My Neighbors Chickens Are in My Yard (This Got Rid of Them!)

If you’re anything like me, then waking up to see my neighbor’s chickens in the yard isn’t really my ideal way to start the day. They’re loud and messy, and they make such a mess in the yard. What can you do in this situation?

The most effective way to keep a neighbor’s chickens out of your yard is to politely speak with your neighbor about the issue. If that doesn’t work, you can put up a fence, netting, or chicken wire to keep them out. Installing motion-activated devices also works well to scare them away.

In this blog post, we’ll cover how you can deal with your neighbor’s chickens invading the yard. We’ll also cover the best way to keep them out in the future so this doesn’t happen again.

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How Do I Keep Neighbors Chickens Out of My Yard?

There are various ways you can keep a neighbor’s chickens out of your yard. Here are the top six ways to keep chickens out of the yard and should allow you to regain control of your yard while keeping the peace.

Speak With Your Neighbor

The first step to keeping the chickens out of your yard is to talk with your neighbor about the situation. Perhaps they haven’t realized their chickens are wandering into your yard and causing a mess.

If your neighbor doesn’t know their chickens are invading your yard, they will probably appreciate you letting them know. Since this is the case, they should be more than willing to come up with a solution to keep the chickens away from your yard.

Put Up a Fence, Netting, or Chicken Wire

If your neighbor isn’t cooperative, then you might want to consider putting up a fence, netting, or chicken wire. This will keep the chickens out of your yard for good.

The best part is that it’s not very expensive and doesn’t take much work to install. Installing one of these should only take about half an hour.

Make sure that the fence you install is high enough to keep them out. Also, ensuring it has a way for you to access the yard easily is important. Otherwise, installing one of these will do little-to-no good.

If you’re worried about how this could affect the aesthetics of your property, don’t be because there are ways to install fences and chicken wire that are barely noticeable.

You might also enjoy our post on Where to Buy Serama Chickens Online

Install Motion-Activated Devices

Installing motion-activated devices will help scare the chickens away from your yard. There are a variety of different kinds you can choose from including sprinklers, lights, and noise machines.

• Garden Enforcer (Best Motion Activated Sprinkler)
• Linkind LED Solar Motion Sensor Landscape Spotlights (Best Motion Activated Lights)

These devices will scare the chickens when they enter your yard. They’re a reliable way to keep them out since it doesn’t rely on you being home to keep them away. Plus, installing them won’t cost much either.

Chickens really hate being wet, so motion-activated sprinklers are a great option to use. Simply place them so the chickens will walk through the spray when they enter your yard.

Get a Dog

Getting a dog is also a great way to keep the chickens out of your yard. The size of your dog doesn’t matter because even small dogs will chase away chickens. A dog will bark and scare them whenever they enter your yard, which means you won’t have to worry about them anymore.

If you already have a dog, then making it known that the chickens are not welcome in the yard will keep them from entering your yard. As soon as the chickens see or hear the dog, they’ll run off and find somewhere else to hang out.

Spray Them With Water

If your neighbor’s chickens are coming into your yard, you might want to consider spraying them with water whenever they do. This is particularly effective if you have kids because it can be fun for them.

You won’t need anything fancy to spray the chickens with water, just use a hose or faucet. The chickens will hate getting wet and will fly away from your yard. You can also make this a daily routine to keep them out of your yard if needed.

It’s important to keep in mind that you don’t need to spray the chickens with water every time they enter your yard. Doing this too much could annoy your neighbor, which is something you want to avoid.

You might also enjoy our post on What Not to Feed Chickens in Your Backyard

Try Using Loud Noises

Chickens are easily startled by loud noises, especially if it comes suddenly. Using this to your advantage will help scare the chickens away from your yard.

One of the best ways to use loud noises to keep them away is by using an air horn. It’s loud enough to startle the chickens and should work every time they enter your yard.

Remember that making loud noises (like banging things together or stomping on the ground), won’t scare them away as it does with most other animals. It isn’t as intense, but it still helps keep chickens out of your yard.

Just remember that the loud noises shouldn’t be so intense that it scares anyone in your house. You don’t want to cause problems with your neighbors, either, since they’re the ones who let their chickens into your yard in the first place.

Sprinkle Spices in Your Yard

There are certain spices that chickens don’t like to be around. For instance, you could sprinkle cayenne pepper or black pepper in your yard. The stronger the spice, the better it will work at keeping them away.

All of these spices have a lingering smell that doesn’t go away quickly. It’ll scare the chickens so they don’t come into your yard anymore.

You’ll need to reapply these spices every few days because it will wear away after time. Once you stop reapplying them, the chickens should stay out of your yard for good.

Can I Shoot My Neighbor’s Chickens?

You cannot shoot your neighbors chicken for any reason whatsoever. This is illegal and against the law in most places. In general, discharging a firearm within city limits is also a crime.

It is a common misconception that you can shoot your neighbor’s chickens. The reality of the situation is much different because shooting their chickens will put you in violation of many laws and regulations.

