How do your neighbors feel about your chickens?

**Elinaeri** · 04-01-2011, 02:52 AM

I want to get chickens, have for a while. I'm in an unincorporated area where we are allowed a few. I have neighbors relatively close. I can have chickens legally, I've checked all the statutes and everything, called city hall and the like to double check.

TBH it's been a while since I was around a chicken

I don't want to make my neighbors angry because they're in close proximity (think suburban with large lots), but I don't think they would really be a bother.

Opinions?

**Russ** · 04-01-2011, 06:46 AM

A few hens will not bother your neighbors IMO. It's the roosters that can be noisy.
I live on 10 acres in an argricultural area so obviously the neighbors can't say much.

**Ssindi** · 04-01-2011, 07:25 AM

I wish our neighbors had a few chickens. Then I would ask for eggs in return for the noisy rooster. He crows all hours of the night!

**SwirlyThing** · 04-01-2011, 09:19 AM

We live on just over 1/2 acre in a suburban area. Our neighbors do not mind our 5 hens. They do occasionally wander out of the yard, but we've never had any complaints. We get more eggs than we can eat, usually, and we do share with the neighbors. We do not have a rooster, but someone not far from us does, as I hear him often.

**krbshappy71** · 04-01-2011, 09:34 AM

I have been daydreaming about having chickens but I don't think my neighbors would tolerate it. My house is literally on the property line of my neighbor's, in fact my house serves as their fence and their fence is only attached at the front and back of my house. My other neighbor's house is MY fence, with a fence attached to the front and back of hers.

I'm amazed I haven't had complaints about my 5 dogs, although I do put a TON of effort into making them unnoticeable. (they are not left alone in yard, their barking is curbed immediately, the yard is cleaned up regularly, they are not allowed to run loose)

According to our city, you can have 3 chickens even if your HOA disallows it.

I think you have to consider the personalities of your neighbors and the interactions you've had with them thus far. Since I'm "using" that relationship to have multiple dogs, I don't want to push it by adding more animals.

**freebs** · 04-01-2011, 09:45 AM

LOL i live in a poa and we are allowed any animal but pigs, i dont care what my neighbors think, i have to put up with there partying all weekend and there stupid music so they can pu tup with my roosters..lol

**kaitala** · 04-01-2011, 10:03 AM

I live in suburbia, but we, too, from preliminary research, are permitted to have chickens. Anyone who lives here is also permitted to have children.

While some of the neighbors are wonderful, with good families, I have a few neighbors who have parties til all hours of the night, barking dogs, and BAD children.

Children who are loud, who ride minibikes up and down the street, there have been a few fights within earshot or line of sight. One boy decided to drive through people's grass one wet night, leaving lots of tire marks through our grass, as well as 15 or more other yards.

And then there's the dog walkers. We have a fenced yard for our dogs. They don't leave the yard, and don't bother other people's animals. Yet neighbors parade up and down the street driving our dogs crazy. And more than once, I've had to walk outside with a plastic bag, and ask them to clean up their dog's poo.

And the builders. They got variances to put up houses on smaller properties than the zoning. That used up some of the permeable area for drainage. Then our neighbors got their permits and put in a pool. Our yard now floods on one side because of all this.

So before I sound like a cranky old lady (I'm only 40!) I can sum it up by saying we live in a typical neighborhood, full of all kinds of people doing all kinds of things that are (mostly) within the limits of the law, and the "crimes" are mainly of a nuisance level.

I may not like hearing their kids screaming while they play, or the dogs walking by, or the people outside in the neighbors yard 100 ft away on a Saturday night at 11pm. I may not like the puddles in my yard, or the passers by in the street. But Suburbia is all about putting up with that.

If you have neighbors that you REALLY like, talk to them about it. Other than that, if you live in suburbia, and it's legal, the other neighbors should deal with your chickens the way you have to deal with their nuisances.

Get your chickens. Enjoy your chickens. And if you live by that boy who drove through our lawn, do me a favor and get a rooster.

