[Mother-Hen]

Hi
I agree with hillfooter, I regularly give my immediate neighbours  1/2doz eggs just to keep them sweet, I have eight rescue girls and they get let out 5.30 before I go milking during the summer and a bit later in the winter. Best not to fall out with neighbours cos they can make your life hell believe me I've been there!

[craig1981]

accomodation wise they have a 6ft by 8 ft blacked out shed for the 10 girls let out into a fenced off 10 ft by 20 ft run with 8 ft head height . i have a feeling its just a case of over sensitive neighbour but until the guy from the council comes with his sound monitor and clip board i will keep the noise down as much as possible but dont fancy my chances of keeping my 3 year old quiet when she let out to see her girls . Im impressed by how helpful the authorities have been with the whole thing and they assured me someone would be with me either tomorrow or thursday .   As for giving neighbours egg i reckon my street would starve without my girls eggs

[Aunt Sally]

Oooo yes Mother-Hen,  it's always bes to make peace not war with neighbours   

[Daisycow]

Hi,
Some councils do things differently, but you will probably find that they dont use a sound level meter in the advice stages. Most of the time they will just listen, as thats how we all hear it (I hope that makes sense!) and offer you advice. Have you tried chatting to your neighbour verbally? To find out if she would be happy with a compromise? At 6am background noise levels are much lower than during the day, so what would normally seem like reasonable behaviour might be quite loud at that time of the morning. 
I have 9 chickens, with neighbours either side and one at the back. Either side love the chickens, and at the back have never spoken to us about the noises they make. Ours are let out at about 6am too. We have two that will not shut up when they lay their egg during the day, but it lasts for about 10 mins max...twice a day thats not too unreasonable, although even I would admit sometimes it is annoying!! You have proactively sought advice from the council, which is a good thing as it shows you are not just ignoring your neighbours issue and carrying on regardless.
I hope that you get the issue sorted 

[Foxy]

Well it is always me up early, my OH works long and gruelling hours so I try to give him as much peace and quiet as possible, particulary the weekends. It would be very hard if he was woken up regulary at 6am on a Sunday morning! The odd time is OK as long as he can catch up and knows its a one-off. So I can to some extent sympathise with your neighbours, if you are tired, stressed cant get enough sleep, life can be a nightmare!

[IMOmimey]

Hmm seems that the only thing you didn't do here was initially get them on side.  I think a little contrition is the best option here.  Don't let it degenerate into a full scale dispute try and be as reasonable as you can and an apology with half a dozen eggs might be the right starting point.  If you start to turn it into a legal issue with petitions and the like anything might happen re a nusiance ruling and the bad feeling you'll generate just isn't worth the stress win or lose.

Notes throug the door are a bit petty but whether you think you are right or wrong try to sort it amicably.

Regards

I'm SO with Hillfooter on this one. Neighbours disputes can escalate into all sorts of trouble, tit-for-tat pettiness, police knocking on your door in response to anonymous complaints, threats and all manner of nastiness.really, you don't want to go there.
Take some eggs, have a grovel apology, offer to be quieter and say you'll let them out at 7am and never before, and ASK them if that would help. I don't let mine out before 7.30-8am, and it has made me a better neighbour.

Its a shame, but we do all have to live together, and I'm always one for a compromise if it stops the aggro.

Good luck

[craig1981]

Im pleased to say after a phone conversation with the council last night i had a visit in time for the 6. 15 am release of the crazy 10 and as expected by myself noise levels are exactly 39% below what they are allowed to be . I will be tested again on friday just to make sure and an average will be taken . The measurement was taken when the girls here me coming aswell and they get a little excited and thats when they are at there loudest in my opinion . Hes given me a website address where i can purchase my own sound meter and at only £18 its not much of an expense and i hope its not seen as a bribe but he also went home with 6 eggs  An official report will be on my doorstep in a few days after friday just to confirm whats been found out . To put things into perspective noise wise the sound from my girls is 18% lower than that from the A road the other side of her house so read into that what you will .

[joyfull]

Craig, I still think you should try to get this neighbour on side just to stop any ill feelings and this escalating into neighbours from hell 

[kitkat]

Thats good news Craig, but i agree with Joyfull, try and keep the peace- if they got other people on side its you and your chooks who would suffer. Some people can stoop very low sometimes, and i always worry about what they would do to my animals once my back was turned

[craig1981]

i agree with you guys in a way and the girls will be let out at 6.45 ish from now on as close to seven as possible however the chap from the council believes the same as me that there only complaining because its chickens so education is the key so i will be nipping round there today to see if they would like to see my set up and let there kids get the mornings eggs however hes with me on this one that if someone out of the blue just says jump you dont automatically say how high and heres some eggs for ya too .

[joyfull]

I agree you are quite within your rights and the council are on your side but like kitkat says people can be very very nasty and stoop really low, just best to make the effort to get them on side - it may stop them moaning or may not but at least then you've taken the moral high ground  Just soooooooooooo pleased that I don't have close neighbours.

[dizzylizzie]

hi, im really pleased that the council have been and confirmed what you already knew ...that the noise want above what it should be!....butdisputes ith neighbours can get out of hand, and can get nasty. i have 1 neighbour over the back of me that hasnt spoken to me about my girls, but tells everyone else that visits her in a very loud voice about the effing chickens...her sons make comments about roast chickens etc etc etc. its really annoying because they make lods of noise, fighting arguing, parties...you know what i mean. Soooo yesterday i called her over the fence and said hi, im sorry for bothering you, only i dont know if youve realised, but we,ve got chickens! i said she probably hadnt heard them as they were quieter than the guinea pigs we used to keep, but would she like to try some lovely fresh eggs.....ha ! she didnt know what to say!... i know its not nice having to be 2 faced...but for the sake of 3rd world war breaking out and the safety of my girls, i will do anything to keep things calm...hope you sort it out soon because these things can get soooo out of hand. take care, lizziex

[Bruced]

Not a lot to add to the above apart from good luck! Neighbour disputes are a real headache...

[craig1981]

well i tried my best . Gave her a visit  and was very polite and told her what i had been told and asked if we could come to some sort of compromise in regards to what time i let the girls out in the mornings and i cant really repeat what she said on here as im assuming expletives are banned . In between all the verbals i just about heart a mentioning of 9 am would f*****g suit me (apologies ) i went onto ask if any particualr reason for that time ie anyone in the house working late and it was about that time the door was slammed in my face .  What next i have no idea .

[nzdunn]

oh dear, she really isnt impressed is she, i dont even think in this situation fresh eggs would do the trick, she seems to hostile to me, i think just keep yourself to yourself, i wouldnt bother her anymore and i wouldnt go round to her house either, put the new time in place for when you let out your girls, you know you have the council on side so theres not much to worry about there if she goes ahead and complains, i would just carry on, she sounds like a grumpy old moo!!!!   Nickyx