What's With The Bad Manners?

[Lavender2]

@journey11 , it's hard to think about video taping an event you really want to forget.

I know from experience that neighbors are not very happy when the police are called on them, although it did help them control their monster child. I got to the point where I thought, why should I be the only miserable one?

Hard as it might be, I would let them know what their dog did to your chicken on your property and you would appreciate them controlling their dog. If it happens again I would call police.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Sorry that you're in a situation like that So Lucky, I hate neighbor's like that.

I agree with Thistle that legal action is probably the best way to go. Sometimes it's best just to go the unsavory route and get it over and done with, so as to preserve your sanity later on. I would try diplomacy first.

We had a similar situation happen to us, it was one of the big things that led to us moving to the country (we lived in the suburbs at the time). We had very bad neighbors; and they owned this annoying, viscous Jack Russel. Well one day that Jack Russel had escaped from it's lease and ran over to our yard, were my sister (5yr old at the time) was playing. Seconds later we had to rush my sister to the ER, the dog had bit her face. We called the sheriff on the spot, and the neighbor's got away with little more than a warning. I can't remember whether or not the neighbor's had payed my sister's hospital bills or not; I think that the husband, who was a little bit better, might have. Anyway the Jack Russel had spent a few days inside the neighbor's house. Our St. Bernard that we had at the time (Zeus), seeing that the JR was out managed to break his leash and dart at the JR. Zeus had nearly managed to kill the JR with one bite. Next thing you know it you see a bloody JR limping away and the neighbor's beating Zeus back. It was now the neighbor's turn to call the sheriff. If I remember right we were ordered to kill our dog.

You know what? All of these bad neighbor stories are getting kind of depressing. We need to start a "restoring faith in humanity" thread or something along the lines of that.

 

[Lavender2]

That's horrible that happened to your sister, and your dog! @TheSeedObsesser

To help restore a bit of faith... four years later, the mother of this child apologized to DH (she still did not like me) for all the trouble her son had caused us. She had finally realized she was giving him excuses for his actions, when he was expelled from school for punching a child's eye out. He was in 5th grade. I am still thanking the Lord they moved soon after that.
We really only have one neighbor, and they have been a great neighbor for 20 years. It's all about respect.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When something like that is going on grabbing a camera is usually the last thing on your mind. Trust me, I've been there. A camera is not what I grabbed and a photo is not what was shot. Two dogs, each about 100 pounds, dropped off in the country for the good life. At least they were not a neighbor's dogs. If you can get photos during the attack that is great evidence if it comes to a legal case but I'm taking care of the immediate problem. Taking photos of the aftermath is also strong evidence but not quite as strong.

After four conversations with him and no improvement to me it is past the getting along with your neighbor phase. It's not going to happen, he's proved that. One of the consequences of talking to the police may be that you will need to fence in your chickens and keep them out of his field. He can take photos too. Building a fence may be your preferred way to go anyway, to keep your chickens in and that dog out. If the chickens were staying on your property I'd suggest an electric fence to keep costs down but the dog may attack them in his field.


Seedo I have some great neighbors, some better than others but we all help each other out when cows or horses get through a fence or a tree falls across our private road. I'm lucky I don't have any real jerks that close to me but you are liable to run into a jerk no matter where you are. A jerk can make life miserable for everyone around them.

 

[baymule]

The best option I see is a fence to keep your chickens on your property and neighbors dogs out. And call the sheriff to report the attack on your chicken on your property.

 

[digitS']

Fences? How secure are your chickens?

I have done some thinking about your post, So Lucky. Thru TEG draft saving, what is above was my first thoughts, yesterday.

There probably aren't any easy solutions. I'm continuously amazed by my neighbors. I was a farm kid and that must partly explains my curiosity. I try to keep my interaction with them at one dimension, however.

