City Issued a Citation and claims we aren’t allowed to have chickens due to neighbor’s complaint. What are my options?

[ILoveDaffy]

I’m assuming the amending of the ordinance which was the main goal to begin with.

This would legalize (6) chickens in our city for all zones with a minimum of 5000 square feet, rather than properties with over 5 acres in one specific zone.

Maybe start with 4 or 5 instead of six?

 

[NatJ]

Maybe start with 4 or 5 instead of six?

I doubt that 4 vs. 5 vs. 6 is going to make much difference in their perception.

But 6 is a much better number if you are dealing with minimum orders from hatcheries, and I see many threads claiming that Tractor Supply will only sell chicks in quantities of 6 or more (I do not know if this is a policy of the whole TSC chain of stores, or if this is per-store or per-state policy. Some states do have laws requiring that young chicks be sold in quantities of 6 or more, so that is probably the cause of TSC's minimums in those states.)

And if you have adult hens and want to raise new chicks, two hens plus two chicks makes four, and that is the bare minimum for each hen and each chick to have a same-age companion. If you have three older hens and get three new chicks, there you are at 6 birds again.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

I doubt that 4 vs. 5 vs. 6 is going to make much difference in their perception.

But 6 is a much better number if you are dealing with minimum orders from hatcheries, and I see many threads claiming that Tractor Supply will only sell chicks in quantities of 6 or more (I do not know if this is a policy of the whole TSC chain of stores, or if this is per-store or per-state policy. Some states do have laws requiring that young chicks be sold in quantities of 6 or more, so that is probably the cause of TSC's minimums in those states.)

And if you have adult hens and want to raise new chicks, two hens plus two chicks makes four, and that is the bare minimum for each hen and each chick to have a same-age companion. If you have three older hens and get three new chicks, there you are at 6 birds again.

That's true. I just thought that it might seem like a significantly smaller number to non-chicken keepers.

 

[NatJ]

That's true. I just thought that it might seem like a significantly smaller number to non-chicken keepers.

That is a good point, but I don't think it will make much difference to their perceptions unless you get it all the way down to 1 or 2, which might sound reasonable to people who are likely to have that many cats or dogs or canaries or guinea pigs or something of the sort.

Of course 1 or 2 is not a good number for chickens, since they like to live in flocks.

Also, if it starts at 6 and someone tries to pare it down, there is room to give a little bit and still end up with 5 or 4. But I'm guessing the real problem is that it would allow any chickens at all, not the exact number of chickens.

 

[All4Eggz]

Maybe start with 4 or 5 instead of six?

The amended ordinance would allow a maximum of 6 with a minimum of 5000 square feet of land, which if you think about it is not very much land. So going to be very easy for nearly everyone in the city to have up to 6 hens.

Having less than 6 does not make a difference, 6 is just the maximum with a minimum of 5000 sq. ft.

We have around 1 acre right now.

 

[All4Eggz]

That is a good point, but I don't think it will make much difference to their perceptions unless you get it all the way down to 1 or 2, which might sound reasonable to people who are likely to have that many cats or dogs or canaries or guinea pigs or something of the sort.

Of course 1 or 2 is not a good number for chickens, since they like to live in flocks.

Also, if it starts at 6 and someone tries to pare it down, there is room to give a little bit and still end up with 5 or 4. But I'm guessing the real problem is that it would allow any chickens at all, not the exact number of chickens.

Yes!! That’s all we’re trying to start at right now!!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

But how deep of a well? Kidding.
Rhetorical question.

It's valid you have a good point! It was that particular well, not any well...

 

[123RedBeard]

Any advice from anyone at this point? Anything we can do to help?

My suggestion would be to increase the land requirements to 11,000 sq ft (just a tad over a 1/4 acre)

And put in some kind of set back from property lines for the coop and run ... 10'? 25'?

If that were passed ... And in a few years ... Things were going well ... Than maybe they could be convinced to lower the land requirements ...

 

[All4Eggz]

My suggestion would be to increase the land requirements to 11,000 sq ft (just a tad over a 1/4 acre)

And put in some kind of set back from property lines for the coop and run ... 10'? 25'?

If that were passed ... And in a few years ... Things were going well ... Than maybe they could be convinced to lower the land requirements ...

The land requirement is just from the original proposal. I’m sure we could offer to increase the req if that would make them more likely to pass it.

They already have some kind of requirement for how far the coop needs to be from the property line (in the proposed ordinance).

 

[cassie]

If rats are the problem, you have to get rid of them first thing. However, no matter what you do, go to the local law library and look up the codes yourself. There has to be one in your community. It may take some research to find out where it is. If nothing else, call any attorney's office and ask them. Insist the officials give you the code numbers of the ordinances they are citing you under. I have found that what an official, any official, tells me what the law is, is not necessarily what the law in fact actually is. By the way, I have found that reference librarians at the law library are very helpful.