Chicken problem AGAIN

[TBRS1]

I've been having an ongoing conflict with my neighbor about his apparent inability to control his livestock. Specifically, this time, chickens, again.

For people who don't know, chickens are fine - as long as they aren't where they're not wanted. If they are, they are very destructive.

I had hoped that after the last time, when he insisted that he has a right to pasture his fowl on my land - insistence delivered with enough yelling and cursing to scare both my S.O. and myself - we would be done.

That was about 6 months ago, and the chickens are back.

I'm getting really sick of this Oliver Wendell*.



*explanation: an "Oliver Wendell" is a person who knows everything there is to know about farming EXCEPT how do do it.

The name comes from an old tv comedy called "Green Acres," where the main character is named "Oliver Wendell Douglas."

 

[Rodafina]

This neighbor sounds dreadful and tiresome.

 

[Judge]

Maybe it's time to go "Colonel Sanders" on the offending trespassers.

No more harm, no more fowl.

 

[TBRS1]

Oy.

Last time I called animal control (about his dog wandering around on my back deck and up & down the road) they told me to take photos. I'll take pics for a few days, then call animal control. That way, they can see it's a chronic problem, and not just a "one of" event.

His problem seems to be that he imagines farming is a "set and forget" thing. But fences have to be regularly checked and maintained.

Dude used to be a Marine. I hope he was never assigned to maintain a perimeter.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

If they are free range eventually the local predators will catch on take them out foxes birds of prey. lived on farm as teen ager lost my geese this way at night. No coop dead over time.

 

[TBRS1]

If they are free range eventually the local predators will catch on take them out foxes birds of prey.

Seems like, but not really.

Most predators (exception is hawks) come at night. If chickens are cooped at night, they are fairly safe.

The hawks do take a few (I've found chicken feather gobs in trees), but, since he doesn't pay much attention to his flock, I doubt that he notices the missing ones.

 

[Judge]

Dude used to be a Marine. I hope he was never assigned to maintain a perimeter.

Point taken. So put it to a test.

Get some claymores and see if he notices the cordial wording on their front plate. If you hear a loud noise, you're probably right. Oops.

 

[Outdated]

Maybe it's time to go "Colonel Sanders" on the offending trespassers.

I had a similar idea but not quite so drastic.

In rural hardware stores you can buy a plastic egg for a few pennies. These are used to let the chooks know where they're supposed to lay, they'll lay where ever they see another egg. So make a little box in the corner of your yard for them to lay in with an "egg" already in it and the bastards can start paying rent.

 

[JayCee]

Sounds like dinner to me.. but do like egg idea.. .... Iearning how to dress out a chicken could be handy , feathers make nice pillows .

 

[TBRS1]

Sounds like dinner to me.. but do like egg idea.. .... Iearning how to dress out a chicken could be handy , feathers make nice pillows .

LOL - If I was going down that road, I'd just let the dog go after them.

However, I'm pretty sure that the best way to deal with people who do not respect the law is to let law enforcement deal with it.

If a person tries to take care of it themselves, things likely get much worse.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Sounds like dinner to me.. but do like egg idea.. .... Iearning how to dress out a chicken could be handy , feathers make nice pillows .

Plucking a chicken is not much fun. You have to submerge it in boiling water and then pluck the feathers out and the itty bitty ones are a pain. It stinks to high heaven. Then you still have to pull out the guts, cut off the feet, etc, etc.

And yes, I've done it. Many times. For a family of seven.

Outdated's egg idea is much better.

 

[TBRS1]

Plucking a chicken is not much fun. You have to submerge it in boiling water and then pluck the feathers out and the itty bitty ones are a pain. It stinks to high heaven. Then you still have to pull out the guts, cut off the feet, etc, etc.

And yes, I've done it. Many times. For a family of seven.

Outdated's egg idea is much better.

Around here, a lot of people farm that job out to the Amish.

They pull up with a trailer. Throw the chicken in the opening at one end, and a cleaned chicken carcass comes out the other.

This is one of the reasons I try to avoid meat.

Eggs are cool, though.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

"...I had hoped that after the last time, when he insisted that he has a right to pasture his fowl on my land - insistence delivered with enough yelling and cursing to scare both my S.O. and myself - we would be done..."

Q. Are there rural ordinances that allow for farmers of livestock to pasture their livestock on another person's land without their consent?

A. No; a court held that the law does not permit intentional herding or grazing of livestock on another person’s land without their consent, and rural ordinances typically regulate permitted livestock activities rather than allowing such trespass.

7 Zoning Considerations for Livestock on Small Properties That Prevent Legal Issues - FarmstandApp

Wandering Cattle Don't Trample Property Owner's Rights, Court Holds

Fence Law – National Agricultural Law Center

Seek out your local agricultural ordinances. In some areas, that may mean there may be "fence laws" in place to keep livestock from wandering onto another person's land. Regardless, there should be some legal recourse on your end.

