4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Fourbecameeight]

We have always got on with our neighbours and checked with them before getting chickens and checked before we built the WIR which is next to their fence. All fine and they have been pleased with the eggs. Yesterday she came round and said she had a serious problem with our chickens and we had to move them.

 

She said the noise is fine, she gets the occasional whiff of smell (nothing I can do about that i do keep them as clean as i can) but she thinks they are affecting her asthma. She basically said she is worried her asthma is so bad she will get swine flu and die.

 

I don’t want to move the WIR because it would cost money and time both of which we don’t have. Also we have spent a lot of time getting the garden how we want it and the WIR is in the ideal spot of us and we did check with her before it was built.

 

I am going to send OH round today because I am just too upset. Is it unreasonable to ask for her to have an allergy test to see if the chickens are the problem before we take drastic measures? I have also thought I could change from straw (another allergy) to paper in the nest box and add some extra height to the fence and see if that makes a difference.

 

She said she is allergic to most animals and is round her daughters a lot who has rabbits and dogs so I am not sure it is my chickens. The WIR is behind two big trees with only a small amount of fence that the ‘chicken dust ‘ could travel over.

 

Sorry for the long rant but I am very upset, I don’t want her to be ill.

 

Any advice welcome

[Redwing]

People just have to accept that their neighbours and friends will have pets, its part of life!

 

Would they suggest you got rid of a dog?!

 

To meet your neighbour half way could you clad the back and maybe also the sides of the run? if it has a clear roof there will be plenty of light coming through that would just leave the side facing in to your garden (I assume, depending on where it faces) free and open

 

If you don't want to clad the back you could use clear tarpaulins from somewhere like Tarpaflex

 

Also someone posted a couple fo days ago to say that the weather was causing asthma suffers problems at the moment so it might not be the chickens

 

Suggest to the neighbour that if you move the chickens they will be then facing directly at their garden with no close fence in the way as a buffer (does that make sense?) so you are better adapting your run where it is rather than moving it (not sure if thats true but it sounds good!)

[C&T]

Your neighbours request does sound unreasonable - and as for Asthma leading to Swine Flu leading to death - well I'm not doctor, but sounds a bit far fetched...??

 

The fact she is spending a lot of time with furry animals I would have thought have been worse for her - but I guess different people have different triggers...

 

I think your suggestions of offering to raise the fence, and changing the bedding material are very reasonable, and would demonstrate you are trying to meet her half way, should she start to get difficult about it all in the future.

 

If she persists, maybe point out the cost of moving it and asking her to pay for it, seeing as it was built in the current location with her blessing!

[Fourbecameeight]

Thanks for the advice

 

The run is already clad on two sides (the two facing her) with thick clearish plastic because the wind comes down the side of the house. The two open sides face us. The WIR is also sat on three courses of brick to keep the bedding in.

 

Another thought is she puts lots of food out for wild birds and we do have a lot of pigeons. Could they be the problem?

 

I do feel we are just the easy option to blame.

[Egluntyne]

Her reasoning isn't very sound.

 

I wouldn't move them based on this.

 

She is more likely to be having problems because of her daughter's pets than your chickens, with whom she doesn't actually come into contact.

 

I doubt she could make this stand up in court so to speak.

 

She is more likely to get swine flu by being coughed on by a stranger on a bus......or at the doctors surgery.

[sjp]

Her reasoning isn't very sound.

 

I wouldn't move them based on this.

 

She is more likely to be having problems because of her daughter's pets than your chickens, with whom she doesn't actually come into contact.

 

I doubt she could make this stand up in court so to speak.

 

She is more likely to get swine flu by being coughed on by a stranger on a bus......or at the doctors surgery.

 

that's what I was thinking but couldn't find the right words so i didn't end up in court for Libel

my brother has asthma which is affected by cats but only if he handles them or he is indoors were there is a/or has been a cat

[sgregson]

My stepmum and a couple of my sisters suffer from asthma, quite badly sometimes, and they have the same problems with fur and feathers! However, this is only when they are in a confined space, ie in your house. I've never heard any of my family complain that the chickens are making them asthamatic and they come round for frequent bbqs with the chickens roaming around the garden.

 

It sounds to me that she's probably using it as an excuse for you to move the run! A difficult situation by the sounds of it, but what she's saying I find quite unbelievable.

 

Hope you manage to sort it out with your neighbours.

[Janty]

My son has asthma and yes he is mildly affected by the chickens but he gets on with it. Small furry animals affect him far worse and he's always snuggling next door's guineas and rabbits.

 

This sounds unreasonable to me as well.

 

Hope you manage to get things sorted without it causing your family too much stress.

 

Jan

[Egluntyne]

I have asthma and can't sleep on a feather pillow, but the chickens have never affected me.

[Lydia]

Yep same here. I too have asthma and have never been affected by outdoor pets. Also, for the record, she is is at no more risk of getting Swine Flu just because she has asthma, bad or otherwise.

 

The only time my indoor animals (2 cats and a gerbil) affect my asthma is when I've been away from them for an extended length of time - say on holiday or away with work for a few days perhaps. I would think she would be more affected by her daughter's animals because she does not live with them all the time.

 

Alternatively this muggy, damp weather also affects me sometimes. Much more likely that is a trigger for her than your chickens that she neither touches or is in a confined space with.

[legend21]

Same here I am allergic to everything dust, cats, horses, dogs, but I have not been affected at all by the chickens or cleaning the run and the poo trays. I would ask my neighbour to work with you and firstly try her daughters rabbits, point our the fact would she want you to put down your dog and that the chickens are your pets, whatever you do try not to fall out with them as you have to live there.

