Electricbarbarella Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 So I am expecting a call from the Rspca anytime now as my neighbour has just been round to yell at me about the mud in the chicken run. We have previously tried aubiose, woodchip and gravel, none of which worked and the mud returns within days. Anyway they have a high perch and a high house, the whole run is covered over but the inside is muddy (what with it being the middle of winter and all). Is there anything I can do she was very threatening. Just for background this isnt the first time she has been like this, she called the rspca becasue the broody hen I borrowed off our lovely eglutine was not moving, last year she layed into me about one of my chickens (who was malting) being bald. What I really want to know is will the rspca come and will they do anything, essentially am I doing anything wrong? Therer are 6 hens in a cube with 3 mtr extensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I'd have a word with the police. This nosey old bag is harassing you and she needs a warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) What a lovely neighbour you have , if she had a concern then why not come and have a nice chat with you and explain her concerns and give you a chance to reassure her, they don't have to be aggressive....in a way it's nice she is concerned about animals but she doesn't have to be rude!! If your run is water logged as I imagine a lot of runs are at the moment, have you tried an old wooden pallet, you see them all over the place, it would give them somewhere to stand off the mud? Hahaha nosey old bag......hysterical Edited February 7, 2014 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electricbarbarella Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 they have a pile of logs in the run and a broom handle across so plenty of place to get out of it. I hope she doesnt actually eat eggs if she thinks my hens are badly looked after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 they have a pile of logs in the run and a broom handle across so plenty of place to get out of it. I hope she doesnt actually eat eggs if she thinks my hens are badly looked after. Ah in that case flip her a two fingered salute.....and as for the RSPCA....don't get me started!!!!! Suffice to say my direct debit has been cancelled!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 What's it got to do with her? Are your hens trailing their mud into her house? No, so it's nothing to do with her . Silly old boot . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I think the RSPCA are obliged to check out 'complaints' but I'm sure they'll soon see your chickens are well looked after with room to get out of the mud and wet. On the plus side, if you can, try and remind yourself that it is good that the RSPCA exist to look into animals' and birds' well being as there are plenty that are not well cared for. On the other hand, when their resources are stretched and as they are a charity it is terrible of your neighbour to be wasting those resources and I'd be inclined to tell her so (after the RSPCA had been and confirmed all is well). One thing, they will have to report back to your neighbour that they think there is no reason for concern, so in a way she will get the 2 fingers. Many years ago I had someone report me to the RSPCA for walking my standard sized daxy dog where there was mud as, and I quote "it is cruel to let him get mud on his privates" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I'd love to know if she has any ideas for combatting the mud - if so can she share this with the rest of us because my girls' run is filthy muddy too Last year it was so bad I had to do exactly as gavclojak suggested and put pallets down in the run to create mud free islands. We were also s"Ooops, word censored!"ing wheelbarrow loads of liquid mud out of the run on a regular basis There is nothing you can put down in the run to avoid the mud completely. It sounds to me like your set up is just fine and the nosey old bat should keep her beak out of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acw295 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I've not had to deal with the RSPCA with chickens but I have with horses. Nosey ignorant people will complain for no reason, and the RSPCA will usually come out and have a look. That is if they are actually called and it is not an idle threat I have found the inspectors to be genrally very understanding and unless any animal is in a very bad state and the housing etc completely unsuitable then they will go away happy and tell your neighbour to bog off politely. No inspector is going to be worried about mud, if they are well fed and watered, healthy and with shelter and basic needs met then that is all the law requires. Best thing is to not to rise to it and welcome any RSPCA person that does come with open arms. That will irritate said neighbour far more than getting angry or upset Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Ah once upon a time I had a neighbour like this. She was of the opinion that I neglected my cats She regularly came round to complain if she found any of my cats outside - even if they were in my own garden. Apparently this constituted abuse. She complained that I never fed the animals (all of which looked somewhat on the portly side of what is considered healthy these days). Her evidence for this was that when she offered them tinned salmon they wolfed it down! Ironically at the time, I was chair of an animal rescue charity. She reported me to me and my team many times. Eventually the RSPCA came round. They were less sympathetic to me than I expected. The inspector was very aggressive and seemed to think I must be doing something wrong. He noted that the litter tray needed changing (it did - often does when you have half a dozen cats) and his report said the house seemed generally untidy (the cats have never complained about my domestic disarray....) I offer you all this to reassure you that you are not alone in having an idiot neighbour. As has been said, I think the RSPCA have a duty to investigate, if she makes a formal complaint, but that really seems to depend on who takes the call and whether they have any skills in ascertaining whether there is a real problem. My whole garden is mud (thanks chooks!) never mind just the chicken run. Bits of it are under an inch of water that hasn't budged for weeks. It's just a swamp. I've put logs in one run and half a pallet in the other so they have somewhere relatively unmuddy to perch/hang out. Hopefully if it does come to an inspection you will get a sensible person who knows that many people are finding the current conditions difficult - including farmers who have the same problem on a massive scale to contend with. At worst you would get 'advice' and a return visit, but I can't imagine it would come to that. Sadly I have no words of wisdom for idiot neighbour problems. I moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I am glad some if you have had positive RSPCA experiences. I unfortunately haven't ...I have called them three times. Once to an injured squirrel who had been shot in the back by an air rifle and ended up in my garden...when I called they didn't want to know....I had to pay for my vet to open the surgery and have the said squirrel PTS...strike 1 Second call was when something got stuck in my drainpipe....again not interested