At another location, I liked going over to the little olde lady's house across the road and talking to her about her canaries and my gardening. Her daughter lived nextdoor. I quickly realized that her husband wasn't an honest guy. Gee, I suppose that was why he couldn't get me in that pyramid scheme of selling stuff!

The wife/daughter was fine. She had ladies come by to have their hair done. I soon joined the line. DW was happy with that and could keep track of me through the window in the backdoor. The neighbors had a fairly outrageous relationship with their son but I just tried to keep an eye on their place.

Currently, the neighbors have fairly outrageous sons! I'm not weighing in to help that family. I'm just relieved that they seem to be sorting things out over there. Nothing quite proves that olde adage that "everybody has to be someplace" until you become aware of people who just absolutely have nothing constructive going on in their lives but, need a place to sleep ...

Dog's in the yard? Yeah, I've been there. On the farm, the gun would have come out if there was a threat to livestock but I don't live on a farm these days.

I'm replacing a fence. I'm doing it a section at a time. DD was bitten by one of those dogs over there when the neighbor had invited DD to stop by. Shows that nice people may live with bad actors.

Steve

 

[Jared77]

I wouldn't threaten anything. Livestock shouldn't range onto property you don't own without permission. Simple as that.

His dog shouldn't be chasing your chickens either. 2 wrongs don't make a right.

If my neighbor threatened my dog you better believe I'd be having a lot of chicken and dumplings compliments of my neighbor if the birds were on land I owned or was leasing. Simple as that.

However I would have said something in the first place if I took issues with your chickens and never let it get to that point.

I'd do a portable net/fence and just relocate it daily for fresh grazing if I couldn't get permission.

@journey11 situation is different though and I would have handled it the same way.

 

[so lucky]

Well, the chicken is still alive today, but she sure looks like she feels miserable. I walked around the house this morning and can see four different areas where the dog must have caught the chicken and then lost her grip---just piles of feathers at each location. I didn't hear any of that till the last minute. I didn't have the TV on or anything.
My chickens have a very secure house and yard, but I let them out to roam several hours every day. That may be over. DH would prefer that they stay penned up, but that's because they scratch and make dust baths in inappropriate areas. And the chicken poop on the patio. I don't think he would tolerate an electric netting fence. Lots of anxiety issues right now he can't deal with. I'm bending over backwards to try to accommodate him.
I have some thinking to do. Thanks everyone for your commiserating and suggestions.

 

[Jared77]

What about a tractor? Lots of plans on the net for them and would keep them quite safe.

 

[flowerweaver]

'Good fences good neighbors make' as the old adage goes. If your chickens are on the land he legally cultivates then he probably sees them as the trespassers. It might be a different story if they were doing this on your property.

Since I keep both chickens and dogs, I must fence my dogs and chickens apart, and my chickens from the neighborhood dogs. Once, when the electric dog fence was down my favorite dog squeezed through an armadillo hole and bit the entire backs off one of my favorite roosters and a hen. They looked like something from the meat market. It was bad as you describe, but to my astonishment both lived, the missing skin healed over and even grew feathers again. As I recall I kept them sprayed with BluKote and Pick No More salve until the scabs came off. So, I hope your chickens do as well!

The only part of my 5 acres that isn't fenced is the front yard. Your neighbor sounds a lot like mine. Absolutely every animal he owns shows up on my front porch. His ducks use the hedges around my porch for nesting because he doesn't have any cover and they crap all over my porch and sidewalk. His chickens come over and scratch through my flower beds, and his big dogs who live in a tiny pen on his 25 acres get to roam the neighborhood twice a day and often come to my fence to terrorize my chickens. His answer if I complain is 'shoot 'em'. Of course we don't shoot animals (although I'm sure other neighbors have taken some of his dogs out). He doesn't see them as family members as we do. I wouldn't want anyone shooting my dogs in the rare instance one gets out. All I can do is build fence as I'm sure my county would do nothing except give me permission to shoot them.

Hope you can resolve the issue!