 

Fingers crossed she sees sense although someone who thinks they can catch swine flu from chicken does possess much sense.

 

good luck

 

Jackie

[Guest]

Hi

 

I think your neighbour is actually being unreasonable and I wouldnt even bother going to see her.

 

If she feeds the wild birds and has other furry animals I think she is having a laugh. If you live in rural area the fields are being combined etc so more dust around and also as for swine flu...no one told us about that yet and the link with chickens!

 

Just keep them nice and clean and she really cant complain.

 

Ignore her and certainly dont move your run

 

indie

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I can't see how your chickens are affecting her asthma unless she's actually handling them . (Although I have no experience of asthma so may be wrong!)

 

I think you sound like you've taken reasonable precautions already and if you change the bedding too, I don't think you should be expected to do anything more.

 

She's definitely being unreasonable .

 

(You should hand her one of those white facemasks next time you see her .)

[Patricia W]

Maybe she is just disproportionately worried that her asthma makes her more vulnerable to swine flu complications. Sometimes, people get so anxious they begin to obsess, often without reason. Sounds like this is what she has done with the chickens.

 

If she has been reasonable up to now, then it may be worth sitting down with her and listening to her fears. I'd suggest she did get an allergy test, or talk to her doctor at least. I'm sure the doctor won't point the finger at the chickens if she has other animals.

She may even be thinking that having chickens nearby make getting swine flu more likely - people do get strange ideas sometimes. The doctor could put her fears at rest.

 

I'd go softly softly first - disputes with neighbours are so draining. As the others say, it is unreasonable to ask you to move the hens just because of a suspicion she has.

 

Hope you solve it.

 

Tricia

[Patricia W]

I've just read the post by JoanFrizzle who thinks she is allergic to something to do with her chickens, but is sensibly seeing if it's the type of bedding etc. Could this be an avenue to explore with your neighbour?

[Fourbecameeight]

My OH has just spent two hours with neighbours!

 

She is adamant it is the chickens causing all her troubles.

 

My OH has agreed to move the sealed feed bins away from the fence and change to shredded paper in the nest box and extend the height of the small amount of exposed fence with plastic.

 

Her husband thinks it’s all in her mind and she is making more of it then there is and was mostly on our side.

 

Any other measures will have to wait until she gets an allergy test to confirm it is the chickens. She wants a list of all the chemicals i use with the chickens to take with her.

 

I feel this could go on for a long time. She is used to getting her own way.

[Chucky Mama]

Thanks for the advice

 

The run is already clad on two sides (the two facing her) with thick clearish plastic because the wind comes down the side of the house. The two open sides face us. The WIR is also sat on three courses of brick to keep the bedding in.

 

Another thought is she puts lots of food out for wild birds and we do have a lot of pigeons. Could they be the problem?

 

I do feel we are just the easy option to blame.

 

I was going to suggest that you clad the sides nearest her but you are already doing that and the bedding doesn't sound as if it is spreading all ove the place. The fact that she is feeding the wild birds doesn't add up either. I am afraid that she sounds as if she has gone a bit loopy. Unfortunately it is impossilble to have a sensible discussion with someone who is patently acting irrationally. I would guess that like many other asthma sufferers she is having a bit of a flare up and is scratching around for something/someone to blame. She is far more at risk of catching a cold and then swine flu going to the supermarket to do her shopping that she is with your chickens living next door!! I would be very sympathetic to her worries but would if she is worried about swine flu suggest that she speaks to her GP. Her worries are medical they are nothing to do with you. What would she do if you had children with swine flu, ask you to move them? It may be worth checking that you are allowed to keep chickens in your local deeds just to make sure that she can't report you for any wrongdoing. Poor you, good luck!

[Fourbecameeight]

We checked with both the council and environment health people before getting chickens because we expected trouble from the other side. But she loves the chickens strangely because she doesn’t even like the children playing in the garden!

[kevtheplumber]

This might sound harsh but I would seriously go and tell her where she can stick her asthma, like someone else mentioned, would she complain if it was a dog? let her take it as far as she wants, there is no way I would move a wir for such a pathetic excuse, seriously dont worry about it and if she carry's on its up to you but I would tell her where to go, especially as her husband has basically backed you

[sjp]

My . She wants a list of all the chemicals i use with the chickens to take with her.

why? as other have said tell her to take a running jump

these sort of topics are why I used the if they don't ask don't tell approach with my Neighbours I'd had my girls 4 months and the one side only found out when i mentioned the very loud clucking big red had done the day the 3 youngsters came home

just had a thourght sredded paper can be dusty easibed might be better it wood chips

[Egluntyne]

This is beyond reasonable. I would ignore her demands.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

She wants a list of all the chemicals i use with the chickens to take with her.

 

Surely a list of the chemicals she has in her own house would be more relevant . She's sounding irrational rather than just unreasonable now .

[Fourbecameeight]

I have written a list but its all normal stuff

 

The only ones I think she will concerned about are the Stalosan F and Virkon but they are both DEFRA approved disinfectants and what am I supposed to be using?

 

The list does cover an A4 sheet of paper as I have added what the disinfectants are active against and a bit about the Aubiose bedding I have even put on petroleum jelly for their combs.

[C&T]

You are a better person then I am

 

Be careful you aren't giving her amunition to use against you.

 

Hope her husband helps talk her round.

 

It really isn't fair to be putting all this pressure on you!!

[quickcluck]

You are being toooooooooooooooo helpful!!!! YOu are hardly going to use anything toxic on your chooks!

 

As said she should look at what she uses at home first...... It's asthma season, she's bound to be a bit worse than normal, but it will pass!

 

I really feel for you...