I like my neighbors…I like my neighbors…I, argh! I live next door to a winery (well actually, they live next to me, it was our old dairy operation). They have grapes, they don’t want to put netting on till as late as possible for reasons (unclear). They have starlings. They have a legitimate problem, though I don’t understand why the netting can’t be used. And I fully completely support their right to farm. But I have a legitimate safety issue.
I have three horses, one of whom is just turned two, hotter than a firecracker and based on 4th of July, is not a fan of unexpected explosions. I’m working on this issue, but by its very nature a bird cannon is about the hardest sort of explosion to desensitize for. I would really, really like a heads up on when the neighbors are going to be firing that thing to keep the birds off the grapes. Their son, who is taking over the operation, is passionate about the winery and could care less about safety. To be fair I was that way at 21 too.
Just text me, is that so hard? Apparently it is based on the highly unproductive conversation I just had with him.
Wish I could send the horses off somewhere else for the next month and a half. I’ll raise a glass of someone else’s wine if I make it without vet bills or ER visits.
You want him to tell you every time the cannon is going to go off?
Or just when he is setting it up for the season?
I thought those things worked somewhat independently once set to start working, so to me it does seem impossible to tell you every time there is going to be a boom.
I live next to an active quarry that blasts periodically so loudly it shakes the ground. A neighbor periodically shoots at the coyotes that wander over from the park (that is now super busy thanks to the county improving it’s amenities and COVID making everyone go to the parks). My horses don’t seem to care about those.
What causes him to lose his mind? A car driving out of a nearby driveway. horses
Anyway - can the horses hear the bird cannons when they are on pasture? Guaranteed they’ll eventually get used to them. My horses were boarded near bird cannons as well, and they did adapt, it just took awhile. It can definitely be scary at first, so riding defensively is probably wise. I’m sorry he wasn’t open to helping…stay safe! Wear a body protector!
I wasn’t clear, sorry? Just the first time they set it up. I have three pastures in rotation, one is by far the safest and best for him to be in that day. But, if I don’t know which day it is going to start up I have to guess for the next week plus. It is a manual one, so technically he could tell me every time but that would be absurd and inappropriate on my part.
@Alterration. You can hear this one half a mile away. I know because I work at a house about that distance away and could hear it all last fall there as well.
Will he get used to it, eventually I hope, he is smart.
If it’s any consolation, my super sensitive guy got used to the bird cannons pretty quick. One season. He doesn’t twitch at the neighbors shooting shotguns either.
But, the neighbor’s zero turn? Clearly a horse eating monster
I’m sorry you’re going through that.
If it is any consolation, your horses will acclimate to it quickly. We’re between two big agri-farms, one of which is also dairy. One of them sets up a bird cannon every summer. The first day or so any new horse is very on edge… but after a day they’re fine.
Most cannons are not manual. You set them up manually and they’re programmed to go of every XYZ interval. I don’t know if you could get a text before hand, but just know (not very helpful) they tend to be more often in the AM and off at night.
It is an ‘interesting’ home built one actually. Being of the ‘interesting’ type it can and does rattle dishes. They’ve used it for years. I’ve never, ever complained about it to them, even though it makes the horses nuts for well over a week. I’d just like one text when they set the ---- thing up this year.
Apparently that is too much to expect.
You’re near St Louis, right? (not a stalker…I think you’ve just mentioned it a few times in threads that I’m on) I’ve noticed that people in this area like booming things. July 4th lasts a few weeks here (even in my area of the county). Could you “get in on the action” with the neighbor by asking him if it would help if you set off a few fireworks when they set it up for the year?
While that sounds like a bizarre thing to suggest - sometimes it’s helpful to extend an olive branch and would give him a reason to give you a heads up. Just a thought.
My experience has been that the cannons go off at certain time intervals. Is that not the case with your neighbor?
If it is any consolation- my old farm was next to a gun club AND a quarry. Guns and dynamite.
My horses, even the young, hot babies that just can in for HB show season all acclimated.
even the brds get eventually used to the cannons.
Put the horses for the grape season into the safer pasture, dose each wth some rescue remedy in the morning.
Walk over to the winery, tell the guy, hey, can you give me a heads, up, shoot me a quick text, so I won’t have angelfood pancake.
Which is what I asked. ‘Hey can you send me a text when you set the thing up and are going to start firing it?’
What I got in response this morning was a great deal of 21 year old attitude and a ‘not my problem so no’ answer.
I guess I am just frustrated, we have built over the decades a pretty decent relationship with his parents and before that grandparents as they started up the winery and made it successful. But, I find the son hasn’t quite got the social graces and the concept of working with neighbors yet. It usually doesn’t matter, but in this instance, it does. Makes me worried about what else is going to be a challenge. And also why I am simply going to keep my mouth shut, put the horses in the safest pasture for the next several weeks, and pray.
In previous years, it hasn’t been too bad, but this is the first round for the two year old, and I don’t have a great feeling based on his reactivity to the fireworks (illegal, other neighbors) on the 4th and the fact that the home built cannon has a really nasty crack to it. And, of course I have No idea when in the next two weeks it will start up!
@Alterration, not St Louis! Southern New England actually.
@B_and_B can you text the parents? Pretend you thought they were still the contact for such things.
Hey Parents, Bobby mentioned he would not know when the cannon would be starting to let me know so I can move my young horse so I thought I needed to contact you about it. Can you please send me a text with a 15 minute warning so I can make sure Dobbin is safe? This is the young horse’s first season with the cannon and he did not deal well with the fireworks on the 4th of July.
Thank you so much.
Ahh darn it - must be a poster with a very similar username 
Not sure what the fireworks rules are near you, but my suggestion may still apply! 
There are some rules around the use of the cannons and permits needed for those. How do I know…a blueberry farmer moved in next to my horse farm (we were here 20 years before them). He is a arrogant jerk…but even he knew enough to not put in a cannon. Instead we have the birds of prey squawk box that runs from sun up to sun down (it’s on solar power) for June, July and part of August. The neighbors across the street must have threatened him enough as he actually turned them off after the picking finished this year (last year he left them run an extra 3 weeks for spite).
They don’t work…the birds acclimate. I have videos of the seagulls swarming and not feeling the least bit threatened. It drives us bonkers…nothing like waking up at 5am to the sound of screeching hawks/eagles/crows. And since they are distress calls if you are even a bit sensitive to nature, you start to pick up on that feeling of distress.
We did talk to our state ag dept about it, because Mr. Blueberry threatened us if we complained about it he would install the cannons (that we should thank him for installing a “livestock friendly” sound). There are extra permits he would of had to get for the cannons…and we might have been able to put up a fuss about safety issues with having a commercial training farm (at the time). There are decibel limits on some things…but I know in NJ we have a Right to Farm Act…which essentially lets the farmers do anything they want with no restrictions and protects them from nuisance complaints.
Face to face?
Wow…what an arse
