A lifelong animal lover says she absolutely loves her pet chicken Lucy - the "sweetest little creature" who follows her around the house and garden like a puppy. Unfortunately, her neighbour has taken a strong dislike to Lucy, and has complained on several occasions that the bird makes her "feel uncomfortable".
According to this perturbed pet owner, her neighbour finds the- mere sight of a chicken to be "unsettling", and she furthermore can't stand to hear her clucking noises.
Although she's tried to be understanding about her neighbour's chicken aversion, keeping Lucy in a coop at night and even offering to bring her inside during the day, this wasn't enough for the neighbour, who is now demanding she get rid of Lucy altogether.
Taking to Reddit, where she goes by the username u/Throw_away_chicken12, the conflicted chicken owner wrote: "She still seemed unhappy, and eventually she told me that she thought it was 'unhygienic' to have a chicken in a residential area.
"I was taken aback by this and tried to explain that Lucy was perfectly clean and well-cared for. I also pointed out that several of our other neighbours have pets, including dogs and cats, which can be just as messy as a chicken. But my neighbour was still insistent that Lucy needed to go.
"I don't want to get rid of Lucy, but I also don't want to cause any problems with my neighbour."
Reaching out to fellow Reddit users for advice, she wondered whether or not she was indeed in the wrong for keeping Lucy as a pet against her neighbour's wishes. Many reassured her she'd been perfectly respectful, and urged her not to give in.
One person commented: "If you're allowed to have chickens and it’s not against any local ordinance you're well within your right. Your neighbour doesn’t have to engage with your chicken."
Another remarked: "Then your neighbour should stay off your property and out of your yard. Her phobias are not your problem, even if she tries to make them your problem. Enjoy your sweet little chicken."
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