Neighbor using strobe lights at coop at 5 every morning... remodel fix ideas?

[SandyRiverChick]

You would love being my neighbor then. I have 20 roosters, mostly bantams, and they love crowing back and forth to each other, beginning most mornings around 4:00 AM.

lol. You are precisely why the first point on my check list to realtor was no neighbors, no HOA, min 5 acres. Unenjoyment of inconsiderate neighbors is not an option for me....

 

[Chicken Heel]

lol. You are precisely why the first point on my check list to realtor was no neighbors, no HOA, min 5 acres. Unenjoyment of inconsiderate neighbors is not an option for me....

Understood. Actually, I have a neighbor that has two Chi-Heeler dogs whose incessant barking is much more irritating than any roosters crowing in my opinion. After they moved in, the man told me the dogs wouldn't bite a biscuit which led me to reply, "But they sure as hell would bark at one though".

 

[Bawkbok]

First and foremost - I've read O.P. and most replies - sorry to hear you're having to go through this situation. So you are now spending your time and money in attempt to correct someone else's bad behavior. Obviously not knowing all the facts here, I do mean to alarm you. As you well know you are not dealing with a stable, sound minded individual. Any ongoing escalating negative situation has little probability of ending peacefully moving through the court system. And now that the law is involved that adds a whole other dynamic to the situation. He may at some time decide that you are now personally attacking him for no good reason at all. He is obviously not deterred by law enforcement so you should take that deadly seriously. His efforts at getting YOU to OBEY HIM are not working as he had planned so he may decide to up his game and change targets/tactics. I'd do everything I could to ascertain if Jack Ass has access to firearms. If so, at even the slightest hint of a personal threat (and I believe you are already there), I'd immediately relay my personal safety concerns to local PD and the County Sheriff's Office. It's now not about noise/harassment complaint, it's about you and your loved ones personal safety. They are called Red Flag Laws in our state which means authorities can at least temporarily remove those from the situation at a minimum until the situation can be resolved. This is something not to be taken lightly. Think about it for a moment - he is acting abnormally at a time when most people are sleeping and is not the least bit deterred by law enforcement and court system. My head would be on a swivel when outdoors.
Another option could be find out if he actually owns his home or is renting. If he's renting that could open up some positive possibilities.
Here's how I'd handle the situation your experiencing - if the lights and sounds are not harming my rooster, other then him crowing early, and the hens are still laying as usual, I would not spend one dime on attempting to negate this awipes behavior. I would go to all my surrounding neighbors and fill them in on the situation with the Jack Ass's behavior from across the street. Some will probably react positively to being informed and some not so much and some might be unaware my rooster was up early, but I would not know until I asked. Some may have already been BULLIED by this guy. And who knows you may find an ally or at least how that situation resolved itself. Based on what conversations I had with my other neighbors I could a) just let my rooster crow regardless of Jack Ass's behavior. b) And if my guy's predawn crowing was bother other neighbors who really didn't want say anything, I'd probably setup a spot for him in my garage to sleep at night then put him out with the girls in the AM. That way I wouldn't be spending money. And then when I would see this person I'd definitely not say a word, just smile and wave. It's like pouring boiling oil on their heads.

This is excellent insight and strong advice. Reading through this thread, I was also getting to the point of concern for personal safety and possibly just ignoring the problem as best as possible and letting the rooster crow until the legal process plays out. The other neighbors' support is crucial.

What is wrong with people? (rhetorical)

 

[Bawkbok]

lol. You are precisely why the first point on my check list to realtor was no neighbors, no HOA, min 5 acres. Unenjoyment of inconsiderate neighbors is not an option for me....

We all wish we could live in the country away from people, but many of us don't have that option or flexibility, so we have to contend with other people living far too close. For those of us that are stuck in an urban / city environment, these issues are real and very scary. Moving is not always a financially viable option and really, why should it have to be? I agree with you - this is a classic example of why NOT to have neighbors close by. I'm happy for you that you enjoy the country life.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

We all wish we could live in the country away from people, but many of us don't have that option or flexibility, so we have to contend with other people living far too close. For those of us that are stuck in an urban / city environment, these issues are real and very scary. Moving is not always a financially viable option and really, why should it have to be? I agree with you - this is a classic example of why NOT to have neighbors close by. I'm happy for you that you enjoy the country life.

It's like I said, I knew that considering just not having a Rooster with close neighbors would not be well received but I'm not saying that everyone has to have alot of money to live without neighbor's, it's about priorities. You can live in a less fancy home yet it's on land for the same cost as nicer home on no land, etc. etc. Everyone has a different set of values and priorities and some squares just dont fit in circles no matter how much you want them to. Roosters in the city is problematic for a reason. Not necessarily this thread, but I've seen many threads where people really want to make their tiny lot into a farm and resent all of the issues that living via HOA and close neighbors bring to that choice....

 

[Bawkbok]

The county where we live has a "no rooster" restriction, although we hear them occasionally when out at 5 am with the dog, just a few blocks away as sound travels. I love hearing the sound personally; it doesn't bother me at all. in fact, it should help our hens lay if they can hear it. So despite people living where they may not be allowed doesn't deter some from doing what's "illegal". For people or neighbors who don't like to hear chickens in general (we have one of those), my question to them is ---- "do you cook with or eat eggs?"
I don't understand why people can't just live and let live and mind their own business.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I don't understand why people can't just live and let live and mind their own business.

So, I too share this philosophy. But, you don't know everyone's story. It might not be this simple. My adult daughter has a circadian rhythm disorder where sleep is not normal and often daytime. If she lives in an area where Roosters are not allowed (she does, HOA,) but everyone is minding their own business with Roosters crowing all day, should she have to move from place to place seeking quiet? This is why I stand by that if you don't benefit from rules, then don't live there because some people have real reasons why they chose to live there.

 

[Bawkbok]

which is why we don't have a rooster and stay under the legal limit for hens.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

The U.S. Supreme Court has ... ruled that police have no specific obligation to protect.

https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/do-the-police-have-an-obligation-to-protect-you/

The Supreme Court has actually made this ruling multiple times. If I recall correctly, one of the cases involved the police watch a woman become the victim of felony assault and they did absolutely nothing. She sued the police department, it went all the way to the Supreme Court and they ruled that the police have zero obligation to protect citizens

 

[Donna-NC]

I recently went through a similar situation.
We live in NC and earlier this summer it was HOT and wet - not conducive to mowing lawns right? So the grass on the front lawn got a tad high (as did a few of our neighbors). Well this moron who lives across the cul-d-sac and who obviously has NO life other than being a jerk was having a bit of a tiff with another neighbor and called the town/city about their lawn being 'unkempt'. He stupidly didn't care if that made the city send letters to everyone on the street to mow/care for their property by the end of a certain timeframe or they'd face fines and so on. Well I got one of those letters and boy-howdy was my husband peeved off about it. He did not enjoy having to go out to mow in 95+ degrees and frankly I didn't blame him. What did we do about it? Fate gave me revenge and a way to keep the jerk from doing more stupid moves - some people moved out of one of the houses and I happened to be taking trash out one night shortly after they moved and saw the jerk peeking into the windows of the house. I intercepted him on his way back to his house (2 doors away) and told him that I got photos of him 'peeping' into house and I was going to report him to the police. He started flipping out. I didn't care, I called 911 right then and there. Cops came, I filed a report and told him the next time I saw him I said "Good neighbors mind their own business. Adopt that habit and it won't happen again."
He bothers no one now. Revenge is sweet.

It's not the same as what you're going through but perhaps it might be time to make notes about what HE does when not harassing your chickens....