Vent- neighbor poisoned my chickens! - Page 2

[1stimestar]

Killing other's personal property, animals, is not legal. I'd be talking to the higher ups until you get someone who will take this seriously. Brain tumors that might be affecting his behavior? All the more reason to get on this. What if he thinks your kids are too noisy! I also wouldn't be averse to accidently dropping a few handfuls of nails in his driveway.

[hildare]

is it truly awful that what came to mind was that we defend our property with firearms? that dude could have seriously gotten shot as an intruder, accidentally.

[tayndrewsmama]

Good grief! That is awful. There is no way that was accidental. I would get a camera too. I also would keep calling until someone agrees to do something about it.

[sioleabha]

Originally Posted by confustication

I struggle with how angry I can be at this particular man as he was recently diagnosed with significant brain tumors (the sort people only really develop when they work with nasty chemicals for long periods of time) and I know his time in this world is limited. I also wonder if that has influenced his judgment- so that while these might be things you'd consider when annoyed, he crosses the line to DO them when he otherwise would not have.

This is entirely possible. When we lived in Phoenix, our next door neighbor had a brain tumor and not much time to live, and she was HORRIBLE. She did crazy, erratic things like banging on our door in the middle of the night to scream at us about our dog barking (when he wasn't), saying that someone should throw our then 8-year-old daughter into the trunk of a car and dump her out in the desert (she said this to her own 5-year-old daughter!), and accosting our landlord to claim that we were destroying the house and yard (she'd never been in our house or backyard!!) Her husband told us that she was never like that before the tumor.

While you might feel sorry for your neighbor, realize that if his thinking is really so impaired by the tumor, that means he is not in control and he is DANGEROUS. I totally agree with PP -- what if he decided your kids were annoying him? Or you or your husband? If he doesn't recognize that it's not ok to poison chickens, he may not be capable of recognizing that it's not ok to poison people. So yes, move out of there as soon as you can, but don't give up on pursuing legal means to keep this man away from your home and family in the meantime! Even if all you accomplish is a paper trail to prove that he was a danger should you ever have to defend yourself against him!

Oh, and I'm from Texas. Get a gun!!

[confustication]

I had a chat with the county attorney today about this. She was sympathetic, but also warned me that it would not be likely to go anywhere even if I contacted outside law enforcement. (I trust her, she's a friend, and we kind of survive on the fringes in a very mainstream town.) She is active in animal rescue, and the same man actually used one of the dogs she was rehabilitating to take care of another flock of chickens. He took the dog from her fenced yard and let it loose in another chicken coop in town. He has an irrational chicken vendetta.

It's overwhelmingly frustrating to live where I do, and to know that there really is no support from the police about things like this. To his credit, the Sheriff is pretty good about some things, but others are swept under the rug. Local media is not a viable outlet. The local editor writes what she is directed to write, and only what she is directed to write. She will not cover anything that will ruffle feathers. We have been through four county attorneys in two years- they all leave when they come up against the powers that be and realize that they do as they are told or the position is eliminated. It feels much like a bad Twilight Zone plot.

We can't leave soon enough for my comfort.

[hippiemommaof4]

thats really awful...do you live in the south ?

[mattemma04]

Hopefully you will be able to move soon.I don't recall if there is still a rotten neighbor site,but if there is he should be listed as a neighbor to avoid.Maybe he is nice as long as you have no pets,but I still wouldn't want to live next to him.

That is my fear about moving-getting worse neighbors.

I would keep my hens and other pets in a makeshift coop in our garage if I had a neighbor like him.Unfortunately he would probably throw all kinds of poison pellets in the yard,so your hens would not be safe even with you next to them.

[jeminijad]

I would surely get a gun.

[laohaire]

Yeah, too bad SSS doesn't apply in this situation. Ugh.

[junebugmidwife]

  Formatting this post is super weird, sorry about that.  And sorry about your chickens--that's terrible

I can understand that you want to protect your privacy, but could you share your general location--just so I don't move there by accident?  Thanks!

[Pariah]

That is so, so disgusting...all of it, the poison for the chickens and on your garden. I hope you can move ASAP! :(

[dalia]

I had a really good friend that was in an accident and was brain injured. After that she was a different person, totally unable to control her anger and completely irrational. I would imagine that some types of tumors could be the same. You are a good person for still managing to have compassion for someone who has done this to your chickens.

The real atrocity is the way it is being ignored. If it were me I would not get a gun, though. IMO that's like inviting more violence into your home...

Sorry this has happened.

[sapphire_chan]

Sounds like your neighbors need a visit from the clover fairy.

Y'know, since they like to trespass on your property, could you charge them with voyeurism?

[HerRoyallHighness]

Originally Posted by confustication 
I struggle with how angry I can be at this particular man as he was recently diagnosed with significant brain tumors (the sort people only really develop when they work with nasty chemicals for long periods of time) and I know his time in this world is limited. I also wonder if that has influenced his judgment- so that while these might be things you'd consider when annoyed, he crosses the line to DO them when he otherwise would not have.

That's no excuse! If he's not capable of acting like a decent human being, then he needs to have a caretaker there around the clock.

[livinzoo]

Well Make a looped recording of a longcrower crowing.  Play it load several times a day.  heres one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-CZf0K9e94

[ccgifts]

I've just been reading these posts after my neighbor, very similar situation except my husband is a deputy sheriff and I DO have law enforcement support....anyway...here's what I was told, If he poisons your chickens and they are egg layers, even if they only digested a bit of it, and you EAT the eggs where most of the poison is directed to, it is ATTEMPTED MURDER against YOU!!!  If you were to get sick or actually DIE he is responsible!!!  PLEASE be careful and I'm so so sorry about your babies!!  Mine are pets and are very much beloved by me!!!!  BTW I live in the South!!!

[SweetSilver]

You've just made me feel better about the folks in my good-old-boy town.  I am so sorry your neighbors are so vindictive and crappy.  Yeesh!

[tittipeitto]

I find it hilarious that he is dying of brain tumor caused by the chemically cleanish life he so loves. I opened this thread because in my thoughts about getting chickens, I think of our neighbors, and what they might do. Now they cut all our (and the other side's) tree branches so that their perfect concrete yard is like a square of no life. They make motions to try and rake some laves out of their pretty concrete yard when ever they see me, as if saying "look how your trees are messing our concrete!" I'm thinking of planting a peach tree right next to our fence just to annoy them. I'm sure they would not eat them, since they are not from a store, so they would drop and rot on their concrete.

But after reading your story, I feel lucky, I'm pretty sure my neighbors would move out before killing my chickens, and I realize I should be grateful for the concrete, that saves us from herbicides seeping to our vegetable garden!

Glad you're moving!!

For those scared of accidentally moving to her neighborhood... I'm sure there are many in this country like hers, so, get to know your neighbors before you move in! We knew already at the time of buying that our other neighbors are likeminded, and that the others are not, but that would have been too much to ask we thought then!

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by tittipeitto 

I find it hilarious that he is dying of brain tumor caused by the chemically cleanish life he so loves. >

Honestly I cannot believe you said this. You find the fact that someone has a brain tumor "hilarious"? He may not be the best neighbor but NO ONE deserves to die from a brain tumor.

[tittipeitto]

sorry, you are right. It's totally not the word I should have used. not like I was laughing here about his death. But there's an irony to me that he is still so against natural living (this family having chickens) even though his use of poisons is not helping him much.