 

[TBRS1]

"...I had hoped that after the last time, when he insisted that he has a right to pasture his fowl on my land - insistence delivered with enough yelling and cursing to scare both my S.O. and myself - we would be done..."

Q. Are there rural ordinances that allow for farmers of livestock to pasture their livestock on another person's land without their consent?

A. No; a court held that the law does not permit intentional herding or grazing of livestock on another person’s land without their consent, and rural ordinances typically regulate permitted livestock activities rather than allowing such trespass.

7 Zoning Considerations for Livestock on Small Properties That Prevent Legal Issues - FarmstandApp

Wandering Cattle Don't Trample Property Owner's Rights, Court Holds

Fence Law – National Agricultural Law Center

Seek out your local agricultural ordinances. In some areas, that may mean there may be "fence laws" in place to keep livestock from wandering onto another person's land. Regardless, there should be some legal recourse on your end.

Yup - by local ordinances it is flat out illegal. In the past, I have contacted animal control. I keep hoping it will finally be resolved.

Unfortunately, ultimately, the chickens keep coming back.

I think there's something wrong with this guy. He just doesn't seem to get it.

 

[Mary Terry]

@TBRS1 - I grew up with chickens and my husband and I have raised chickens for eggs for years. I totally agree with you that chickens should not be free range in my yard. They scratch up all the flower beds, scratch the mulch off everything you're trying to grow/nurture and poop everywhere. They instinctively return to the chicken house at dusk where they are relatively safe from predators overnight (depends on how secure their coop is). We always had a large, securely fenced chicken run. They can free range in there to their hearts' content but not in my yard! You're doing it the right way, by requesting enforcement of existing laws/regulations.

Your neighbor sounds like a nightmare.

 

[TBRS1]

@TBRS1 - I grew up with chickens and my husband and I have raised chickens for eggs for years. I totally agree with you that chickens should not be free range in my yard. They scratch up all the flower beds, scratch the mulch off everything you're trying to grow/nurture and poop everywhere. They instinctively return to the chicken house at dusk where they are relatively safe from predators overnight (depends on how secure their coop is). We always had a large, securely fenced chicken run. They can free range in there to their hearts' content but not in my yard! You're doing it the right way, by requesting enforcement of existing laws/regulations.

Your neighbor sounds like a nightmare.

I actually like chickens. My S.O. is after me to get the neglected coops back in order (on the agenda for early spring ).

My S.O. likes those huge Brahmins, I want some golden phoenix.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Yup - by local ordinances it is flat out illegal. In the past, I have contacted animal control. I keep hoping it will finally be resolved.

Unfortunately, ultimately, the chickens keep coming back.

I think there's something wrong with this guy. He just doesn't seem to get it.

You can't fix stupid... or sociopathy or psychopathy. As I suggested, you have your legal rights and your ability to access them.

Or... you can open up a rehab center for hawks, foxes, raccoons, or coyotes.

 

[TBRS1]

You can't fix stupid... or sociopathy or psychopathy. As I suggested, you have your legal rights and your ability to access them.

Or... you can open up a rehab center for hawks, foxes, raccoons, or coyotes.

I am going to entertain myself by imagining creating a raccoon army that swarms their house at night while they are sleeping.

There was an old movie called "Willard" where a guy did that with rats.

 

[Outdated]

Just an extra idea - stopping the chooks from scratching out all your garden beds is quite easy. I also grew up with a chook pen in one corner of the yard.

Lay some wire mesh down over the garden beds, plants can grow through the mesh but animals can't scratch away at them. This is often also used to stop dogs from digging up lawns.

After what I've seen about eggs in the US and what it costs to buy them free range I think you should seriously consider getting them to lay in your yard. Beautiful fresh eggs with rich golden yolks instead of shed produced eggs that have been gassed to make the yoke at least turn slightly yellow.

And yes, they gas the eggs from shed raised chooks to give the yolk a little colour, they also do the same with citrus fruit using the exact same gas, pick the fruit while it's green then gas it to make the skin change colour so that it looks ripe - longer shelf life.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Just an extra idea - stopping the chooks from scratching out all your garden beds is quite easy. I also grew up with a chook pen in one corner of the yard.

Lay some wire mesh down over the garden beds, plants can grow through the mesh but animals can't scratch away at them. This is often also used to stop dogs from digging up lawns.

After what I've seen about eggs in the US and what it costs to buy them free range I think you should seriously consider getting them to lay in your yard. Beautiful fresh eggs with rich golden yolks instead of shed produced eggs that have been gassed to make the yoke at least turn slightly yellow.

And yes, they gas the eggs from shed raised chooks to give the yolk a little colour, they also do the same with citrus fruit using the exact same gas, pick the fruit while it's green then gas it to make the skin change colour so that it looks ripe - longer shelf life.

Ethelene, gas produced naturally by fruit causes it to ripen.