Someone keeps making complaints about my chickens! (Update post #222!)

[HeatherLynn]

I just stumbled across this and your blog. I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I would say don't lose face in all people but honestly most kinda suck. There are the treasured nice ones though so have a bit of hope. I would not let this lady stop you from doing what you want. Get a privacy fence up as soon as you can and then just pretend no one lives back there. You can even plant stuff to create more of a buffer. She might be crazy or she could just be two faced. No way really to tell. Its just better to avoid her.

We had a similar neighbor and we actually put in some fast growing plantings to create a bit of privacy. Keep dreaming about property away from everyone. When you reach that goal it will be worth it. We just moved out of town ourselves because having neighbors was just horribly annoying. When you have to get on first name basis with the animal warden and the code guy its gone too far. Just don't let her get you down. It doesn't sound likes its anything you have done or anything about you that caused her to be this way. Your best revenge for this type of thing is to not let it bother you and if anything enjoy your chickens even more than you did before. If it were me I would be putting up stone chickens in the front yard, one of those big brass wind things in the shape of a chicken on the roof, and singing a song about chickens while working in the yard but then I am probably evil so don't do those. Just don't let her trap you in your house and take your enjoyment away. She wins when you do that. Good luck and hugs

 

[jerseygirl1]

love it

 

[ChickLover98]

Hmmm. I had the same thing happen to me, except it was with our pool deck. Wishing you luck!!

 

[Andora]

Quote:

If it were just me, I would be so tempted to do that, but my DH would be too embarrassed.

I just looked up the bamboo reed fencing and it looks PERFECT. I could afford that easily, and attach it to the existing chain link with zip ties all by myself while DH is at work so I wouldn't have to bug him with it. I could also save up to buy enough panels easily, with my egg money lol. The only problem is it doesn't look like it's sold anywhere in my town. I'll have to keep looking. Home Depot says it's sold online only, but then when I googled I read a blog of someone who mentions buying it at their local store. The shipping on it is so expensive, and then I couldn't use cash...hopefully I can find some around here!

 

[HeatherLynn]

You could also buy lattice panels. I used those to block the neighbors view of my chickens when I had snuck in a rooster. Shhhh that was not ok in the code book. Anywho it was cheap and effective and they had it at lowes. A neighbor of ours did something similar. she was just trying to block a neighbors view of their back patio because the neighbor was pretty insane and would hide behind their bushes on watch them. They could see her. We are still not sure what she thought she was doing but anywho. The husband sunk in a few posts and built a little frame work and they put up their lattice. It shielded them really just from that neighbor and not from the others whom they got along with. I was 2 doors down from them and it looked pretty nice too. She let roses climb it. It looked purely ornamental but it did give them privacy on the cheap. Just a thought.

 

[teach1rusl]

Lattice does sound cheap and quick...plant some honeysuckle or something along it to double up on privacy. I think the old lady is nuts...certifiable. I'm going to be optisimistic and say that I don't think anyone could be THAT two-faced without suffering from mental health issues.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I have read through this thread, and I am truly sorry to hear all that you have gone through, especially when you just had a baby. This is crazy, but crazier still is this woman's interactions with you.
It does sound to me like this woman has a bit of old age sneaking into her brain. Have you talked to the husband at all about this? Perhaps this is something going on that he isn't even aware of?
But the bottom line here is this, you have done nothing wrong. If a chicken gets over the fence once in a while, and you go and retrieve it as soon as you see it, then what is the big deal? And if they have a farm and have been around animals, then they should understand. Plus, if they haven't had the guts to come to you and say anything, then shame on them. I have neighbors we had an issue with about dogs, primarily theirs coming over and stealing things, taking them home, and the owners not even calling to say they had them. That is a different story though. You should not feel like you are prisoner in your home and that you cannot enjoy your yard and your birds. I think you need to start going back out there and doing whatever you do. I also think that if any more calls come in you tell the officer you know who it is and that it is an old woman who obviously is have some issues with reality. If she is telling them you have 30 birds and then 50 birds and on and on, then she obviously is not checked in with reality or just likes to exaggerate.
If you are keeping your chickens and ducks in your yard and you have not violated any laws, then you can't do any more than that. If her grandchild or whoever, harasses your chickens, then I wouldn't be sorry if it went berserk either. I wouldn't worry about getting a privacy fence either, go cheaper and put up either climbing plants or the plastic inserts into the chain link or the canvas that you can attach. I would refuse anything from those people like scraps for the chickens or vegetables or egg cartons. That is not the way neighbors should act, and you don't have to play their 2-face game any longer.
Obviously, not all you neighbors feel this way, so take some comfort in that.
Best to you and your family.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Quote:
Was your pool deck flying over the fence and getting into someone's garden too?

 

[BWKatz]

Go back to enjoying ur life in the backyard with ur kids & chickens. Don't let them deprive u of ur happiness. Plant some roses, honeysuckle or even kudzu to give u privacy on the cheap. Too bad u couldn't get the $300 fence from craig's list. Home depot & Lowes will give u instructions on how to do anything. I've put up fences, built a deck, built a wall in the house. U don't need ur husband to do it, just instructions. Take ur time, put up one section at a time as u can afford it. Eventually u will have ur fence. Ignore ur neighbors. No waving , chatting, free vegetables. NO CONTACT. It will eat them up to see u enjoying ur life and not be able to be a part of it. Go back to having fun

 

[cat_named_noodles]

I just read through this whole thread, and I am sorry your neighbor is giving you so much trouble! We had a bad neighbor right behind our house a few years ago. She threw the weeds and trash from her garden up over the 6-foot privacy fence and into our yard (I SAW her do this!!!). She constantly reported us for being in violation of various HOA rules or whatnot (i.e. the lawn was higher than 4," bushes needed trimming, really stupid stuff). I suspect she poisoned our cat too. Eventually she found out about our chickens and raised hell until the HOA made us get rid of them (they moved to a friend's who had 15 acres, but were stolen from the property a few months after, and we suspect were made into dinner

. It was so terrible, our friends had gotten so attached to them, the husband would sit in the empty coop every night!

But by then they had already caught "the chicken bug" and came home a month later with 10 chicks

).
Back to the bad neighbor-eventually she moved away (good thing too, we were close to making a horrible raw fish-n-eggs smoothie and pouring it under the bushes by her front door, or putting a dead skunk in her chimney...), and a really nice couple moved in her old house. One of our current chickens, Delilah "Trouble" D, somehow ended up in their yard. The husband came over and let us know, and I drove over there. The wife was very nice and said if any of our birds get into their yard and they weren't home, we could go into their yard to get them. I offered free eggs any time. Our other neighbors don't mind the chickens, and the kids next door peak through the fence to watch our birds dig in the compost.

We are very lucky now, however one of the houses behind us is now for sale, hopefully we don't get another bad one!
Just remember why you got chickens in the first place, to enjoy them! and that you are not breaking any laws! Maybe ignoring the nieghbor is the right thing to do-and maybe calling the city again?
We wish you luck and I hope you can resolve this neighbor issue!