New hens not going into Eglu Go Up

[Mutrix Farmers]

We've only had positive comments (although one new girl is a bit rowdy so we might start to get complaints soon!)

 

One neighbour kindly pops round if we are away for more than 2 days to top up food and water. He even lets them out to free-range and goes back later to make sure they are back in the run. He told me that he put some 3-rung steps by the fence so he could check them every hour to make sure they were OK!

[Henhathnofury]

Two years ago, I asked both set of neighbours; one was so excited that she rushed around to see them when they arrived. Now I give her eggs and she swaps for veggies from her garden. The other neighbour was also excited and loves the sound of the girls, even on a Sunday Morning. After all, they are not car alarms, drunks singing or loud music.

 

I must admit that I did not consider what I would have done if they had said 'no'!

[Blackrocksrock]

I have no immediate neighbours to bother me but mine dont really make a lot of noise unless they see you and area long way down the garden and come tearing up to see what I have got

[furryelephant]

Luckily for me my best friend lives next door so no compaints at my noisy diva hen from that side I tend to take some fresh eggs around when I pop round for a brew and chat! I know my friend loves watching the girls in the garden from her window too so they're certainly popular with one neighbour.

 

On the other side we don't have much to do with the neighbours, but I can be sure that our hens make much less noise than their son and his friends when they're bouncing on his trampoline trying to peer over the fence to see what my and are up to!

 

I don't think anyone else in the street realises we have hens as we're not too far from the canal and with the Canada Geese honk honk honking all bird noises are assumed to come from there (and I'm not telling anyone that the noise comes from our back garden!!)

 

Enjoy your hens!

[Treekeeper]

one of my neighbours sunbathes down the bottom of the garden near the chooks run cos she says the chooks talking to each other reminds her of living deep in the countryside she also likes the eggs we give her. My other neighour is a lovely filipino lady who makes the most gorgeous cakes so she gets plenty of eggs in exchange for cakes so we win all round great neighbours no problems. We didn't tell anyone we were getting chooks but then we have so many animals that everyone calls our house the ark anyway!!

[C&T]

My Dad always said "Never ask a question unless you are prepared to accept all possible answers".

 

If you ask, and they say no, then what do you do?

[Aggienator]

I mentioned to my neighbours that we were getting them. They were a bit anxious until I explained there would be no cockerel, after that they gave their usual indulgent "o my goodness, there go the Good Lifers" look and were perfectly happy.

[Guest]

C&T your dad is so right!!

I suppose it depends on your neighbours ..some folks are right plonkers arnt they.

 

Someone in my village was urged to get chickens luckily by a really nice neigbour i am dead jealous he has a hoard of cockerels chickens etc with absolutely no problems

 

Then my neighbours are a mixed bag and the village do gooders/ hypocrites so I just am going to get them but without cockerel although i do fancy getting one of them sometime??

indie

 

ps as you say C&T i mentioned it to one of my nicer neighbours and then her husband said NO after she was telling me to get a cockerel...i know who wont be getting any eggs!!

[meezers]

My immediate neighbours have never mentioned the chooks - not sure they even know I have them. Noise is no issue as their 2 lads ( in their 20's ) make way more noise than my chooks ever could. Then again we do live in a village and it's considered 'normal' to keep chooks. I know of at least 5 other chook keepers - 2 of who have cockerels , and I've never even heard those !

[chick1]

Ta everyone i think i will just go ahead and buy them without letting it slip first to the neighbours.My dad i have told and is so excited at the thought(used to have his own years ago and will be my no 1 chick sitter when we go away) and everyone else seems to think its a good idea,one friend has even baggsied the extra eggs allready if i have too many to cope with.

 

Like said above i dont think i would know what to do if they said no and to be fair i think a lot of people are a bit uneducated thinking they will make loads of noise and that you will need a cock for them to lay(this is what my mum said in the week),but when i went down to a blokes i know to look at his yesterday i was really surprised at how little noise they make compared to say a dog or your average group of kids playing(it has been a bit of a worry for me in that respect).And how so so friendly they are too,much more than my bils bunny.They were putting their heads in my pockets looking for food when i sat on a chair so sweet.

 

Well im sure no one will be complaining when im baking cakes and passing them and fresh eggs over the fences.

 

roll on when the garden is a bit tidyer and i can get them.

[WitchHazel]

It's really interesting to read all the different opinions and stories, and I think it just demonstrates that it all depends on circumstances.

 

For example, how close are your neighbours? Where will the coop be in relation to their windows? Do they have double glazing?

 

We live in an urban area, but are fortunate in that our garden backs on to a recreation ground. In the house we are joined on to, no one sleeps in their back bedroom, so they are not disturbed by the early morning chicken whingeing. They don't minf the burbling of the chickens during the day, and they are very happy to look after the Girls when we're away.

 

We discussed whether we should tell or neighbour before we got chickens. I didn't know her very well then, and I was concerned that if I told her beforehand, she might object...and then if we went ahead we would have had a problem before we started. I decide that I would wait until I saw her (rather than making a special trip) and that I would tell her we were getting chickens in the same way that I might tell her we were getting a cat or a dog - ie, just being happy and excited, not in anyway giving the impression of "asking".

 

In the meantime, we put the Cube together in the garden, and DH built the walk in run. In the end, we didn't catch her until we pulled up in the rive with the chickens!

 

She was - and is - brilliant. I don't know what we'd do without her,

 

The side we are not joined on to moved in some months ago, and we'd already had chickens for a long time before they moved in. I have asked them whether the chickens disturb them, and they have said they don't hear them - again, they sleep at the front of the house.

 

So, it really does depend on your cirumstances.

[Aggienator]

roll on when the garden is a bit tidyer and i can get them.

 

You're getting the garden tidy and then putting chooks in it

[Willow]

You're getting the garden tidy and then putting chooks in it

 

That was my thought too

[chick1]

ok it may sound a little silly but at the mo we have no grass just mud where the lawn once was a several choice tools like cement mixers and the like still dotted about the place as we have just finished having major work done(great relief now its done)so i will have to at least make it walkable before i get some chooks.