Wading into enemy territory - my neighbor has 80+ roosters and I'm going mad

[memphis]

I was wondering the same thing. Seems something like that would be disclosed on the front end of purchase. Surprised you didn't hear them when you toured the house.

 

[lazy gardener]

Plum Crazy: Yes, my neighbor is at times certifiable, though quite harmless, and he possesses quite the dry sense of humor. We butchered all the roosters shortly after he started crowing at them, and then, he asked where they went, said he missed the crowing. He's been known to go out to his mail box... We share a common box post... wearing nothing but a coffee cup and a smile. Last winter, we were having well problems, so my husband and an other fellow had the cap off the well, and were checking it out. Coffee cup neighbor, checks out the action, then says, "Hey, Guys, You going ice fishing???"

 

[plumcrazy]

@lazy gardener LOL I like your neighbor already

In the interest of full disclosure, we did hear the chickens and roosters when we looked at the place. We just did not get a feel for the duration and intensity that is reality. I don't mind the normal noises of the country (including a crowing rooster or two), I just never could have imagined the effect of dozens upon dozens going non-stop until late in the night and picking up very early in the morning. I have never experienced that type of non-stop noise and had no idea the effect on my mental health

I wish trees or bushes were the answer, but the topography of our property (and his) would dictate that any barrier either be within 20 ft of my house or his "farm". I have looked into some bamboos that can grow 80ft tall and provide a thick evergreen barrier, but that would be years in the growing.

We have discussed with a lawyer and he seems to think that the fact that we heard them and purchased anyway removes any liability from the seller. I would have preferred better disclosure on their part, but I can't imagine they ever would have been able to sell the house.

The lawyer did indicate we may have a case (as the noise is continuous), but quite bluntly told us that the money may be better spent paying my neighbor to stop. As I mentioned earlier, I have brought this up to him and didn't feel he was interested. I thought maybe I could just keep buying them all from him, but my freezer would fill up and I would go broke

I will probably try a few other friendly solutions if I can think of any and then make a decision on whether to try legal action.

I did have one thought of putting up a camera on his drive to deter any unsavory activity if perchance it is occurring, or maybe his customers don't want their license plate recorded. His drive goes though our property via a ROW so I believe I am within my rights to monitor my own property.

Thanks again for all the advice and commiseration. My friends just think it's hilarious

 

[Mister B]

He either "fights" roosters or supplies them to those who do.

I agree. While fighting birds is illegal, raising them for fighting is not. It is a very lucrative business, with some birds bringing hundreds of dollars. Not that I have ever done that, but I know people that have. The setup sounds lust like the setups I have seen around here. They will make little tents with roofing tin and have them scattered across the field. The roosters do not get to move around freely, they are chained to the "house". It is sad to see.

 

[Blooie]

Thanks again for all the advice and commiseration. My friends just think it's hilarious

Your friends get to sleep at night! LOL

 

[Coralietg]

Is his property big enough to relocate his roosters to a different side? With so many roosters, it seems unlikely he would get rid of them all to appease a neighbour. Your situation truly sucks, and I'm sorry. We had 10 roosters at one point and their symphony of crowing every 5 seconds in rounds was very annoying. They were ours though, so we got rid of a bunch.

How long have you lived there for? Any chance at all that you could get used to the sound? Kind of like the people who live by train tracks or next to airports.

Some rural areas do have noise ordinances, so that might be worth looking into.

 

[dawg53]

I remember watching a TV show on PBS once with a similar situation as yours. It ended up going to court and the guy that owned over 100 roosters had to get rid of most of them except for a handful. You might have to do the same, get your neighbors on board as well.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

This in an incredibly tough situation. I love the sound of roosters, but even I can see how that many would drive a person batty!

I agree that they definitely sound like game roosters with that sort of setup. It's possible they are going to a not-so-nice purpose, but its also possible he just raises them. I've known people who raise game birds in a similar manner, but use them for showing only.

Just be careful with a camera. In many states it is illegal to face the camera towards someone else's property.

 

[V-NH]

Whew... that is a lot of roosters. I have two and sometimes the crowing gets out of control. For example... 4:30 this morning one of them decided to crow for about 15 minutes straight. I gave some strong consideration to turning him into soup, but I am not sure which one it was and I don't want to soupify the wrong one.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

This situation makes me sad to hear about all around. On your side, you are dealing with a lot of constant noise which is not good for the nerves/health. That is a lot of noise and a lot of constant noise to deal with.

On his side, he lives in the country which is an appropriate place to live if you want to raise game birds (as a side note, that is a standard way to raise game birds to keep birds from fighting and does not indicate that the birds are being fought/are sold as fighters). I moved to the country precisely because I hate the micromanagement seen in urban areas..."planned communities" are my worst nightmare... I moved here so I can have incredibly loud pets like my annoying squealing piglet and my crowing roos. I may not like the neighbors' constant gun firing, screaming kids, howling hounds, terrible taste in music, etc, but I'm also glad to hear these noises too because I'm glad we can all enjoy our own ways of living here. I wouldn't want to cause trouble for my neighbors, many of whom have been here much longer than I have, and I expect them to respect my privacy and property too. It is actually a highway that is the only noise out here that stresses me out. Setting up a sound protected area where I can chill without being bombarded by road noise is next in line on the project list. Maybe you can focus on sound proofing an area (an enclosed garden, one or two rooms in the house, etc) where you can relax without hearing crowing?


You might be able to win a legal battle over the roos, but that is a battle I personally wouldn't want to win unless harm due to negligence was being caused such as fecal runoff on neighboring properties, etc.