and whatever was there died:( strike 2 Last time was two weeks ago when my mums neighbour was evicted and left her cat behind....my mum has been feeding ever since, they said they don't come out and rehome cats, they said he will eventually turn feral...strike 3 My son called them out several months ago as he and his mates found a poor cat impaled on some railings and they again didn't have an officer available to come out so my some called the fire brigade?? They called an emergency vet and the poor cat was PTS..... My monthly direct debit was cancelled to the benefit of the Brooke (donkeys) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 We had a problem in our village. A woman around the corner suddenly acquired a pony and was keeping it in her front garden and it had to share a shed with geese. No grass just mud and nowhere for it to run. 3 of us individually called the RSPCA and were told - they didnt think there was a problem and could we keep going round and checking the pony. If it started to look thin - let them know! I lost faith in them after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoachedPlease Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Newcountry, you should have said it was a sick fox...the RSPCA spend £100,000s on that particular creature!, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Where do some people get off. I mean half the countries flooded and they are moaning about a bit of mud. Hello - hens have walked around in mud for years. My run was cleaned 3 weeks back and desparatley needs doing but I've been ill so it will wait. They have food water and some place to perch. Had to giggle at cat story - my 3 would leave home for a tin of salmon. Why dont these people find something else to do. I was terrorised by an RSPCA volunteer after we got our 2 cats. She rang me to ask if she could come round - I said no as we had been okayed by another volunteer who is a friend and knows us well and we were house moving. She wanted to know if we would be by a main road (we would but I ddint let on) and went mad when I told her my kids were young. She asked if the kids dragged the cats round by their legs I told her the kids loved them and if they did they would be severely punished (kids not cats). She reduced me to tears. OH rang the RSPCA and said if she darkened our door we would call the police. I think she was bonkers. Another friend got a neutered female from them and some weeks later the cat got a "periodlike dicharge" - she had a womb infection and hadnt been neutered at all. Luckily she hadnt been discovered by any rampant toms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Should see my 2 roofed walk in runs..... Despite a thorough clean out last weekend and a brand new layer of hemcore, the winds and vertical rain have resulted in very manky looking runs. Mine too have several perches and mezzanine levels, but I still feel guilty. The winds are too severe to clean them out again this weekend, and working full time they will have to wait until next weekend. Your neighbour should just keep her nose out, and if she wants to complain about poultry conditions should get herself off to a battery farm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyhole kate Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I do feel for you I think your neighbour sounds a bit special and probably means well in her own barmy way I'm sure the RSPCA won't think anything of your conditions even if they do pay a visit given the dreadful weather everyone is experiencing at the moment what they will find are animals that are well fed and are in good condition and that have more than adequate housing and that are being cared for despite the challenging weather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 No doubt your neighbour has also phoned the RSPCA about those wicked people keeping cattle on wet pastures in Somerset ... as posted elsewhere, my run is so wet that I've had to put pallets down for the hens to stand on. I've never known it like this. I should think the RSPCA have other things to worry about in the current weather, and if they see healthy hens in clean (but wet) conditions they will not be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Haha Poachedplease - know what you mean. I think the RSPCA seem to have a strange outlook these days. I thought they supposedly wanted to uphold the welfare of all animals - not too sure any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Someone has posted a link on FB - just up the road from here: "This pony died On Tuesday; PTS by RSPCA as it was too weak to stand. It is still there in full view of local residents & passers by. There are 14 other ponies in the field; all thin & neglected with little or no food & no shelter from the weather. This is the 2nd pony to die in this field in a month yet nothing is being done despite numerous calls to RSPCA, police, council, environmental health!! How can this be allowed in this day & age??? In Yateley Hampshire." So far the Council has responded to the posting. Someone else said it was incredulous that the RSPCA say they can do nothing because it's private land - they also think that if the TV cameras were there then they'd be quick to sort it out! So I think your chooks are safe enough - send your interfering ratbag over here if she wants to get on her high horse (oops pun not intended) and rant about maltreatment of animals! I gather the locals are clubbing together to take hay down to the poor animals. Meanwhile the owner is where???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I wonder if she really is concerned about the welfare of the animals or whether there is another underlyig reason for her behaviour which manifests itself in her being concerned about how your chooks are? I suspect that she may not be happy with you keeping chickens at all (concern about smell, rats, salmonella, bird flu,etc etc). She can't object on those grounds, so she's going down the "ou're ot keeping them properly" route. She may not even be aware of this herself. You have my sympathies. We've had nightmare neighbours in the past (although never over the Girls) and it's very, very wearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 She is an interfering old biddy. I have been to Electricbarbarella's house, and have seen the set up, which is faultless. The trouble is, this old bat has right of access through E's garden. She should stick to the path, but thinks she is at liberty to wander at will, and has meddled outrageously with the hens numerous times. I don't know how E has been so patient, as this has been going on for several years. It is harrassment, pure and simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 That's really nice that she has your support Egluntyne, some people just delight in making others life a misery....tragic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Electric fence alongside the path to help her keep to the straight and narrow and not wander at will? Needed to keep the hens in, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimnpaula Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Electric fence alongside the path to help her keep to the straight and narrow and not wander at will? Needed to keep the hens in, of course. I was thinking of suggesting exactly the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Brilliant idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
