pain the """"2 neighbour

[mmd622]

Our neighbour (who is the local pain) has now realised we have chickens and has hit the roof with me this afternoon. He is going to put in a compaint to the county council (Aberdeenshire) for us to get rid of them saying they will encourage vermin to close to his front door and I can not build the run so close to his property. I can not find any regulations on the councils web site about us not having them or the minimum distance to neighbours. Our deeds do not stop us from having chickens. Any one more cluded up on the rules and regulations and will he likely suceed with his complaint.

Thanks

[Two_Sheds]

Our neighbour (who is the local pain) has now realised we have chickens and has hit the roof

How long have you had them? ie, how long have they not been attracting vermin to his front door?

[mmd622]

Had them just over 3 weeks. He sawe me building the coop and run!!

[Nicos]

Hmmm...there may be an objection to 'livestock' but not 'pets'...start calling them 'pets' if you talk to anyone official ...might help!
I'm sure bunnies would also attract the same 'vermin'???...are they allowed in the garden???

[Aberdeenplotter]

if anything, they might get you on building regs. Phone the planning dept and ask. Just ask for some guidance- they like that -in particular whether you need any permissions to put up a chicken coop and give the size of it. Don't say it's already up. Daft Laddie approach usually best

[petal]

does he feed wild birds/ that attracts vermin you know- time to get even with the malicious loser- he has too much time on his hands.

[polo]

Thoughts that popped into my head were around the visit that you may get from local environmental health. If they receive a complaint they may well be obliged to follow it up.

Dont be intimidated, if you haven't broken any laws/deeds then all they will be checking is the set up you have so they can report back to your neighbout that nothing is amiss.

Make sure your feed is stored securely in a metal dustbin or similar. Bring your feed in every night. Keep things tidy and show that you are confident in your animal husbandry and they will find that nothing is wrong.

Hens and their feed can attract vermin - but so can bird feeders and compost heaps but people dont seem to complain in the same way about them.

And smile sweetly at your neighbour when its all done and dusted, maybe offer hime some nice fresh eggs?

[polo]

you type quicker than me Petal!

[Two_Sheds]

Hens and their feed can attract vermin - but so can bird feeders and compost heaps but people dont seem to complain

ditto gulls & foxes. Even worse though, are the people who put their bins out too early and allow the animals get at them, and clubbers who leave their kebabs & chips half-eaten on the street or chucked in my garden

[VirginVegGrower]

Rats are everywhere, including gardens that don't have hens. Does he have a compost bin? If so, counter complaint as it's a vermin attracter!

[bensmum]

friend who lives nr Dyce has has chickens for ages...bit more out in the country than in village but still Aberedeenshire

[veggiechicken]

How many chooks do you have? No cockerels, I presume. I have a neighbour, who objected to the Council about my other neighbour's crowing cockerel - saying that the noise was keeping him awake!. The Environment Officer came up, advised my neighbour to keep the cockerel indoors until early morning, but he could not reveal who had made the complaint. We all knew but had no proof. A week later a letter was delivered to my cockerel-owning neighbour but was meant for the complaining neighbour - his name, wrong address. Without realising, the cockerel neighbour opened the letter which said that the the Environmental Officer had visited, had advised the cockerel owner on how to abate the noise problem and was returning the diaries that had been kept recording the incidents of cock crowing. How we laughed!! Our petty minded neighbour had stayed up all night writing things like "Crowed for 3 minutes at 5.43. Crowed for 2 minutes at 6.17". So he who had tried to remain anonymous had been well and truly shopped by, we thought, a deliberate misaddressing of the letter!
This rambling account is just to reassure you that Environmental Officers live in the real world and are unlikely to rule against you if you are keeping a few hens as pets in your back garden.

[VirginVegGrower]

I hope your friend went and hand delivered it...I would have done and enjoyed the squirming immensely.
I'm naughty like that. My neighbours, the ones I ignore had a bonfire which stank of noxious fumes, when I had washing out. So...when her washing was out on the line I had the mother of all bonfires. I heard her run out cursing...

[veggiechicken]

Yes VVG he did hand deliver it with "apologies" that he had opened it and read the letter but it was sent to him and it was opened before he realised that the name was not his etc etc. And so the cockerel lived out his allotted span, well, until the fox had him.

[VirginVegGrower]

Now that's an almost happy ending...