Neighbors chickens in garder

In talking to my dad the other night he was com-plaining about neighbor's chickens scratching around in his garden. Dad is 87 years old and gardening is on of few joys. He talked of seeing county prosecutor. In talking it over with my brother he (my brother) called neighbor and requested he keep his chickens penned. But neighbor told him there wasn't much he could do since chickens fly over fence. Anyone have any ideas on dealing with problem. I am disappointed neighbor didn't seemed all too concerned.

a large pot on the stove with potatoes and carrots onions and invite him to dinner

Put a lid on the pen. Old guy across the river has had chickens for 60+ years and they only get out when he wants them out. If you actually put forth some effort it is possible to keep a chicken penned.

got neighbors like that too at my one farm. they have pigmy pigs running loose, guiney hens, chickens, dogs (prolly 9 or 10) and two horses. dang critters are always over, last year horses got in the bean field and damages prolly an acre of beans. talking to em dont do anything. these people are dumber than a sack of rocks.

Easiest way of stopping chickens flying...... just trim primary flight feathers on one wing a little - wont be able to fly then! Hope this helps, Chris.

I prefer fried chicked, but unfortunately am going on weight watchers today so guess I will have to settle for baked and skinless, or grilled. I will draw the line at eating the breast, I am a dark meat person.


Gene

If you are quick, grab one by the neck and twirl it. If not, shoot it in the head with a 22 cal rifle. Gut it, soak a few seconds in very hot water then pull the feathers off. Singe the pinfeathers. Cut up and freeze, or fry with dumplings.

Like Chris said-

Catch the chicken when they roost at night then hold out 1 wing and clip the row of feathers off the back edge with scissors. Very easy to do and works. They will grow back in time and may need to be done again later.

shoot, shovel, silence(sss)
They want them - they ll keep them up
If not - so be it

My late grandfather had that problem back in the early 1900's with a lady next door letting her hogs get into his garden. He told her if she was a man he hit her with a tomato. She replied I'm standing in a man's shoe and he nailed her with a tomato. She swore out a warrant and he did too.
The judge told her she brought that on with her statement and told her to keep her hogs on her own property. Hal

Sounds like the neighbors fence needs a roof. This will keep the birds in and predators out. My parents did this for 20 years, it worked well.

Simple solution--clip the chickens' wings. The garden will then be a no fly zone.

Sounds like dad needs a new puppy. Not an ankle biter but somthing that just loves to chase stuff.

Good luck.

Dave

File a claim against the neighbor's homeowner's insurance. The insurance company will soon inform him what to do.
I have friends that had the same problem with neighbor's livestock. They ended up receiving $5200 for the loss of organic produce from their garden.

Give your dad some fun. Get him a paintball gun and have fun at the chickens.

What I do to run wild turkeys out of my garden. Chartruse sploched turkeys in my neighborhood.

Great recipe for baked chicken or fish:

Rinse meat and pat dry with paper towel.
Rub both sides lightly with olive oil, other low fat oil or margerine.
Sprinkle both sides lightly with garlic salt.
Sprinkle both sides liberally with lemon pepper.
Place on wire rack inside low-sided baking pan (pizza pan works great) and bake until done.

Very tasty, easy, fast, low cal & low fat.

Treated seed spread about your garden will solve all of your chicken problems........"the darn things dug up my seed bed"!

Seriously,

Check local and state laws on "disposing of" aminals doing distruction to personal property and Livestock Owners libility concerning distruction of personal property. May not cover the land side of a garden but the seeds and plants are considered personal property. Around here if they are caught in the act they are fair game (just photo/video the act, as in proof).

Then either Shoot or Sue. They will get the message. Around here there is a small catch, see below, with the value of the aminal vs the value of the distruction.

959.02 INJURING ANIMALS
No person shall maliciously, or willfully, and without the consent of the owner, k_ll or injure a horse, mare, foal, filly, jack, mule, sheep, goat, cow, steer, bull, heifer, a_s, ox, swine, dog, cat, or other domestic animal that is the property of another. This section does not apply to a licensed veterinarian acting in an official capacity.

959.03 POISONING ANIMALS
No person shall maliciously, or willfully and without the consent of the owner, administer poison, except a licensed veterinarian acting in such capacity, to a horse, mare, foal, filly, jack, mule, sheep, goat, cow, steer, bull, heifer, a_s, ox, swine, dog, cat, poultry, or any other domestic animal that is the property of another; and no person shall, willfully and without the consent of the owner, place any poisoned food where it may be easily found and eaten by any of such animals, either upon his own lands or the lands of another.


