Ducks In Suburban Neighborhoods? City Rules?

[EverythingDucks]

So, I've been wanting to get ducks for a while, and I've done lots of research on them. I have a duck house planed out and I'll probably spoil them like dogs. Only problem, Clearwater doesn't allow ducks, and we live in a suburban neighborhood. I know ducks (especially females) can be noisy. Which I'm fine with. It's just the neighbors I think will be okay with it. The people behind us have a rather large yard in comparison to ours, so they probably wouldn't hear them as much. The people to the right of us, well, they don't really come outside much, even in the back sooo... And the people to the left of us my parents are good friends with. They're expecting a baby soon too. Hopefully if I give them fresh eggs every now and then they'll still like us lol. I would like to try to change the poultry law here soon. Here are some things that will hopefully change their minds (this is mainly about ducks)


Pros:

• Ducks and chickens provide fresh eggs daily
• Duck eggs are great for baking
• Their waste can be turned into fertilizer to help plants and gardens
• They eat insects such as slugs, snails, grubs, mosquito larvae, and more
• They provide more self sustainability

Reasons Not To Allow Ducks:

• Noise - ducks aren't that loud when kept happy, and kids and dogs are often just as noisy if not loader than ducks. our neighbors have two obnoxious dogs who bark non-stop and they aren't illegal. some people over three streets down have a parrot that screams so load you'd think it was sitting on your shoulder, and parrots aren't illegal
• Mess - yes, ducks can be quite messy sometimes, but that's just part of owning a pet, it's in your own yard anyways
• Cleanliness and Germs - ducks can sometimes spread germs and viruses to humans, but that can be easily avoided with proper care. as long as you are washing your hands and cleaning up after them like a responsible pet owner there will be no issues. the same for any other animal
• Attracting Predators -

That's all I can think of for now. What would you suggest I use as a counterargument or something?

 

[Sasha-chickens]

just ask the neighbors if they will be fine with it

 

[21hens-incharge]

My advice is function within the laws/ordinances or expect people to react negatively.

Setting up for poultry/ducks is not cheap. It would be a shame to invest a ton of $ and have to get rid of everything including the ducks/chickens, fencing, housing etc.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

So, I've been wanting to get ducks for a while, and I've done lots of research on them. I have a duck house planed out and I'll probably spoil them like dogs. Only problem, Clearwater doesn't allow ducks, and we live in a suburban neighborhood. I know ducks (especially females) can be noisy. Which I'm fine with. It's just the neighbors I think will be okay with it. The people behind us have a rather large yard in comparison to ours, so they probably wouldn't hear them as much. The people to the right of us, well, they don't really come outside much, even in the back sooo... And the people to the left of us my parents are good friends with. They're expecting a baby soon too. Hopefully if I give them fresh eggs every now and then they'll still like us lol. I would like to try to change the poultry law here soon. Here are some things that will hopefully change their minds (this is mainly about ducks)


Pros:

• Ducks and chickens provide fresh eggs daily
• Duck eggs are great for baking
• Their waste can be turned into fertilizer to help plants and gardens
• They eat insects such as slugs, snails, grubs, mosquito larvae, and more
• They provide more self sustainability

Reasons Not To Allow Ducks:

• Noise - ducks aren't that loud when kept happy, and kids and dogs are often just as noisy if not loader than ducks. our neighbors have two obnoxious dogs who bark non-stop and they aren't illegal. some people over three streets down have a parrot that screams so load you'd think it was sitting on your shoulder, and parrots aren't illegal
• Mess - yes, ducks can be quite messy sometimes, but that's just part of owning a pet, it's in your own yard anyways
• Cleanliness and Germs - ducks can sometimes spread germs and viruses to humans, but that can be easily avoided with proper care. as long as you are washing your hands and cleaning up after them like a responsible pet owner there will be no issues. the same for any other animal
• Attracting Predators -

That's all I can think of for now. What would you suggest I use as a counterargument or something?

try an all drake flock! when i got my first ducks i lived in a city as well, and my all male flock was VERY quiet most of the time. good luck, ducks make great pets (i treat mine like dogs too, so they are very friendly and imprinted on me)

 

[Ratchnick]

I think if it were legal you could get away with it. As soon as someone has a bad day and quacking pushes them over the edge they are gong to call the cops.

 

[TomCahalan]

If you are going to publicly advocate for a change in the law, then there will be people opposed (as with anything). Those people might snoop around to see if you already have ducks. You should choose one course of action, not both.

 

[Duckmom27]

I don't have any advice on getting them to change the laws and wouldn't know where to begin with that process, but I also live in a suburban neighborhood and ducks are allowed here, so know that there are places where that's ok, and maybe you could use some examples where in-town poultry is legal and doesn't cause problems in your argument for making it legal in your area too.

 

[jkindelspire]

My advice is function within the laws/ordinances or expect people to react negatively.

Setting up for poultry/ducks is not cheap. It would be a shame to invest a ton of $ and have to get rid of everything including the ducks/chickens, fencing, housing etc.

This, exactly. Remember that neighbors change - they move, pass on, etc. Just because your current neighbors might be OK with you getting a backyard flock, there's no telling what the future holds. It would be a shame to have new neighbors turn you in to the authorities because they don't like your backyard flock. Heck, it would be a shame for current neighbors to do the same.

There's a petition on moveon.org that is asking for allowing residents of Clearwater to have backyard chickens. This is a good gateway; if this comes before the mayor, ducks and other poultry/fowl may be added to the list of what's permissible. At least if you're acting within the law, the risk of losing your flock is minimized, albeit at the risk of harming relationships with your neighbors.

At least if you're acting within the law, folks will probably be more receptive to the idea of keeping backyard ducks. You would become an ambassador of sorts.