Happy Hens Farms Debacle
 http://picasaweb.google.com/james.mcgaugh/HappyHensFarmsDebacle
 
The Happy Hens Farms Debacle, my opinion of the people behind Happy Hens.  On their facebook page they say "Happy Hens egg farm care for the welfare of our chickens: safety comes first.....second ...third and last! Safety for our hens and safety for our customers!"  They sure as hell have shown me that they could care less about Happy Hens Egg Farms neighbors. They come here to rural Gonzales from the big city of Houston and are happy to push down the native oaks on my property for the tune of Progress. 

I want to preface this blog (RANT) with the fact that until today 6/27/2011 I have never talked too or been contacted by anyone at Happy Hens.

I am not a tree hugger but this was My land, My dirt and My trees to manage as I wish.

RANT means that I am still very pissed off at Happy Hens Egg Farms and don't care about perfect English at the moment.

History: I bought a piece of land a few years ago and found out the day after closing that Happy Hens Egg Farms had bought the 3 parcels next to mine and intended to build egg layer houses on it. When they unloaded a huge bulldozer and started pushing down all the big oak trees I never dreamed of what they would do next.  A few days later Happy Hens bulldozed all the way on to my place, trespassing. and pushed down my entire back fence, it was not much but it could have been repaired.  The part that really pissed me off is that they also pushed down several of my big oak trees. I consider an oak tree that I can barely reach around as big. I was never compensated, not even apology from Happy Hens Egg Farms.

I have placed all the pics on Picasa so they can be quickly and easily viewed.

http://picasaweb.google.com/james.mcgaugh/HappyHensFarmsDebacle
 
Please check out all the pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/james.mcgaugh/HappyHensFarmsDebacle
What have they done now?  The pictures really tell the story better than words. Bulldozed some 20 feet inside my property line taking out all the big oak trees that were even near the property line and scraped off yards of my topsoil to level their land for a fence. Some places up to 3 feet deep and within a foot of big oak tress that I am sure will die now in this drought. It took calling the sheriff to stop them from pulling up the posts we had already set.  The local authorities would not do anything about the trespassing, the destruction and theft of my trees or the theft of my soil.  I am sure that if I did this to your property I would be locked up.  The authorities were nice enough to get in touch with Delbert E Brod of Happy Hens in Houston and have him give me a call.  He was unwilling to compensate me for the damage other than leveling my land.  His comments created the opinion in my mind that I should be happy with a free fence.  Sorry NADA.  I have contacted and attorney and will pursue damages.  I know they have deep pockets and hi powered lawyers and even if I fail in court, I want everyone to know what kind of company they really are.  I think Happy Hens owners have treated me and my property with absolutely no respect or consideration at at all.
Please check out all the pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/james.mcgaugh/HappyHensFarmsDebacle
Update 6/28/2011    I HATE ALL THIS DRAMA!
Today has done little to make me feel better about this.  I got a call/message from a Happy Hens land "partner" last night while I was out working in the garden, about 7pm.  Message said Dell had called and told him that MAYBE they had pushed down a tree.  I sent Joe Rexing of  Happy Hens a text link to the pictures first thing this morning and a note that he needs to reconsider the MAYBE attitude.  I returned his call about an hour latter.  Joseph Rexing of  Happy Hens attitude had not changed and he just blew off the reasonable offer I put forth.

I consider it a reasonable offer.  Put back my topsoil and smooth it out so we can mow and seed it with grass.  $1000 each for the six oak trees they stole and the four that will most likely die.  Replace the back fence that they pushed down in the beginning.

They are still in denial that they did anything wrong.  That irks me the most.  The fact that they can't admit that they did something wrong gives me such a low opinion of the whole company.  Any company that will not be responsible for their actions is not worth any salt.  Something else that got me during the conversation is that Joe said they see what they did as an improvement to my property.  Who the hell are they to tell me that pushing down all the trees is an improvement.  I bought that piece of property because is was thick with big oak trees.  I had no interest in a flat piece of dirt with no trees. The nerve of them to think they are so uppity then try to convince me of what is right when they definitely have no clue.  My opinion is that now there are fewer trees between me and their chicken houses, definitely not an improvement. My thought on an improvement is to plant a row of thick trees right down the fence so I don't have to see them at all. I have thought about it. Oh, where did I get the $1000 a tree? There are places that the management does not want homeowners to cut down the native mature trees.  They have to pay for each tree on the lot at that price.  Besides, no amount of money can put a mature tree back in my lifetime..

I guess the bright side is that I have an appointment with an attorney tomorrow.

I do appreciate all of you who have shared your supporting thoughts with me.
Update 6/28/2011

I like Tim Robinson as an attorney.   Found out that my offer was way too low.  Oil companies have to pay $5000 a tree....
Update: 7/7/2011

Back from vacation.  Made number one and two in google search for  "Happy Hens Debacle"
 
 

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/589053/happy-hen-eggs-make-me-mad

Copyright James McGaugh 6/27/2011