I live in Petaluma. Well, my neighbor called AC and the police department to complain about our chickens - re: the coop, the flies, the feed "attracting rats," and some pieces of reclaimed wood fencing that my husband placed just outside our side gate. I received a Correction Notice last Thursday, and went to the police department Monday morning to discuss the matter.
the coop: May 2010 - we looked at the city ordinance before locating, placing and building the coop against the rear fence. The ordinance said the coop should be 30 feet away from any residence, other than my own-that was all it said. The coop is very simple, similar to the size of a large shower stall. Correction notice said any building structure has to be 5 feet away from the rear fence, 3 feet away from a front fence and 4 feet away from a side fence.
the flies and the feed "attracting rats": I do not leave feed out overnight, just the water bowls, and there is never feed in the coop. We toss out left over veggies and fruit into the dirt where my roses are, not on the cement walkways and patio. I clean the coop and sweep daily; the poop goes into a bucket and I bring it to our friends' farm weekly. Flies are seasonal, more in the summer than in the winter as we all know; we have farms and ranches nearby. Rats have been a published-in news-problem in the city long before I even had chickens. We have baited and trapped mice and rats; same neighbor even bagged a dead rat and placed it by my garbage can and probably placed two dead rats just inside my side gate door; they have no screen door for their back door leading out to their garden, so, flies being flies, can get into their house. I also brought up the fact that the neighbor feeds the wild birds and has ivy in their garden; both also attract rodents.
the discussion meeting with the community police officer - He is a super great guy, was very surprised that I responded so quickly. Very supportive about having chickens around, as is the policy of the city officials. Somehow, he said, AC has transferred the chicken responsibilities to the police department. He will discuss the posted chicken coop regulation with AC. He asked that we not leave any food scraps around to attract rodents (we feed only veggie scraps) and to cover-contain fresh veggies/dispose of any leftover veggies on the ground and any in boxes that will not be consumed by the chickens. This will also lessen the fly problem. The coop > I plan to replace the coop with a large 4 x 8 x 6 dog kennel, since our girls are in the garden during the day and use the coop only for sleeping and occasional laying [the girls mostly lay in the hay shed]...I am going to move the coop-kennel so it will be under my patio overhang. Oddly, I can put the dog kennel in almost the same place as the present coop, since a dog kennel is all wire, and doesn't have walls, and isn't a building!! And, for the reclaimed wood fencing boards, just move it to the other side of the gate, out of view from the street.
All in all, the meeting was a positive one, and with the corrections made to lessen the fly and rodent problem, we will work on re-doing the coop. Everything is legal, and there is nothing else the neighbor can do about the chickens. (BTW, neighbors to the back of me have chickens also!)
** So, conclusion is, if you get any correction notices, go and talk to who ever issued the notice; it may not be as bad as it reads!!
p.s. my 12 hens have been giving 4 to 7 eggs daily with the time and season changes
How long does it take you?
