Small issue with my neighbour…

[TakesTheCake]

Our garden is slightly higher than our neighbour’s garden, and we share a fence with a kind of rut/dip underneath it. Half of my garden is lawn but the nearest portion is patio.

We have free ranging chickens and once a week I wash down the patio with the hose and a broom because of the chicken poo. Any bits go into the rut underneath but depending on how long I spend doing it, some water inevitably builds up in the rut and runs onto the neighbour’s path, alongside the fence.

We are on OK terms with the neighbour, though it’s an odd arrangement where our houses are on different streets so I actually have never seen the front of their house and am not sure where it is. We have chatted over the fence, though, and it’s always been friendly enough.

Yesterday I washed down the patio, and the neighbour was in her garden. It was clearly long enough to overspill onto her path as she yelled out that the water was coming onto her path. I apologised and immediately stopped, moving onto the portion of our patio where the water runs into our own flower bed and lawn. However she then yelled again (quite angrily) and said it was still running through. This could not have been additional water as I had moved past that point by then. She said to look over the fence and I did, and what I consider a small amount of water was wetting her path. Clear water not muddy or pooey water. I explained that I really had stopped cleaning that area as soon as she called the first time, and all run-off was now going onto our flower bed and lawn. It must have been just still dribbling through from before. She stomped off into the house angrily while I was standing there.

I’m really dismayed as I hate having any issues with the neighbours or bothering anyone. I feel like it’s just water and I’m not sure what the big deal is but now questioning myself. Should I stop ever using water on the back portion of our patio? We pressure clean it once a year too, and it’s completely unavoidable to stop the water going onto the neighbour’s path. I can try to avoid using water on that segment of the patio that butts right up against the shared fence, or do it as little as possible, but it’s not possible to avoid it altogether.

I want to hang a bag with box of our chickens’ eggs from a fence post so it’s on their side of the fence, with a note to say sorry, but not sure how to word it. “I’m sorry about the water but I don’t get what the big deal is” obviously isn’t an option, but “I’m sorry about the water and I’ll never do it again” isn’t a promise I can keep. I don’t know if the tiny gap at the bottom of the fence can be filled in but that’s something I will look into.

Any suggestions or perspectives? I know it is a small issue but I really want to avoid any bad feeling of any kind.

See? 😆

pictoosh Yes it is feeling a bit like that 😃 but I know if I ask I might cop it! It’s more than I thought but I’m up for being schooled if I’m out of order or got things skewed.

pictoosh I most certainly see! These are neighbours we have openly discussed the chickens with and checked in on about many times, and who I have exchanged vegetable seedlings/chicken eggs with. They’re not seething about the chickens or any poo, I’m fairly sure of that, just this water issue it newly seems, but people are still gonna paint it that way. But they don’t know me or the neighbours so that’s OK, I guess.

The sandbag suggestion is the best so far.

YABU

You're not allowed to have run-off water entering your neighbour's property. Your neighbour could successfully take you to court over this.

You are downplaying this and I can see why your neighbour has grown tired of your inconsideration. You need to find a solution to stop your run-off water entering your neighbour's property.

Take responsibility and stop the attitude of it not being a big deal, it clearly and rightfully is to your neighbour, so show some respect and stop it happening.

My NDNs used to have chooks, as did next door but one on the opposite side.

I never caught the slightest hint of a smell, and I liked hearing them clucking to themselves, I find it quite a soothing noise.

There’s all kinds of wild animal poo in every garden as well as wild bird poo - you can’t avoid it. However, fresh chicken poo can attract rats if it’s left to dry out, and it can also scorch the roots of plants. It also carries salmonella and some other pathogens that can be harmful to humans. OP - can you not collect it safely and maybe compost it ? The ‘hot compost’ method takes about three weeks and then you can safely use it as manure in the garden. Given that it can be hazardous I don’t think simply leaving it in the rut under the shared fence is an option.

She's blaming you for gravity? There's not a massiver amount you can do about being on higher ground.

Sand bags might help - or more of a draft-excluder type arrangement with sand bags. Or use a stiff garden brush to brush the water onto your lawn rather than let it drain away to her path, perhaps?

Nice bantams.

We have this issue, the water runs to ours and ours to next neighbour. She's probably frustrated from previous mess as I was ready for war lol. My neighbour would power hose and all the muck would drain to ours with no attempt to stop it. When we do ours one hoses and the other brushes. If on my own then alternate hose and brushing to minimise impact on others gardens

Tbh I’d be pissed off too. You need to redirect the water into a drain.

