People want to come and look, but not buy, I say no. Am I a jerk?

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Not a jerk at all!
I learned the hard way!
My Neighbors came over amongst others, and wanted to see the lambs and what not. They failed to mention that at there place their cows and sheep had serious " Virial Scours "! Sooooo, guess what, all, and I mean all, my lambs got! Yep, and I lost a some , much to my disappointment! I now always tell everyone, "No ", " Sorry"!

Yeap - that is my greatest worry.

 

[kstaven]

I want a neon sign that says "This is a farm NOT A PETTING ZOO!" We have come home to find the gates open and people parked in the driveway with their kids chasing animals all over the place.

 

[Stacykins]

I want a neon sign that says "This is a farm NOT A PETTING ZOO!" We have come home to find the gates open and people parked in the driveway with their kids chasing animals all over the place.

What the heck? How can those parents think it is alright to trespass on your property, then let their kids harass the animals? That is pretty disturbing behavior.

 

[that's*satyrical]

I want a neon sign that says "This is a farm NOT A PETTING ZOO!" We have come home to find the gates open and people parked in the driveway with their kids chasing animals all over the place.

What the heck? How can those parents think it is alright to trespass on your property, then let their kids harass the animals? That is pretty disturbing behavior.

X2

 

[Remuda1]

I have a new egg customer. She texted the other day (to set up a time to meet to pick up eggs for the first time) and during the conversation she asked if we had any other animals and that her kids would love to come out and see them. Well, you don't want to blow off a new customer so I blamed it on my husband, LOL! I told her that he was concerned about bio-security and theft so he was adamant that we not open our place to the public. She was perfectly fine with it and ended up buying more eggs than she had originally told me.

She turned out to be a perfectly lovely person, BUT we run a contracting business out of our home and ya know, I'm just not comfortable inviting strangers over to case the joint! Not all of them will be lovely people......

 

[BlondeSquirrel04]

I meet people places for hatching eggs, and take 10,000 pics for the goat people. If they want to come and see the kids, I'll bring them out to the driveway and we'll do a bleach spray onto their shoes. I don't need anyone's shoes tracking disease into my farm. No way, no how.

You never know what people could be carrying on them. It's just not worth the risk. Plus, I've heard of animals being stolen after visitors came, so that's another reason why you shouldn't let people see your set up.

 

[BrownSheep]

I want a neon sign that says "This is a farm NOT A PETTING ZOO!" We have come home to find the gates open and people parked in the driveway with their kids chasing animals all over the place.

If that happened here there's a GOOD chance those kids could could have been hurt or even killed if my rams were in the pen. I am amazed how many people lack common sense when it come to animals.

 

[Southdown]

I too am annoyed by this problem. We are an orchard and we sell products off the farm. I just want to make my sale and be done. I really don't like having people being nosy and looking around my property. My animals are familiar with me and they don't do well with strangers and kids coming around (they get all spooked and stressed). I just prefer to be more of a private person. I always think to myself, would I go over to your house and just walk around or go into your house and open up your fridge without asking? Because people think they can pick apples off our trees and eat them for free. Or they steal them off the road. Just because I have more land doesn't mean you can take from me or bring your kids out for entertainment. My time is very limited and tours should not be free. And yes, the whole insurance issue. I don't want someone getting hurt and sueing us. People also think we are "pick your own" orchard. Umm, no, that would cost a lot more for insurance and so not worth it! I think it is rude of them to come to your place, spend your time, and then not buy anything. We've had that or else they spend $3 and you've just spent an hour with them. Yes, I am venting but I can soooo relate to this.

 

[cluckfan]

My neighbor thinks I run a petting zoo. When my mini mare delivered her foal, a string of uninvited guests showed up in my barn. We finally set up baby monitors and low and behold we found out this was happening when we were not out at the barn. I thought that I had dropped enough hints and also posted signs. It appeared to stop for several months, then I was weed eating and looked up to see my neighbor with adults and children in tow visiting my new goats. Seems that I will just have to stop being a nice neigbor and put my foot down. She has lifted children over the fence into a paddock with a young mini horse and seems to feel like its ok to come over anytime and visit. I never encouraged it in the least. Some people have nerve!

 

[Roll farms]

Yesterday a lady brought a kid w/ her that I had told her NOT to bring back 2 yrs ago b/c he poked through our fence w/ a stick at our barking LGD.

(Yes. Tried aggravating the already upset dog, even more....said he wanted to see if it could bite the stick in half.....grrrr....)

I thought, "OK, he's two years older, maybe he's matured."

HAHAHAHA

I told her he had to wait in her car after A) I caught him feeding a leaf to a bred rabbit....turned out to be harmless, but what if he'd grabbed the wrong 'green thing' to feed her? and B) after he kept repeatedly stepping over me (after I asked him to stop) while I was trying to disbud a goat. I literally grabbed his leg, told him to STOP and said, "He has to go to the car. NOW." We finished, she paid, and left in a hurry.

I doubt she comes back and that's fine 'n dandy w/ me.

If people and / or their kids are rude here, they get told not to come back. I don't need the business that bad.