had some geniuses who's parents had told them that they owned everything to 'the creek' (this is the same group who chased me off for trespassing when I was younger). This family does not own property on the creek, in fact they are a long way from the creek... We had to give these children a geography lesson, and explain that our yard should not look like a dirt track with all of their dirt bikes and four wheeling. Actually had to threaten calling the police before they stopped.

A ten year old knows, or at least should know, not to come onto someone else property, especially into an enclosed pen. Yelling does not seem to harsh to me. I know I was yelled at for stupid stuff on occasion when I was younger, worse than yelled at if I was dumb enough, but I am still alive and have a pretty healthy respect for other people property...