Updates on the last pages: Neighbor is threatening me and my chickens

[Smileybans]

A lot of bagged mulch. Cypress.

I wish I had that kind of money. Not trying to be rude here, I really do wish that. I had looked into mulch because that’s what I used for my other run. But to cover this whole run I would need close to a thousand dollars. I was going to do an awning type thing for part of my run. Maybe I could do multiple awnings around the run…. Then mulch where the awnings aren’t? I’m not sure though.

 

[Skyle]

I’ve run into a new issue. My run is a muddy mess. The hurricane working it’s way up the east coast has brought another bought of rain my way. Making my 300ish square foot run mud. I don’t have access to wood chips and even if I did they would come in on a dump truck. Which would have to drive through our driveway… next to my neighbors house. The last time we had a dump truck come through the drive he complained that it wrecked his foundation. The foundations in these houses is the original foundations from the 1800s. So stone stacked on stone. I don’t want to deal with that on top of everything else.

Any other ideas on what I can do in the meantime? Covering the run would be too expensive and not practical for winter. Since the run isn’t cemented in I know it would collapse in winter if I covered it. I can post this question elsewhere if need be. But I figured I’d try here first since having wood chips delivered via dump truck would make my problem neighbor more of a problem.

I hope to be helpful giving you any idea...
In my run I used a mulch sheet to cover the dirt (to not make sand and dirt to mix when chickens scratch) then putted about 10-12 inches of sand. But it has to be kept clean from poop, food and bedding or it will became a mess as it rains.
Or maybe you can try just mixing sand with the soil, it would be less messy if there is some poop/food/bedding and it rains but I think it will help draining the water and making the soil to dry faster.
But you'll need a truck to come anyways, right? Unless you get lots of sand in bags.
Maybe a temporary, easier and cheaper solution can be some bales of hay or straw? Like the ones you can easly transport with a wheelbarrow or by hand.

 

[NatJ]

I’ve run into a new issue. My run is a muddy mess.

You've already explained why you cannot have a truckload of wood chips dumped into your run, which would have been my first suggestion Here are a few other things I thought of. Maybe one of them will help, or will inspire some other idea.

You could have a truck full of wood chips dumped on your driveway, then move them to the run with a wheelbarrow. (A lot more work than having them dumped directly in the run, and depending on the layout of your property may not be feasible at all.)

Fall is coming. Dead leaves can help with a muddy run. They may pack down in layers, except the top layer that the chickens keep scratched up, but that may not matter. Of course you can rake leaves on your own property, or offer to rake leaves for someone else. But if people in your neighborhood rake their leaves and sit them out in bags for the trash company, you could take some of those bags home to dump in your run. Or offer to "help" a local church or business by hauling off the bags of leaves that someone rakes off their property.

Bales of hay or straw might help, at least temporarily. (Either spread around, or just sitting there still baled.)

Dumping in more dirt might help, by raising the ground level a bit, so the water prefers to run somewhere else.

I've read of people laying pallets or logs or stumps in a wet chicken run, so the chickens can sit up on something dry. (This does not prevent bad smells from a muddy run, so not a complete solution.)

 

[Smileybans]

You've already explained why you cannot have a truckload of wood chips dumped into your run, which would have been my first suggestion Here are a few other things I thought of. Maybe one of them will help, or will inspire some other idea.

You could have a truck full of wood chips dumped on your driveway, then move them to the run with a wheelbarrow. (A lot more work than having them dumped directly in the run, and depending on the layout of your property may not be feasible at all.)

Fall is coming. Dead leaves can help with a muddy run. They may pack down in layers, except the top layer that the chickens keep scratched up, but that may not matter. Of course you can rake leaves on your own property, or offer to rake leaves for someone else. But if people in your neighborhood rake their leaves and sit them out in bags for the trash company, you could take some of those bags home to dump in your run. Or offer to "help" a local church or business by hauling off the bags of leaves that someone rakes off their property.

Bales of hay or straw might help, at least temporarily. (Either spread around, or just sitting there still baled.)

Dumping in more dirt might help, by raising the ground level a bit, so the water prefers to run somewhere else.

I've read of people laying pallets or logs or stumps in a wet chicken run, so the chickens can sit up on something dry. (This does not prevent bad smells from a muddy run, so not a complete solution.)

I thought of having the wood chips dumped onto my drive but the dump truck would still have to drive near his house. My drive boarders his land with a 3ft easement on his side of our driveway. So there’s only a three foot gap between my drive and his house. It might even be less than that.

The leaves are a good idea and something I will be trying. The leaves don’t usually start to fall here until October though. So I might have to wait awhile. I used bales of hay last year for my previous run, before I switched to mulch, and the hay made a big mess. It’s definitely temporary. It all got moldy and I think caused some issues with my flock.

The smell in the run is what’s killing me. The chickens themselves don’t smell. But that stagnant run does. And I know my neighbor will complain if he even gets a whiff of it. The ordinance guy is coming out again tomorrow so I want to have a plan to tell him in case he brings it up.

I hope to be helpful giving you any idea...
In my run I used a mulch sheet to cover the dirt (to not make sand and dirt to mix when chickens scratch) then putted about 10-12 inches of sand. But it has to be kept clean from poop, food and bedding or it will became a mess as it rains.
Or maybe you can try just mixing sand with the soil, it would be less messy if there is some poop/food/bedding and it rains but I think it will help draining the water and making the soil to dry faster.
But you'll need a truck to come anyways, right? Unless you get lots of sand in bags.
Maybe a temporary, easier and cheaper solution can be some bales of hay or straw? Like the ones you can easly transport with a wheelbarrow or by hand.