In addition, it may cause conflict with your neighbors as well as other people who live nearby. Shooting a chicken does not solve any problems, but only creates more issues for yourself and those around you.

The best way to discourage chickens from entering your yard is by using deterrents. Using practical and effective deterrents will not only keep your neighbor’s chickens away, but it won’t cost you anything either.

You might also enjoy our post on Do No Crow Collars Work?

Can I Complain About My Neighbors Chickens?

You have every right to complain about your neighbor’s chickens if they are coming into your yard. They are not supposed to be in your yard, so it is your right to file a complaint against your neighbor.

It’s not uncommon for people to get angry with their neighbors because of problems like this. You could go ahead and complain about the chickens and try to force them to get rid of them, but more than likely, you’ll just end up driving yourself crazy in the process.

Complaining about your neighbor’s chickens does nothing more than anger them while systematically making your life more difficult.

The right thing to do is find ways on how to keep their chickens away from your yard without causing any issues with them or anyone else around you.

Can I Stop My Neighbor Keeping Chickens?

Depending upon your local zoning laws, it may be possible to stop your neighbor from keeping chickens altogether. You can file a petition and try to get them removed because they are annoying and possibly breaking nuisance laws.

Before filing a petition to remove the chickens, be sure that your local zoning laws allow for such removal. If you file a petition and it is ignored by the government, then you’ll need to find another way of dealing with the issue in a legal manner.

You shouldn’t go ahead and try to take matters into your own hands in an attempt to keep the chickens away. The only thing you’ll accomplish is landing yourself in jail for trespassing and other related offenses.

If you’re serious about getting rid of the chickens, your best option is to hire a lawyer who can help you take care of the problem in a legal way.

You might also enjoy our post on What to Do if Your Neighbors Rooster Won’t Shut Up

Will a Fake Owl Keep Chickens Away?

Most fake owls do not work to keep chickens away. You’ll need to use a mechanical owl that moves in order to make the chickens believe it’s a real owl.

Fake owls are often said to keep chickens away because chickens are afraid of them. While it is true that chickens are afraid of owls, it isn’t necessarily the case that this will keep the chickens away for good.

Chickens are incredibly smart creatures and will quickly become aware that the owl is fake. After a while, they will completely ignore the fake owl and go on with their business.

If you’re going to go the fake owl route, you’ll want to choose a mechanical owl. Since these owls move, it will consistently work to scare away chickens from coming near your yard.

We personally recommend the Dalen Gardeneer Enemy Owl Scarecrow. It’s solar-powered and the owl’s head moves every few minutes based upon the amount of Sonar energy it has stored.

Can Animal Control Take My Neighbor’s Chickens?

Your neighbor’s chickens can be removed by animal control only if they are a nuisance to the community. If your neighbor’s chickens aren’t causing trouble and simply wandering into your yard, you cannot demand animal control take them away from them.

If you’d like the chickens gone, then you’ll need to find another way of discouraging them from coming onto your property.

Animal control will not help you if the chickens aren’t causing trouble anywhere else in the neighborhood. You can call them and ask, but they won’t be able to take care of the issue unless you have a very good reason for wanting the animals removed.

You might also enjoy our post on What Happens When You Call Animal Control on a Neighbor

My Dog Killed Neighbors Chicken in My Yard

If your dog kills another neighbor’s chickens in your yard, you’ll be held responsible for the situation. It’s possible to get insurance that covers damage caused by dogs killing other animals, but more often than not, it’s considered the responsibility of the owner to tend to any issues that arise with their pets.

Generally speaking, if your dog was able to kill a chicken from next door in your yard, then there is no way of proving it wasn’t on your property with you.

If you were outside with the dog and it happened to escape from the yard and go into the neighbor’s yard killing a chicken, then that’s on you. You’ll have to pay the price of replacing that chicken as well as paying a fine if one is issued by the local government.

In order to avoid any issues from arising, make sure you have a secure fence and that your dog is not allowed to wander about unsupervised. It can be walking on a leash and even then it might cause problems if it sees another animal in your yard as prey.

I Hate My Neighbors Chickens

If you don’t like your neighbor’s chickens, the best thing to do is consult with them about it. You might be able to come to some sort of agreement where they keep the chickens caged up during certain times of day or night just so they’re not in your yard.

As mentioned earlier, if the chickens aren’t causing trouble then you can’t demand that they be removed. If the chickens come onto your property during the day, chances are they’re simply looking for food and would leave if there were no freebies available to them.

Final Thoughts

Chickens can be a nuisance to your property, but luckily there are ways you can discourage them from coming onto your property. The best way is to consult with the owner of the chickens and see if they’re open to any agreements that would keep their animals off of your lawn.

If this isn’t an option or doesn’t work for you, other options include using fake owls (which don’t always work), installing chicken-proof fencing around your yard, or planting some coarser plants like rose bushes in areas where chickens often come into contact with it.

You’ll also want to make sure that when walking outside with dogs while not on a leash that they remain inside your own property lines at all times. This will help prevent them from wandering over to your neighbor’s yard and possibly become their next meal.