I’d be scrubbing that patio like a maniac every time there was a drop of rain
🐓 💩

I would find it annoying if someone wetted my garden path. It means you have to put shoes on to go out. It means more dirt gets brought in, you can't just throw things out if you're tidying.
Yes it annoying when it rains too.

I suggest only washing your patio when it's raining.

Just ignore her. She obviously has resentment that’s built up over this for a while. Let her have her tantrum and carry on your life.

Rosscameasdoody I do clear it out periodically, because little bits of moss fall from our roof and get washed into it. But there isn’t any poo as I always sweep any lumps of it onto our flower bed first, so it is just the little bit of residue being rinsed. I also sweep the water forwards onto the flower bed but it’s impossible to avoid some going sideways as well. Am looking into sandbags now but hoping to find some that are non-ugly as they will sit along the edge of the fence as a permanent fixture!

I thought chickens had to be kept inside because of bird flu?

If I was the neighbour, I'd be really annoyed if chicken shit water was washing into my garden, too.

*All bird keepers (whether they are pet birds, a commercial farm or just a few birds in a backyard flock) can remain vigilant and help prevent avian influenza by:

• cleansing and disinfecting clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds – if practical, use disposable protective clothing
• reducing the movement of people, vehicles or equipment to and from areas where poultry and captive birds are kept, to minimise contamination from manure, slurry and other products, and use effective vermin control
• thoroughly cleansing and disinfecting housing on a continuous basis
• keep fresh disinfectant at the right concentration at all farm and poultry housing entry and exit points
• minimise direct and indirect contact between poultry and captive birds and wild birds, including making sure all feed and water is not accessible to wild birds*

Could you plant willow or other hedging in the dip by the fence as the roots would absorb more of the water? It looks as if fencing would be tricky. Can you put in a drain on the patio? You sound like a lovely neighbour and hens without a cockerel don’t cause noise disturbance. Fresh eggs are always appreciated. I hope you can keep the peace OK. Good luck OP.

YABU because although to you it is just clean water, she may associate it with chicken poo being washed away, and more importantly you have no actual right to allow any water from your premises onto hers. Its fairly irrelevant that it is clean water - she does not have to put up with any water on her premises coming from yours.
I would write the note and apologise for any upset caused, and say that you will find a way to avoid water coming on to her garden in future. You can do less really.

Washing chicken shit water into a neighbour's back garden is hardly great biosecurity.

It’s not a tantrum - run off water into a neighbours’ garden is a no-no. OP could find herself reported to her local council and the ‘ignore her’ path could lead to a neighbour dispute that could affect any future house sale. Fresh chicken poop is hazardous. It has to be properly composted before use in a garden and If the OP is washing it off her patio any water run off could be contaminated with salmonella and other pathogens. And the chicken poo stuck in the rut will dry out and potentially attract rats - not to mention burning the roots of any delicate plants in the borders. The neighbour has a legitimate grievance so it’s in the OP’s interests to shut down any bad feeling by addressing the concerns and acknowledging that she could be creating a hazard which could potentially affect their health and land her in trouble.

oakleaffy That was lifted on 4 July 2023.

Sorry. My posr should have ended - you can do NO less really.

If this is the first sharp word she’s said in the time you’ve known her there’s a distinct possibility that she’s not really that bothered. That it was just a bad day or something.

I think eggs (which you already know are appreciated) with a note apologising and asking to talk is one way to go. But if you see her pretty frequently in the garden I would just wait for next time and apologise in person and ask if there’s a better time to do it when a bit of water won’t bother her so much. Then take it from there. If she really is bothered about her path getting wet at all then block the gap with some concrete board or something.

Yes, I saw that after I just googled..Mum found a goldfinch in her garden {clearly an unwell bird , not apparently injured, but he wasn't flying away}- and Bird flu was a real concern.

He died. {she kept an eye on him}.

You ARE giving off slightly Neighbour From Hell vibes...

If it was clear water, then what is it you are achieving with hosing every week? Just stop doing it. But of course it isn’t clear water, the whole purpose of the activity is to clear chicken poop off and in doing so you are running the dirty water onto her path. I’d be pretty annoyed too frankly. You need to plug the gap in the fence or relocate your chickens.