I tried sand in my previous run and found i had the same drainage issues with it. I do have a big pile of sand, failed pool project, in the yard that I can use to elevate the run however.

Maybe I’ll try a mixture of pebbles, mulch and sand in the really low spots. The pebbles and mulch worked great for my other run but if I use the sand as well I might not have to buy as much mulch.

 

[Briosafarm]

I understand you are worried/scared about your neighbor, but he is already harrassing you. He can only keep you from having a dump truck come up your own driveway if you let him. Unless the previous truck made REALLLLY deep ruts, there's no way just driving up your drive damaged his foundation. I'd get a load of wood chips in and use that to help demonstrate you are trying to respond to complaints. If he says that damages his foundation, tell him to get a structural engineer's report and prove it.

 

[Smileybans]

I understand you are worried/scared about your neighbor, but he is already harrassing you. He can only keep you from having a dump truck come up your own driveway if you let him. Unless the previous truck made REALLLLY deep ruts, there's no way just driving up your drive damaged his foundation. I'd get a load of wood chips in and use that to help demonstrate you are trying to respond to complaints. If he says that damages his foundation, tell him to get a structural engineer's report and prove it.

I would but I don’t know if it’s worth it. Worth the headache of listening to him that is.

The ordinance officer came by today. He was a royal a***ole. Sited us again for the chicken and my plant stand. We have until the 12th to be in compliance. Which is freaking stupid because he didn’t measure for us today and now we have to wait in other week for him to come back. The plant stand comes down around the 12th anyway because of frost so I’m not worried about that as much.

The zoning board of appeals guy is coming out today to hopefully push through the variance. He didn’t want to get involved but the ordinance officer said to call him. I hope he can help us out and is more considerate about my mental health. I keep trying to figure out how I’m going to do this. How I’m going to decide which chickens to move to someone else’s farm if I have to and which ones I’m going to hide. It breaks my heart to even think I have to do that.

I really need a break. I really need something good to happen. Some….. I don’t even know. I don’t believe in one particular god but maybe an angel. Something, anything, anyone to help me. I keep trying to help myself but I get beat down at every turn. Hopefully something good will happen soon. I need it to.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I've been following your story and I pray things get better for you soon. I don't think you are where you are supposed to be in residence and life, if you if you continue to do what is right and hope things will change, it will. I hope they do. Sorry for your situation.

 

[Briosafarm]

I am SO sorry you are dealing with all these troubles! I know it can be frustrating when someone new (like me) comes along in your thread and says why don't you just do this or that, as if it should just be easy. I assure you I've read every post for a while now, and I do emphathize. I am also VERY familiar with getting in my own way, so to speak, which is why I presume to think I recognize a bit of you doing that. So many people are trying to help you, but for every suggestion, you have a reason you can't do that...which lots of times comes back to you don't want to antagonize your neighbor and make things worse. I truly mean this kindly....how much worse can he be? He is already threatening, bullying, and holding you hostage. You're constantly afraid and in a state of anxiety...and yes, I do know that anxiety can make it feel impossible to do anything to change the situation. I also know (learned it the hard way) that frequently the only way out of that kind of emotional impasse is baby steps. Others have suggested you start reporting him for allowing his dog to run free and harass your children but you're afraid that would make things worse. Again...how much worse could it be? As it is, he holds all the power and you are being bullied and harrassed. You're the only one being reported and brought to account, and he has free reign to bully you even though he is committing reportable offenses. The latest issue is the muddy run and your concern that the smell will make him report you and make things worse. People who care about your situation have suggested a load of wood chips as the best solution, but you're afraid that if you have a truck come in ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY he will escalate and make things worse. So, which worse will you choose? One choice and you and your chickens have to live with the mud and the smell, and the real fear that you might be reported for that smell and for keeping them in unsanitary conditions. The other choice might give him something else to complain about, but you and your chickens would have better living conditions and show that you are being proactive about the drainage issue and keeping your chickens in clean conditions. You said you don't want to listen to him complain and yell....so, why do you not just walk away or go back in the house if and when he does? Every. Single. Time. Which worse will you choose?

 

[Smileybans]

I've been following your story and I pray things get better for you soon. I don't think you are where you are supposed to be in residence and life, if you if you continue to do what is right and hope things will change, it will. I hope they do. Sorry for your situation.

My husband says the same thing. That the positive side to this is we will be moving. I just can’t see any positives yet. We’re still in the infancy stage of moving and I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Briosafarm]

I just wanted to add that I truly don't mean to sound unsympathetic, or as if I think I have any simple, magic solutions to your very complicated situation. But I do know quite a bit about GAD and the pitfalls of as I said, getting in my own way. When so much is going wrong and it all seems overwhelming, it can feel impossible to know what to do or how to do it. You're in a very hard place....but I really think that you are the only one who can start those baby steps I referred to by standing up for yourself against the bully next door. Report him for anything reportable. Walk away singing lalala when he complains, threatens, or yells. Take any steps open to you to keep your chickens in good conditions. You've already measured and will insist on showing the correct measurement of neighbor house to coop...that's a good step right there. I sincerely hope things get better for you.