How to raise poultry with neighbors?

[SandyRiverChick]

Chickens improve vegetation and earth quality by removing pests, fertilizing and raking soil

Lots of evidence to suggest that Antarctica once had jungles in the branch closest to South America

Chickens dont know how to only eat pests and avoid native plants. They'll eat native plants and that is a violation, citation with a fine from the County.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I can legally free range them in my forest.

It’s not your forest though.

 

[Logar]

You are going on about how your turkeys never go anywhere but the forest. How do you know your Guineas won’t do stuff differently from a completely different species?

 

[K0k0shka]

If something isn't explicitly mentioned in a bylaw, that does not make it legal by default. A lot of bylaws aren't detailed enough to list every single possible case scenario. So if poultry aren't explicitly banned from the woods, that doesn't mean it's legal to let them roam there. It just means that that area of law isn't defined, maybe because there hasn't been a need so far. But if you let them roam and people take note, they can raise the issue before the authorities and ask for the bylaw to be amended to specifically address poultry in the woods. And then you may get yourself an actual explicit ban. Towns are having to do a lot of clarifications and amendments to local bylaws with regards to chickens, now that they are becoming so popular and towns are finding themselves lacking specific, explicit regulations. So people exploit the void and assume anything is legal by default if not specifically banned, and they overstep all kinds of good will and tolerance their neighbors may give them, because "it's not illegal". And you end up with battles and animosity, and some towns responding by putting in place explicit bans that are much harsher than necessary, because they don't want to deal with neighbor disputes. So the entitled people who overstep what is reasonable and respectful of their surroundings, end up ruining poultry-keeping for the whole town by bringing on restrictions and bans.

 

[ShrekDawg]

If something isn't explicitly mentioned in a bylaw, that does not make it legal by default. A lot of bylaws aren't detailed enough to list every single possible case scenario. So if poultry aren't explicitly banned from the woods, that doesn't mean it's legal to let them roam there. It just means that that area of law isn't defined, maybe because there hasn't been a need so far. But if you let them roam and people take note, they can raise the issue before the authorities and ask for the bylaw to be amended to specifically address poultry in the woods. And then you may get yourself an actual explicit ban. Towns are having to do a lot of clarifications and amendments to local bylaws with regards to chickens, now that they are becoming so popular and towns are finding themselves lacking specific, explicit regulations. So people exploit the void and assume anything is legal by default if not specifically banned, and they overstep all kinds of good will and tolerance their neighbors may give them, because "it's not illegal". And you end up with battles and animosity, and some towns responding by putting in place explicit bans that are much harsher than necessary, because they don't want to deal with neighbor disputes. So the entitled people who overstep what is reasonable and respectful of their surroundings, end up ruining poultry-keeping for the whole town by bringing on restrictions and bans.

 

[Logar]

Lots of evidence to suggest that Antarctica once had jungles in the branch closest to South America

Yes, once had. It doesn’t mean that anyone has been grazing their pig there. From the stuff I have read the last trees on Antarctica existed roughly 20 million years ago at the very latest but probably much longer ago.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Whose forest is it?

I don’t think they’ve said

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Whose forest is it?

The state of Virginia. I don't buy the references on here where the county doesn't care. I was in a car wreck in that state, the car that I was in went off the road and landed on some shrubs that actually saved our lives... And then we had to pay a fine for "disturbing native shrubs."

 

[tripletfeb]

The only issue i got is the noise. There is a noise disturbance policy that my neighbors can complain about.

And this is the exact reason you should rethink guineas

 

[mallard_maniac]

I'm just going to throw a scenario out that has happened to someone I know personally.

Bird owner has birds that are not penned and free roam a suburban neighborhood; a subdivision with a large pond in the middle of it. Neighbors get miffed at bird owner for some reason (whether bird-related or not, I don't know) and start collecting written complaints from other residents against bird owner. Ticked neighbor goes to town board with complaints. Back and forth ensues. Town board ends up filing lawsuit against bird owner for "damage" to the town done by birds for a ridiculous amount of money (over 10k) that included punitive damages because birds made the resident's lives a living hell. Judge ends up siding with town board, leaving bird owner in a heck of a situation.

Lawsuit was a complete sham and a waste of time. But it just goes to show, you tick off the right people and you have a huge problem on your hands. It seems the biggest jerks usually know the people to get their way. Hence why they're jerks. A problem that was completely avoidable, all because you didn't want to spend the time to build a secure pen for your birds.

The simple fact is, some people don't like animals. Personally, I think those people are nuts but hey, to each their own. However, if I lived in a suburban area I wouldn't expect to find a turkey or a guinea in my backyard and it is simply unreasonable to expect someone to be fine with it. I love free ranging my birds, but you cannot visit your hobby on someone else.

OP has stated once that the birds wouldn't dare go to a neighbor's yard, then turned around and said the only time they'd hop the neighbor's fence is when they would be curious, but would only be pecking there for a minute. A minute is all it takes. Plus, if you really think free range birds will stay only in one place i.e. the forest area, you're frankly dreaming. If there is one place you don't want them to be, they will make it there eventually.

You can say humans have been letting animals graze on public land for thousands of years til you're blue in the face. When that code officer shows up with a fat ticket and you tell him that, he's going to take that ticket and stick it in between your eyes.

I agree but the forest is big and the neighbors have dog. So 1st. the birds would not go towards the neighbors fences because they have dogs, the birds could go far into the forest. I know someone who free ranges turkeys ducks and chickens and they don't go to the neighbors yard because there's a dog. They stick near where the food and water is.