Trouble with Neighbors

[Fluffnpuff]

I'd just give the rooster away. It may be unpleasant but that would be a far easier rout than defying an ordnance and pissing off a neighbor. It may not be possible, but if you can repair the relationship by bringing eggs or helping her do chores it would probably be beneficial to your flock in the long run.

Caring for a dying or sick relative frays the nerves of even the most patient of us.

 

[donrae]

Re-reading my post, I realize I came across kinda high-handed, and I apologize as that was not my intention at all. I've been a nurse forever, with a special calling for Alzheimer's and dementia patients, and get a little too passionate about what those families go through. Didn't mean to offend anyone, or insinuate the OP was insensitive about what the neighbors are going through.

 

[Beekissed]

'Endangered' for livestock does not mean the same thing as the Endangered Species Act if that is what you are asking. It might be a point you could use to bring your formerly sweet neighbor along to your point of view when you bring over homemade quiches & custards to ease some of her burden of caring for her husband and reminisce about how he used to tell you stories of growing up with chickens & how much you miss chatting with him. I've seen the stresses & isolation Alzheimers & being a caretaker bring firsthand...I'd try rebuilding that formerly good relationship first. That he's basically housebound & can't really converse doesn't reduce this couples' need for friendly neighbors, it magnifies it thousandfold.

Sorry, this is a little close to the bone for me...I just moved 600 miles to support my grandmother in caring for my grandfather. It is the most horrible thing you will ever go through...much worse than cancer which my family has also dealt with. Your neighbor isn't reacting to your rooster...she's trying to distract herself from watching her best friend & love die as a person.

First off, if she's caring for an Alzheimer's patient, cut her a lot of slack. Tons. Tons of tons. And keep in mind she may be getting demented herself, especially with a personality change like that.

Have you tried confining your rooster at night? Building a box or bringing him inside, keeping him someplace dark?

If everything else fails, I gotta agree to let them go. If they're illegal, they're illegal, and you knew that when you got them. I understand it sucks, but folks that live in the city limits live there for a reason, they want a city type life. If they move to the country, all bets are off, imo, but if you're in their territory, you've got to play by their rules.


Also, you don't know what's going on inside that house. Depending on his level of disease, could be that rooster's crowing wakes the Mr, and she spends the whole morning trying to convince him he doesn't have to go out and do chores (like he did as a boy)---it may be triggering a lot of stress for them. Or, Mr could be up wandering much of the night, and she doesn't get any sleep. You just don't know.

Does she have family you can talk to? Sounds like she's having caregiver meltdown, and that's putting him at risk also.

I agree with these wise posts and am so glad you are considering your neighbor in this decision. Caregiver stress is enormous..add to that she is also elderly and her husband may be having unusual sleep patterns and maybe she is just getting him to sleep when the rooster crows...well, those things add up. I would take that dear woman some eggs, apologize for taking so long to remedy the situation that she had to call the police over and over, and ask if you can help her by running errands, sitting with her husband while she gets away or rests for a bit, cleaning house or other helpful things....and sell that rooster.

There will be other roosters but it's likely she's only going to have that one husband and she is losing him by bits and pieces every day.

 

[LindaB220]

Another option: search at top of page for " sounds of silence" It has a link for a rooster collar to greatly diminish crowing. $14 shipped. Might be a viable option.

 

[bwr719]

Tell her that you are thinking of selling the rooster and getting 3 pigs. They are less noisy. Lol. I'm glad I'm in the country!