Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[Dixie]

One of our neighbours (not sure which one) has been complaining to the council about our girls waking them up in the mornings. We have tried blacking out the house & run to keep girls quiet until the magic hour of 7am, but complaints are still being made. They are usually quiet till 7.30 or 8 but have to admit there has been the odd morning when one of them has squawked before 7 - don't see that we can avoid it completely. Have now got so desperate that we have unbolted the eglu house from the run and are carrying the eglu into the conservatory every night to contain the occasional noise in the morning. Has anyone else had to deal with the council & come up with any solutions we haven't thought of? Only other option will be to find a new home for the girls but daughter will be very upset. Grateful if anyone has any advice or knows what is/isn't acceptable noise-wise.

[Patricia W]

Poor you! Some people are so miserable. I think the magic hour is 7.30 so if you can keep them quiet till then it would help.

 

Do you make sure they are full when they go to bed? I find that if I feed mine mixed corn as a treat when they go to bed, and then black out the eglu and the run, they do keep quiet longer. I put an old rug over the eglu, then cover both run and eglu with the black out fabric you buy to suppress weeds. It works MOST of the time. And one of mine is a cockerel.

 

Also, what do your other neighbours think? If others like the sound of hens, get them prepared to back you if necessary.

[scrambledhead]

This is one of my worries too.

 

Usually when a complaint about noise is made the person complaining is asked to keep a diary.

Might I suggest you do too, so that you have a record of when your girls are vocal and for how long, it might help in your defence should it come to it.

 

Good luck

[K-F-C]

You could start playing music loudly in the mornings to drown it out... at least that would give the moany old blighters something proper to moan about!

[Space Chick]

I always thought that the sound issues were between 11pm and 7am.

 

Miserable so and so's though

[Chucky Mama]

I would have thought that being quiet until 7am would be enough for it not to be a problem.

[Griffin]

You need to fill your girls up before they go to bed and make the eglu as dark as possible to keep them asleep for longer in the morning.

 

I'm on first name terms with my environmental health officer thanks to my bullying neighbours. They've not complained about noise early in the morning, my girls are pretty good. What they have whinged about is the noise in general all day. Typically the EHO turned up just as Maisie was having a screaming fit because somebody was in HER nestbox He said it wasn't a problem, he likened it to a dog barking. If a dog was outside barking for hours at a time it would be a problem but short sharp bursts here and there are fine, it's just life. Same goes for chickens. Only three or four out of around fifteen here make egg announcements so I don't need to be worried.

 

My neighbours are so spiteful. As they're getting no joy with EH they've decided to report me to any other authority they think might make me get rid of the chickens. A month ago they reported me to social services! I ended up having to speak to a very apologetic social worker on the phone who said she couldn't believe she was having to speak to me but for the sake of form filling she had no choice. Apparently my neighbours were concerned about the welfare of my youngest daughter (aged 3) because they had seen her playing with the chickens, and heaven forbid, climbing inside the chicken coop! Social worker said she wished all kids got to experience those joys! Then last week I had the planning enforcement officer on my doorstep! Apparently I'm running a business from home I told him if selling three pullets a few months ago and selling 12 eggs a fortnight to a friend constitutes a business I'm guilty. He laughed and went

 

The police are involved now, harrassment is a crime and hopefully they'll have put a stop to it now. If not I wonder who will turn up here next?

[Guest]

What a pain for you .. probably got nothing better to do...get a nice loud dog too..in fact get a few other animals.......... parrott etc

 

One of my neighbours has a whole menagerie of cockerels and I said I would love one but couldnt justify the noise ...lucky him apparently it was his immediate neighbour who encouraged him to get them as they love the coutryside noise.

 

Got to say my other neighbour has all sorts peacocks and her cockerels I hear but it really doesnt annoy us..

 

Fighting cats make more racket

(Get a couple of those too and yes loud bbqs and music ...get a drum kit as well & oh motorbike or let someone who goes to work early etc etc get the idea

ooooh makes blood boil

 

Hope it isnt that bad and is a fuss about nothing indie

 

ps and then their is bon fire night too

[bexbex]

Griffin that's awful! How dare they report you to social services! I think a child who gets to experience animals early on in life will know how to treat and respect animals as an adult.

I'm lucky so far with my neighbours as non of them seem phased by the chickens.. although the chickens are on the backgarden and down our street the main bedrooms are at the front of the house so you can't hear them in a morning unless you're in a back room with the window open, even then it's nicer listening to chickens then it is a dog barking or a car alarm going off!

Hope they leave you alone!

Becki

x

[bexbex]

Dixie - When we had problems with out neighbours playing loud music all night (and I mean ALL night) we had to keep a diary and then after they were warned about it and still continued playing music the council came round with sound equipment to measure the noise levels.

I'm sure the chickens will not even register as noise to them.

Let us know what happens

Becki

x

[chelsea]

Try not to worry. I think if/when the council do decide to visit they will find no problem whatsoever. It's serious, nuisance noise they are more bothered about. A few chickens clucking is no more bothersome than a lawnmower, revving motorbike, children playing loudly, dog barking etc.

[Sarahsausage]

I can't believe some people, they're so miserable! I've been lucky with my neighbours, one is almost deaf and the other two are really easy going, one has a dog that barks so I could counteract any complaint! A regular supply of eggs also keeps them happy. I presume your deeds say you can keep chickens so if that's the case hopefully you will have a strong standing. Chickens make lovely noises for goodness sake, occasionally they do make a racket but it doesn't go on for long, no worse than a dog barking. Like others have suggested, canvas what your other neighbours thinks and also keep a record as backing (maybe a nicer neighbour could do the same just so you have even more evidence to back your own recordings?).

