[becca1401]

My neighbour has 12 ex battery farm chickens which she has had for about 7 months now. They look really scraggy,have no weight on them and when they breathe there chest are really rattling. I am quite concerened as they are always jumping over the fence into my garden and upset my chickens. I have week old chicks and lots of eggs due to be hatched shortly. Should I be concerned about her chooks infecting mine?

I have had chickens for a few years which have included ex battery farm chickens. They came scraggy but soon feathered up again and put on weight with a bit of TLC. I have never had a sick chicken and never had any chickens leave my garden. I cannot understand why my neighbours chickens prefer my garden to their own?

[sandy]

They may not be cleaned out and have dirty, dusty bedding making them weeze, they probably are like humans, the other mans grass is always greener!!. I should try to stop them commin over by highering the fence with netting etc, best to keep them out anyway as they will eat the food you put out for yours!!! Some one else may have a greater idea of what they may have,
 I am a real novice, just going by my instincts.

[shetlandpaul]

do you talk with the neighbour have a chat. sounds like they are very unhealthy. i would build your fence up but they will get through. there behaviour is normal they like to go for a nosey about.

[becca1401]

I get on well with my neighbour. The problem is the chickens belong to their teenage daughter and she seems to rule the roost. We have informed her of the problem but there is a slim chance that anything will be done. She has told me that she is moving their pen but this will means they will be right next to where my chickens sleep. I
suppose I will just have to make my fence higher and just keep an eye on my chickens health.

It makes me cross that we have had various different animals over the yewars including pigs and have always considered all of our neighbours. We have never had any problems with anyone but my neighbour is upsetting everyone with chickens roaming loose all over the village eating plants and scratching up gardens. It just spoils it for me.

I love living in the country and I enjoy the sounds and smells that come with it. Unfortunately there are people out there who hate it and will do anything to ruin everything for you,so you have to keep the peace and make sure you don't upset anyone. Unfortunately there is always one person who makes it hard for you.

Oh well. I shall carry on with my battle!

[doganjo]

Can't you talk to the daughter direct and tell her that you will have to ask Defra to come and check your hens in case they have caught anything from hers, and does she want hers done too.  You could say they will have to kill any with infections - she probably won't know that they don't do this and it might get her to sort things out.  How high is your fence - mine was 4ft and is now a foot higher with wobbly chicken wire that they can't settle on so they don't jump into Hester's jaws any more.  You could also suggest extra feeding ideas for them - my porridge recipe for instance?
Hope you get it sorted - but don't let it stress you out.   Mummy and Grannie Annie will come down and beat her up for you

[becca1401]

It is 4:23 in the morning and I have been up for the last hour with my dog who is making alot of fuss about being in labour. I just read your post and coudn't stop laughing. My neighbour is lovely and we have told herabout her sick chickens,so they are apparantly going on holiday for two weeks whilst she sorts out there new home.(I hope the bloody things don't come back)She is the sort of person that loves animals,buys them shoves them in a tiny cage then never does anything with them again. I think her rabbits were greatful when my dogs when over and ate them. Sadly she got some more.
The funny thing of all is my 1 year old keeps telling me "That bloody chicken in garden" then he trys to catch it and my dogs who never,ever touch any of my animals have started chacing them. I think everyone knows how annhoyed I am with my neighbour as this happened with the last lot of chickens she had,which turned out to be cockerels. This ended up well for Edd as he convinced her they had to be shot and spent the afternoon popping them off one by one. I genuinely feel sorry for the chooks as they probably look worse then when she first got them,we even saved one from the foxes jaws once at 2:oo in the morning.  she shoved this one in a dirty old shed then it died a day later. Lets just hope she never gets any more!

[shetlandpaul]

hang on a mo. you moan about her chucks invading your land now your telling us that you permitted either by neglect or accident your dogs to kill her pets and now they are trying the same with you hens. you need to build a proper run for your hens it would be nice for them to roam but your dog is an issue. forgetting the fact that your neighbor could have complained to the police you say you live in the country the next time it could be shot. if her hens can get in yours can get out. your dog running after your birds will put them off the lay and should be prevented as best as you can also its a welfare issue. now off the moaning are you giving the vinegar in there water and checking for bugs.

[becca1401]

I think you may have the wrong end of the stick. My neighbours fence had a huge hole in it and so she put her rabbits right next it. I told her that my dogs where working dogs and if she keptthe rabbits there at some point my dogs would eat them. She said ok and then left them. They were lucky not to have been eaten by the fox as the run they were in was flimsy. I did appologise and offered to replace them for her but she was fine about that and replaced them herself.

Now my dogs do not chase my chickens,turkeys ducks or pigs they completely ignore them. I am just fed up of putting my neighbours very sick chickens backover her fence and my dogs have obviously noticed that and have now started chacing them. They have never bitten any of them!!!!!!!

My chickens have never left my garden. Ever!!!!but people are constantly knocking on my door telling me there is a chicken loose in the village of which I then have to retrieve and put back over my neighbours fence as they are not mine.

I hope this makes things a little clearer.

[becca1401]

I have had chickens for several years and never leave them out when I am not at homeunlike my neighbour. They have a very large netted run which the get shut up in where as my neighbours chickens cannot even turn round in there run. I am a responsible animal owner and have replaced my neighbours broken fence with two new 6 foot panels.

[DJ_Chook]

I've never had posh chooks. I've only ever had exbatts, ex commercial freerangers and ex barn hens. Across the board I've noticed that some of my girls never did feather up at all and others feathered up a few weeks.

Despite 100% top chicken husbandry & keeping a sooooper clean house and run. My last lot of 6 exbatts which I've had since mid April, have never started to feather up.

[becca1401]

These poor old chicken has a raspy chest and just crackle all the time. There eyes are bubbly and watery and they never get cleaned out. I have absolutely no problem with ex battery farm chickens I just don't want my chickens to get ill

[sandy]

Dose knowone go to bed? Becks chickens and Ducks are well looked after but locals think it's her chicklens that are wondering around the village, some go off to the shop I found if funny last year when she told me her neighbours cockerels were on the children's trampoline!1 that conjured up very funny images!!!! Also Beck has lots of vegetables that they jump over and eat, I suppose her chickens know where there breads buttered!!!!

[shetlandpaul]

you can get an antibiotic from the vet that mixs with there water. its dead cheap i paided 4 quid for 250 grams. i would if it was me offer to get her some and at the same time treat your own  it sounds silly buying some one else drugs but it will protect yours as well. as your flocks are so close then you really need to treat all the birds as one. it sounds like the same bug that was attacking our chicks a few weeks ago this stuff cleared it fast.

[sandy]

P.S ALL us women will understand the dog making a fuss about being in Labour (sorry Linz) keep us posted!!1

[becca1401]

Thanks for the advice I will get some antibiotics as I do worry more for the chicks. I am sotired this morning after going through labour with my dog and not being able to sleep for a week because of my bad arm. I must go and let my chickens and ducks out and leave the eggs in the nest until fudge lays hers, or she will get into a panic again because all the eggs.