**chowder** · 04-01-2011, 10:21 AM

I think it is totally up to your neighbours view of this.The chickens wouldn't bother anyone,but if the neighbors are bothered by the thought of them being there, you will have complaints.Some people just have to complain about things and will make up stories just to be heard.

**Russ** · 04-01-2011, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by chowder

I think it is totally up to your neighbours view of this.

I respectfully disagree.

Example 1: My neighbors never consulted me when building their dirt bike track. They don't care about the noise and dust they create.

Example 2: When I did live in the city, my neighbors never asked if it was ok to have a loud party until 3 in the morning. AND they never invited me.

The nerve.

I am not in anyway suggesting to do it in spite of the neighbors though, I'm just saying it is not "totally" up to the neighbors.

**dcompton** · 04-01-2011, 12:36 PM

For my part, I would much rather have chickens for neighbors than the neighbors I have for neighbors in one apartment. I live for the day they move.

**CrazyHomemaker** · 04-01-2011, 01:18 PM

I have chickens and so do my neighbors. The only bad thing is a bit of odor from the yard when it rains. Also, being downwind of them doesn't help.

If I keep the yard scrupulously clean (as possible) and add fresh dirt, there isn't much problem with odor. I also add baking soda to the wet ground and this helps a lot. Keeping the coop clean and spreading large chips of cedar dog bedding makes the coop and the yard smelling pretty darn good for about a week.

Putting them in an area where you know which way the wind blows helps.

My neighbors can't complain. My rooster doesn't crow much during the day unless I make rooster sounds at him. LOL! Their roosters crow a lot during the day. Then, they set off my rooster, too.

Ahhhh! The best part of country living!

**chowder** · 04-01-2011, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by Russ

I respectfully disagree.

Example 1: My neighbors never consulted me when building their dirt bike track. They don't care about the noise and dust they create.

Example 2: When I did live in the city, my neighbors never asked if it was ok to have a loud party until 3 in the morning. AND they never invited me.

The nerve.

I am not in anyway suggesting to do it in spite of the neighbors though, I'm just saying it is not "totally" up to the neighbors.

What I meant to say Russ,is if you have good neighbours,the chickens wouldn't bother them as in "disturbing".But if you have neighbours that aren't so nice,just the thought or sight of the chickens being there,will make them complain.People like this have a tendency to create stories and complaints,that in fact do not exist,just to be able to bitch. I am not saying it is totally up to the neighbours if one is allowed to have chickens,just that it will be totally up to the neighbours you have if the complaints will start.
I shouldn't be commenting on city living as I would not live in one.LOL

**Elinaeri** · 04-01-2011, 06:20 PM

I've had limited interactions with my neighbors, but they're a nice lot from what I can tell. For the most part, we are the youngest couple in the neighborhood- Most of their children are around our age.

Other then the teenagers that smoke up the road and don't pick up their cigarettes (I'm a smoker and will carry my cig ends in my pocket if I don't have a place to dispose them- they have a garbage can right in front of them! /rant) there isn't much that goes on here.

I'm only allowed 3 chickens, no rooster... but maybe that's different since I'm outside of city limits. I'll have to double check.

**Missy** · 04-02-2011, 12:19 AM

i have a few. (ha, and my work is selling them and other poultry too!) And my one neighbor, behind me...well, if they've noticed they haven;t said a word. The other neighbor likes to peek over the fence and watch them. he gets a kick out of them. So it works out well for us, really. I get to give him extra eggs too.

**frugalfranny** · 04-02-2011, 04:14 PM

Our city just started allowing chickens......NO ROOSTERS...and it is so many 'per sq. foot' of space......forget the amt.--not many.

It will be interesting to see how this develops in my area.

I have thought about it......will keep watch.

It wouldn't be the chickens that bothered me.........it would be if they kept the pens clean or not, and the SMELL that develops if they didn't. (though I could use it on my garden --after it was aged, of course!!

)

I already have a 'house from he!!' next door that doesn't take care of his property--think weed patch, and trash yard, (though the cars did go).........what would chickens hurt??? Would hate for him to get any........though I am upwind.