- Aug 29, 2016
- 14
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- 82
I raised the most handsome French Copper Marans rooster from a fertilized egg hatched by a Barred Rock hen who went broody. He was the magnificent protector of our small flock from the hawks, foxes, possums and other predators in the area. Yet he was docile and very quiet and infrequent in his crowing -about 5 cries between 6:15 at 8am each morning. We all lived in harmony for almost 5 years on 2 acres with the coop over 400' through a wooded area to the next property. We shared the dark "chocolate" eggs that Marans lay with everyone.
It all ended when a dispute evolved over a neighbor's refusal to repair a crumbling retaining wall. The neighbor suddenly decided to retaliate by lying that the rooster was crowing at 3am every morning. Since roosters are not illegal in our area, he utilized a vaguely written noise ordinance to say that the rooster was disturbing him.
I cannot make up that the highest paid police officers in NYS came and sat in front of my house every night from 3am til 6-ish when dawn broke and the rooster crowed. They would then bang on my door and issue a summons with a $250 fine. Their approach was "We get a complaint, we hear a rooster, we write a summons" even though the recorded decibels were at the level of conversational speech by the time they reached the neighbor's property.
As you know it is very difficult to re-home a rooster. I called 35 places until I was able to find a wonderful farm who took our dear pet. Meanwhile this took time and effort -I have 20 summonses now at $250 each for $5000 in fines! I have had to hire an attorney and I intend to fight this all the way.
There are many backyard flocks in this bucolic area and at least 9 roosters. This is the first rooster complaint that has been lodged in the 99 year history of the village. It was clearly used as a means of retaliation by an irate neighbor but the police and village government became complicit in this absurd level of enforcement. All the surrounding towns and villages have very specific rooster ordinances which address issues like decibel level of noise, distance from the property line, etc. We are well within compliance to those ordinances. I would appreciate any advice on how to mount a campaign to get the village to establish a reasonable rooster code since so many of the residents are now raising backyard chickens and the noise ordinance can put us all at risk.
It all ended when a dispute evolved over a neighbor's refusal to repair a crumbling retaining wall. The neighbor suddenly decided to retaliate by lying that the rooster was crowing at 3am every morning. Since roosters are not illegal in our area, he utilized a vaguely written noise ordinance to say that the rooster was disturbing him.
I cannot make up that the highest paid police officers in NYS came and sat in front of my house every night from 3am til 6-ish when dawn broke and the rooster crowed. They would then bang on my door and issue a summons with a $250 fine. Their approach was "We get a complaint, we hear a rooster, we write a summons" even though the recorded decibels were at the level of conversational speech by the time they reached the neighbor's property.
As you know it is very difficult to re-home a rooster. I called 35 places until I was able to find a wonderful farm who took our dear pet. Meanwhile this took time and effort -I have 20 summonses now at $250 each for $5000 in fines! I have had to hire an attorney and I intend to fight this all the way.
There are many backyard flocks in this bucolic area and at least 9 roosters. This is the first rooster complaint that has been lodged in the 99 year history of the village. It was clearly used as a means of retaliation by an irate neighbor but the police and village government became complicit in this absurd level of enforcement. All the surrounding towns and villages have very specific rooster ordinances which address issues like decibel level of noise, distance from the property line, etc. We are well within compliance to those ordinances. I would appreciate any advice on how to mount a campaign to get the village to establish a reasonable rooster code since so many of the residents are now raising backyard chickens and the noise ordinance can put us all at risk.
