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.

And when the bits of chicken shit in the groove under the fence dry out and attract rats - what then ? The water may be clear but it can still contain salmonella and other pathogens which harm health. The offer of fresh eggs won’t make up for any illness caused by OP’s lack of awareness of the health hazard she is creating.

Why don't you install some drainage channels? It won't cost you lots, something you could probably do yourself.

Stringent hygiene on the part of chicken keepers keeps salmonella at bay. That is what washing the patio is designed to do. [OP is clearly damned if she does and damned if she doesn't in the eyes of the catastrophists who see risks over and under every suburban hedge.]

OP has a dog. As do I and many other MNers. Any rat that comes within 50 yards of my dog soon beats a hasty retreat.

I'm still in the not-bothered-come-give-me-your-eggs-dear-neighbour camp.

You say you have a pretty big garden but you refuse to prevent your chickens from shitting in an area that means your shitty water going in to a neighbours?

YABVU - in fact you are self-entitled and a bad-neighbour.

We used to have a neighbour who kicked off when we washed our car and water splashed on their drive. They stopped talking to us because I told them not to be stupid, it was only water. Never spoke again until we moved (although admittedly there had also been other issues between us prior to this). Ask your neighbour why she is unhappy about the water. If she says it’s due to the chicken poo, you can explain what you’ve told us. If it’s just because she doesn’t like water on her drive, tell her to get a grip.

Maybe you could use those lawn edging strips to block the gap under the fence? Something like this? I'd try to fill in any channels or ruts as that will direct water where you don't want it to go.

If you all usually get on OK you wouldn't want to sour things when there are relatively easy fixes.

Fill in the gap.

Maybe she was just having a bad day.

But, maybe the water is an issue for another reason. I don't know what, but if it was ny garden it would mean the dogs coming through the dog flap with wet paws, I'd have to dry their feet quickly. Fine if I know it's at 6pm every Friday. Bloody annoying if they kept coming in during summer with wet paws!

Also, whilst it might just be a trickle down her path, can it run off somewhere or soak into a lawn, or is it just building up to form a puddle in front of her door?

Maybe she blames the water for a slippy, mossy or algae covered path?

I'd try and speak to her and be as understanding as possible.

But yes, fill the gap if not or only hose down when hubby is there at the same time to brush it straight away.

Can you block the rut so it doesn't go over their side? We live higher than neighbour and know that whatever we hose will go into their garden so have sealed it. Yes your overspill is going into their garden which isn't on. You're getting rid of the crap from your side into theirs! A drain would be a good idea, blockage or something warmer can run into. Just speaking from experience of having a similar situation from other higher up neighbour having water running into our garden, destroying plants, making ground soggy and then thick ice in winter!

Gosh that’s a small garden for keeping chickens!

You need to redesign the area so water doesn’t go on her land, or not allow chickens up there. Not ok to wash water onto her land.

Just wash it down when it’s already pouring down with rain, then she won’t be complaining about you making her path wet, it already will be.

Fellow pet hen keeper here! Why don't you just stop your chooks (they are lovely, by the way) going on to your patio by putting temporary fencing round it? You can buy green netting and movable pole supports which are not obtrusive or expensive and which are easily moved if necessary. Would that not sort out the problem as the patio wouldn't then need hosed down? I love my chooks but they don't get to free-range onto my patio as they are messy little blighters!

French drain or soakaway, cheap to do and will massively help the problem.

I would love to keep chickens, but I essentially lazy and would find all the hygiene work too much. Would love a neighbour with chilckens though.

You could use metal edging from a garden centre to seal the small gap but surely the same thing happens when it rains if your garden is higher than hers ?

Neighbour goes in garden to get something and ends up with wet feet from you washing your path again. Yep. That would properly annoy me too.

She might have just been having a bad day. I'd do the eggs over the fence with a note just saying 'sorry about the water coming over'
She'll probably feel silly. If it happens again, just explain that it is just water. Everyone outraged saying its poo water! How do they manage to stop birds shitting in their garden?

It's not small at all.

OP, love your garden. The level of pretension on here is high. You can certainly tell who are the shoes off lot.

But absolutely fine for four bantams!

Wash when it's raining. Then her garden is already wet.

Leave the eggs without a note; she'll know what they're for.

This wouldn't bother me as a neighbour if it really happens as you describe. I have neighbours with chickens and I love hearing their noises and any eggs are a bonus too. We are all level though so no water run off.

I hope you can find a solution by either blocking the water or some sort of drainage solution so it doesn't end up next door. I don't think you are being unreasonable, but it clearly annoys them so if you can reduce your run off then I'm sure it would beneficial to the neighbourly relationships

I'm fascinated by the fact that your bantams don't hover around your door. My chickens see my I think if they loiter with ill intent I'll cave and give them some treats. As a result I end up with so much chicken poo right outside my door it's horrid. I do have some fairly big chickens though.

I instead rejigged their accommodation and stopped them roaming all over the garden. They do have a decent amount of space though, I don't like the idea of them being limited to a tiny area. But my veggie patch kept getting decimated as they kept breaking into the netted raised garden beds so I had to do something.

FYI - you can get temporary fencing that will keep them penned into different areas of your garden which can be easily moved around. I'll do that eventually and let them roam the lawn and potted plants area occasionally but keep them out of the veggie patch.

My NDN kept chickens for years and we had no issues. Their NDN now does and so does another neighbour a three doors down to us. Other than hearing the sounds they make now and again we wouldn't know they were even there.

🤣🤣🤣 does she come out and shout at the rain clouds when they get her path wet too?! Don’t give her eggs and don’t apologise, she’s nuts!

I'd be cross with you to OP. Chicken poo smells vile