 

I really hope things work out in your favour! Let us know what happens.

[emmamakeup]

This is blooming typical of some folk. They wouldn't complain if they heard other sounds ie music, dogs barking, children crying etc etc etc.

 

I really feel for you and to be honest it is my worry that my girls will start to become vocal in their eglu. Lucky for me they are quite good - touch wood but I guess there is time. They do make a racket but not squaking, just them moving about in the eglu.

 

Is there a way of maybe putting food into the eglu with the girls?

[Snowy]

Have the council rung you yet? We had complaints about noise (my son drumming - for 3/4 hour, 2 in the afternoon, once or twice a week) and they rang me. They were very helpful - said they had asked the complainent to keep a diary and just rang to confirm that we were putting precautions in place to reduce the noise levels. As said above, I also kept a diary, of our own noise and anyone elses (the enormous dog next door but one that barks early mornings and late at night for example). Son still drums but we have heard nothing more about it. If you are worried, ring the council. They really are not out to cause trouble and are very helpful.

[debbier]

We've been woken up recently by blackbirds and magpies with much louder calls tthan anything my chooks have done (yet...). I do wonder sometimes whether some people would complain to someone about wild bird calls, if they could.

[Bunnyish]

some people are such a pain!

 

My neighbours haven't said a word, but then I keep a diary of their noise activity as they play music till the early hours on all kinds of days of the week! lucky for me my bf is a police officer so he has been next door a few times to get them to keep the noise down esp when he has to be up at such an early hour for work.

 

When they are out in the garden they are just as noisy with a radio as well, so even if my girls make a noise its kinda tuff really. The noise levels work both ways.

[Dixie]

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply & for the support.

 

We originally had a letter from the council a few weeks ago so I rang them & discussed with helpful EHO who seemed amused about someone complaining about 'clucking'. Agreed with EHO to cover girls at night and try to keep them quiet until 7am. Thought no more about it until I got a phone message last week saying they were still getting complaints and would have to install the monitoring equipment. Original EHO is on holiday but explained our latest move (bringing eglu into conservatory at night) to another EHO who said she would contact 'complainant' to see if that had made a difference. Haven't heard back yet but it is really stressful and spoils the pleasure of listening to the girls 'chatting'. In a way I hope they will do the monitoring and that it proves not to count as a nuisance but I don't know if 'complainant' will back down if this happens. I get really worried every time one of the girls squawks during the daytime, but as everyone has said, this is no different to all the other noise around - barking dogs, a noisy diesel van than starts up at 6am, or the unpleasantness of smoke & smells from next door's barbecue every weekend. We accept all this as a live & let live policy but it seems that other people aren't prepared to do the same.

 

I will take up the tip of making sure the girls are full at bedtime - must get some more mixed corn! Thanks again everyone and will let you know what happens.

[chelsea]

Thanks for the update, no wonder you're stressed you poor thing!

 

I can't really understand why the EHO are even bothering to monitor a few chickens, they clearly have no other genuine nuisance noises to bother about then!

[Charlottechicken]

I fully expect that when they do install monitoring equipment that they will pick up every other noise except your chickens chatting, hope so anyway!

 

I'm waiting for someone to complain about my cockerels, who have been crowing at around 6.30 for the last 8 weeks, on account of me letting them out at that time as I leave for work at just before 7.

 

Amazing that some folk think a couple of minutes of an animal in a non stressed state doing what comes naturally is unbearable noise, yet forcing others to listen to your music/radio/telly other noise of choice for hours on end is OK.

 

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

Oh, and put the Eglu back outside

[emmamakeup]

Amazing that some folk think a couple of minutes of an animal in a non stressed state doing what comes naturally is unbearable noise, yet forcing others to listen to your music/radio/telly other noise of choice for hours on end is OK.

 

This is what I can't understand - how people can simply ignore and accept other forms of noise but not chickens. It's like they are green eyed and just want to cause trouble and make it difficult because they haven't the luxury of having any themselves.

 

Do you have an idea of who it could be?

[cathybc]

Hello Dixie, sorry to hear about your nasty neibours, just wanted to add my support and hope things get sorted.x

[sandyhas3chucks]

does anyone think I could complain to the EO about the flamin fox that calls from my neighbours garden.

The stress this causes me and my girls are in what I hope is fox secure WIR and locked in their Eglus!

Then there is the milkman... I can hear him clattering whilst I am getting the girls up.

Oh and the bin men every week at 5.30,

Some people!

I am sure you will be ok... think it is 7.30 also...though no one has thought to tell the dawn chorus!

[sandyhas3chucks]

I suppose you could put food in the Eglu for morning snacks

[Dixie]

Afternoon all,

 

Still no feedback from EHO but girls are being very quiet today and I am much more relaxed. Luckily hubby or myself will be home every day until September so we can do some 'noise monitoring' ourselves.

 

Still not sure which neighbour it is but have noted that one lot have their windows open all day & night whatever the weather so I guess they are top of the list. Don't want to jump to conclusions though and will probably never know for sure. Did suggest to EHO that complainant should come & speak to us (we are not very scary! ) to see if we can find a solution that suits everyone but doesn't look like that will happen.

 

Off to cheer ourselves up after school watching new Harry Potter!

[emmamakeup]

The neighbours in question probably just want to stir up trouble and rule the roost. I think that some people like that kind of authority. Like you say it would have been more sensible and neighbourly to discuss the matter between you rather than involving the authorities which is totally over the top.

 

I can't wait for the new HP movie - off to see it at the IMAX in Bradford on Friday. I've been waiting for this movie for far too long. Definitely my favourite of all the books. Have a fab time, eat lots of icecream and try to forget about those miserable people