Money Moral Dilemma: Should they pay for the chicken?

jenniewb

Yes!

I would take a chicken or two the next time they let it happen if they didn't pay up! Food is food and in this day and age when VAT prices are going to rise on everything but basic/value ranges (and prehaps those also) a chicken or several could help offset the cost of having to buy more veggies until December.

nonotnow

Okay you may be in your 'right' to ask for compensation etc etc, but come on... even if you manage to get any amount of money from them, is it really worth it?

They are your neighbour and you will see them a few times a week, it just isnt worth it. I know this site is all about saving (and making) money, but being on bad terms with your neighbour is so much stress all of this talk of "pay up!" and taking chickens and VAT... like have you ever fallen out with someone next door? its not fun

You do however need to be really clear with them and tell them how upset you were your vegetables have now gone.

By the way, all you need to do is trim the chickens feathers on one side (I have 3 myself), its like giving them a haircut, and they cant really fly over fences n stuff.

And Im not saying all this because I own chickens, Im saying this because Ive fallen out with neighbours before, and Ive ended up not going into the garden because they are sitting in theirs (okay, i am quite shy and dont like confrontations) but it was really silly tbh, but its what you get when you fight with someone next door i guess lol

Taffybiker

Nice neighbours would be dismayed to learn what had happened - I'm sure they are equally eager to remain on good terms with you as you are with them. If they don't know what happened they can't do anything about it, so keeping it to yourself is counter productive.
Whether or not you seek compensation is not really the problem (Personally I don't agree with this "compensation culture" anyway - nearly all so-called accidents can be avoided by people simply opening their eyes and looking where they are going).

It's quite possible they never saw your previous requests as urgent and had every intention of keeping their livestock out of your garden, when they get around to it. I would ask again but this time explain why and insist that it has become a matter of urgency.
If the situation still isn't resolved then it may become necessary to involve a 3rd party, such as a mediator specialising in this kind of dispute.

mrsvicx

I think if they were my chickens, I wouldnt need to be asked for some form of compensation, I would perhaps offer free eggs for the rest of the year to make up for it. BUT, Im not really one for confrontations, so if it was my veg that had been eaten, I would probably just hold a grudge!! Or maybe send hubby round, as he's a better negotiator than me!!:p

grrrl

They're good neighbours and they're making money from their chickens (you buy eggs from them).

It's true what they say about having good neighbours and you need to approach the situation diplomatically because it's not necessarily worth falling out over.

Most people are saying you should ask for compensation, but once this situation is explained to the neighbours, I should imagine they'd volunteer compensation rather than you having to suggest something.

You need to decide what would be appropriate compensation and, when you discuss the situation with your neighbour, suggest what you feel is proportionate.

Would you be happy with free eggs or are you looking for replacement plants?

Either way, your neighbours need to secure the chickens so that this doesn't happen again - make that their main priority.

pennypinchUK

No, don't ask for compensation. You appear to get on well with your neighbours, and good neighbours are worth more than ruined vegetables, however many were destroyed. Yes, it's annoying, but not worth the bad feeling between you all.

lutzi1

I agree with virtually all of the above, but it does strike me that if you've asked them several times then you knew there was a problem, so could you not have put some kind of simple barrier up to stop them getting in? (What are these chickens, Houdini?) Maybe not your responsibility, but a bit of common sense goes a long way, especially as it's best to try and stay on good terms with your neighbours.

Certainly as a minimum I'd be dropping very heavy hints about expecting free eggs for the next six months or so.

antonia1

As a newbie veg grower, I think I'd be more upset about the amount of effort it takes to grow veg (and my emotional attachment to my "babies") than about the cost. Its not too late to sow more seeds, or get small plants from the garden centre to replace those ruined.

I think I would try to be diplomatic, explain what has happened and that I'd like to try growing some more but I'd be worried that the same thing might happen. The very least they should do is make sure the chickens are kept securely, and if they're nice they might offer to pay for some of the replacement plants. If they don't offer to pay then they're probably not very nice, and might make life difficult, so I'd be glad I never forced the issue in the first place.

curligurl

Yes you should ask them to pay - they're the ones who have kept letting their chickens get into your own garden and ruin your vegetables and fruit.

And what's more, you've been paying them money for the eggs from their chickens, meaning you're even more 'out of pocket'.

The least they could do after you buying their stock is to help protect your own by doing something to keep the chickens contained.

kazlau

If the chickens have damaged property then the owner of the chicken should reimburse them. You say that you buy your eggs from your neighbour therefore there are no favours due here. Also the fact that the chickens have wandered many times before makes me think that your neighbours have not made their garden chicken proof despite being asked to.
Always be amicable but don't be a doormat. Could you keep a chicken if it wandered into your garden? I don't think so.