959.04 TRESPASSING ANIMALS
Sections 959.02 and 959.03 of the Revised Code do not extend to a person k_lling or injuring an animal or attempting to do so while endeavoring to prevent it from trespassing upon his enclosure, or while it is so trespassing, or while driving it away from his premises; provided within fifteen days thereafter, payment is made for damages done to such animal by such k_lling or injuring, less the actual amount of damage done by such animal while so trespassing, or a sufficient sum of money is deposited with the nearest judge of a county court or judge of a municipal court having jurisdiction within such time to cover such damages. Such deposit shall remain in the custody of such judge until there is a determination of the damages resulting from such k_lling or injury and from such trespass. Such judge and his bondsmen shall be responsible for the safekeeping of such money and for the payment thereof as for money collected upon a judgment.

(edited to pass the p_tty f_lter)

Other options,

If exist where he"s at, call aminal control out. Enough times and they may apply pressure to the fowel owner. But they may just stop responding to you.

A big, lound, hungry dog. Just make sure he stays on your place.

You'd better check your local laws for free-range regs. If you shoot someone's chicken in your garden here, on your own property, you can get arrested. Many rural counties in the USA have farm laws with free-range rules for chickens and other fowl. Where I live in central New York State, chickens are allowed to go anywhere, and nobody is allowed to harm them. Here, if somebody's chickens are in your garden, you can fence them out, but you're not allowed to harm them in any way. Chickens are even allow to strut down the middle of the State highway if they want.
At one time, cattle also had free range here, but that was abolished back in the middle 1800s.

If he butchers and eats one of the chickens now and then he"s just harvesting what grows in his garden......

Why complain about a neighbor that provides fresh (really fresh) fried chicken?

Those must be Wild Chichens, no law against harvesting wild chickens...

Guess I'd be talking to the neighbor one more time with a shovel handle.


Dave

The neighbor is full of it! He can clip the wings of the flock to keep them from flying. Further more, irregardless of the legal idiots in charge. If the man cannot keep his animals controlled, he shouldn't have them. Those same birds if they were on a highway and caused an accident, he would be liable. Same as someones pet dog, cat or other livestock.
Personally, I would hang a few dead ones on the fence as the only warning he would get. Then find lots of chicken recipes.

That's pretty much how I've felt about all the wild deer and turkey eating my sweet corn and potato tops every year. But, when I shoot one of them, I either get a state-sanctioned nuisance permit - or keep my mouth shut about any I take.

Once the chickens head and feathers are replaces with a buttery coat, it is hard to tell who's chicken it use to be. Does your dad need any good chicken recipes. If a few start disappearing, I can tell you that your dad's neighbor will become more concerned about where his flock goes.

BTW, I cover the top of my pen with chicken wire, which prevents someone else from enjoy a free chicken dinner.

depends,to me at least,if chickens are eating the gardens or the bugs.if they was scrathing up the seed some wouldn't come home one evening,if they were keeping the grasshoppers down , fertilizing,along with eating the small weeds well,i might take the neighbor a tomato or two.another idea,get a owl decoy or two and put it up on post that may keep them away.by the way,,fried chicken aint fattening if you have to run the chickens down first!!

It is my understanding that only one wing be clipped in order to keep them unbalanced when they do try to fly. Never had reason to clip wings so I really don't know.

Easiest fix as far as I'm concerned.

Well no closed season on skunks in most states so would think the same goes for chicken. Now save your father angish and cover them up near the sweet corn. Have a garden my self and put up a rabbit fence. In town so the people get a little pissy about gun sounds.

The neighbor needs to be told to clip the chickens wings. If he doesn't know how then he shouldnt have chickens.

What's he got? a 3 ft fence?

Its too late to solve it now that you have made two mistakes. One posting here on a public forum, and two, talking to the neighbor about it. When these kind of things come up, a loose lip can sink a ship. Best policy is to keep mouth shut, get silent pellet gun, and sharp point shovel, equals end of problem. Tom

Spread some pocket gopher bait right about where they land. They'll 'expire' during the nite and be his neighbor's problem in the morning.

Not really....A couple of years ago, I planted a half acre of field corn behind the house....TWICE. The chickens were watching, dug it up and ate it as fast as I put it in the ground. No ill effects what so ever. I left them locked in their coop for three days when I re-planted it. That kept all but one or two "inquiring minds" out of it when I turned them loose (a BB gun kept those out....).

Mmmmm...fried chicken!
If the authorities have problems with ya....just tell em ya grew em yourself and proceed too show them some seeds out of that carton in fridge!.

Or:
Get yerself a couple of hogs and let them root in the neighbors yard.

Whatever ya do.....let yer dad read all these replies because I'm sure it will make his day! hehehe....good luck with flyin possums!.

This is a joke , right? Shoot some of them and your neighbor will make sure the rest stay out.