Lost a little bit more of my freedom today.

Wrong issue. Move back to the city.

The issue is whether his neighbor is forced to keep his animals, not whether he can't.

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For we used to ask when we were little, thinking that the old men knew all things which are on earth: yet forsooth they did not know; but we do not contradict them, for neither do we know.

Sadly true. I pay my rent every year.

Then you need the sanitized city.

I don't see this as "City Rules" I see it as a question of being a responsible neighbor. Where is your line drawn? Is it OK for OCBs dogs to come and raid your chicken house? Poop on your porch? His goats to come eat up your garden? His kids to come and destroy your property? It's all the same to me - if you own it, keep it on your own land. I realize that sometimes mistakes happen and critters get out where they shouldn't be, but that is different from feeling that your animals have a right to invade the property of others with impunity.

Mary

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In politics the truth is just the lie you believe most - unknown

I think both parties need to be reasonable. Its impossible to never have a containment problem. Now if the OP is or was purposefully getting his chickens to cross the road there is another issue. The people across the road moved to a problem and need to move somewhere else. The OP didn't force the problem on the new people. At least from what I pick up.

Move back to the city.

So explain to the new comer or new chicken keeper the problem. If that doesn't work start a chicken soup kitchen.

As a resident of Oklahoma you are bound by Oklahoma law and it is against the law to allow domestic animals to run free.
98. Restraint of all domestic animals--Damages for trespass
All domestic animals shall be restrained by the owner thereof at all times and seasons of the year from running at large in the State of Oklahoma. Damages sustained by reason of such domestic animals trespassing upon lands of another shall be recovered in a manner provided by law.

Pretty much the same all over.
Sorry.
You didn't lose a freedom, you never had it.

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You know, you're right. I'm from the country and I'd have dealt with it in a much different way: I'd be eating free, free-range chicken for a while and would welcome you to send your chickens back over, so I could eat some more. Eventually, you'd learn to keep your animals on your own property, or you could move back to the city where people don't respect each other or their property, because that kinda attitude doesn't fly out here in the country. Here, we've a had a little better raisin'.

If your cows get in my pasture I'll be happy to help you get them back home. Chickens aren't cows. I'll even help you fix the fence.

OK so the issue is you move in next to me and obligate me to spend thousands. No deal. We'll just be unfriendly with a possible McCoy fight.

A non animal issue developed with a previously friendly neighbor a 1/4 mile from my place and had to tell them they were no longer welcome here.

OK so what is reasonable? I say if you don't like the customs of the country stay in the city. Dogs and chickens are 2 different issues. The issue of the OP isn't land use. Its someone having an existing condition forcing someone else to accommodate them when they have other options. Basically your saying I can force you to do anything I wish.

You're probably right there. Currently I have some freedom. Soon they'll put me in a cage to. No more free range chickens - they're agin the law. I'm not promoting the right to use another's property.

I don't think the newbie is sending his chickens some where to cause a problem. Its rather the newbie with an existing problem moving to a place that don't meet his requirements. The newbie should move to solve the problem. I'm not saying the other party has right s that don't belong to them. A trailer park has never been part of the country. I think the trailer park should be zoned out.

I think someone is confusing the term free range with open range. there is nothing illegal about free ranging chickens.... on your own property.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Not only are you inconsiderate letting your animals go onto someone else's rented property, but you are terribly inconsiderate taking a chance with someone losing his job because your chickens are on his place which is contrary to his employment agreement. Not only that but the hundreds of thousands of dollars possibly at risk if your chickens should be responsible for spreading a disease through him to his employers chickens.

Apoligize to all concerned, take them a pie and be a good neighbor.

AND keep your chickens home.

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

This has been a fun thread to read! Maybe the chicken employee will move on eventually and then you'll be back to it not mattering where your chickens go, or maybe the next tenant will be the one to start having free-range chicken for dinner LOL!

I lived in a mountain town where the history of the place was that peoples' dog would roam around, and it was "country," so people didn't care so much. However, there were stories of those dogs packing up at night and attacking a rancher's cows...not good! Well, the law favors the rancher to shoot those dogs.

Anyway, when I lived there not too long ago, the city attitude was encroaching - keep your dogs on leash, under control, obey the (county) leash law. It always come to someone's dog being out and attacking someone else's dog, one bad apple....It's all good until it isn't.

Meanwhile, this area was country as I said, rural, had a history in ranching/farming. I sublet some land to keep my sheep on, which I used to train my stock dogs. A couple of my dogs would bark incessantly when tethered while I was working another dog. Next thing I know, I hear shotgun blasts going off! A crazy man who rented a cottage on the neighbor's property was shooting off his shotgun over my head to express his displeasure at the noise of my dogs barking, even though it was the middle of the day! I was only there a couple of hours each day! Geez, any other kind of noise is legit but when it's a dog barking, suddenly the law is in favor of the person who is irritated by it! I was really upset by this since I was engaging in agricultural practices for which you'd think it would be okay to do in a country setting! His argument was he moved to the country for the peace and quiet! He got in trouble for shooting his gun off over someone else's land, but I also had animal control come out and tell me to keep my dogs quiet.

So happy to be done with that situation! Now we own our own 40 with the nearest neighbor 1/4 mile away and noise not being an issue for any of us!

While I like many of the responses above, I will point out that both parties are at fault. The chicken employee has a responsibility to rent a place where exposure to foreign chickens isn't a likely risk.

Case in point: We have people who moved into a rental house across the street from us. They have two dogs. They rented the house KNOWING that the landlord doesn't allow dogs inside the house and the house is on a busy street (logging trucks) and there is no fence. Their dogs now roam all over the neighborhood, stirring up trouble and are at risk of getting run over and killed. Whose fault is it? It isn't the landlords'! It is the stupid renters who didn't rent a place that is suitable to dog ownership.

Now chickens are really hard to keep penned up. Mine easily flew over a fence and sometimes had a mind to roam. I get that. I admit I tend to be an isolationist so it seems every property I own ends up with me installing a perimeter fence - mostly to keep my stuff in and other people's stuff out. But there are benefits to the country being wide and open, too. It would most definitely say it encroaches on my "little bit of freedom" if some newbie complains about my chickens existing, much less crowing. But to complain because they're coming into HIS yard? Well, that is legit.