Help me defend against my neighbors arguments---point me to the evidence!

[ibjessa]

My neighbor called the code officer on me yesterday
I'm building just the cutest little coop in the world for my six chicks, and I thought I was in compliance with our local ordinance in Mendon, NY. We are allowed six chickens, no roosters, as long as they are housed 100ft from all property lines. It turns out I'm 20ft short on all sides and there is no place to move the coop to comply. So, I'm going to have to have a public hearing to request a variance--which the neighbor said he will fight.

I received an email from the neighbor today, stating his explicit concerns. I'll be going over to talk to him tonight and would like to be able to refute his arguments with evidence. Help show me the way!

His arguments:

1.) My chickens will draw predators and therefore disease to our neighborhood, and that puts his cats at risk.

2.) Chickens, even just the perception of chickens, will decrease property value.

His arguments 3 & 4 are hard to refute. 3-He doesn't like the concept of zoning variance in general. 4-He has hated chickens ever since being pecked horribly as a teen.

Can anyone help point me to the most successful defenses against these lines of thinking?

thanks so much!!!
jessa

 

[gg706]

I am not sure I would waste my time going to talk to him....I would go talk to the OTHER neighbors bordering your property and see if ANY of them are fond of your chicken idea. Maybe one of them would allow you to put the coop toward their direction and away from the nasty neighbor. I don't think going to his house and arguing with him at his doorstep will change his mind. But if you want my ways of thinking they are as follows

Chickens that are well cared for do not stink. It is his opinion that chickens lower property values...I would be more inclined to purchase a property where I could have chickens.

Chickens eat bugs including mosquitos and roaches BOTH of which spread diseases!

Chickens will kill and eat mice and snakes.

CATS ARE NASTY they can pass SEVERAL diseases to humans.....a friend of our family passed away from cat scratch disease.

 

[leadwolf1]

Cat food attracks more/same predators as chickens will. Cat food is a favorite of raccoons and opossums.

If his cats are outside and unleashed/uncaged, they are roaming the neighborhood, defecating in others flower beds. That could be deadly to pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Chickens do not carry disease, unlike cats, that can be spread to humans. Unless they are infected with salmonella and you could have them tested for that.

I agree with gg706...see if you can move your coop to somewhere closer to one of their properties, 100 ft from his line. Bribe them with fresh eggs

 

[cassie]

Ask him, as a matter of curiosity, just what evidence he has that chickens decrease property values. In fact, he cannot cite any evidence to support any of his claims because there isn't any.

 

[rikithemonk]

Your not going to convince the guy, some people are just jerks.

I would point out that the chickens will not be running around the yard, that they will be completely enclosed in a low profile coop that will not be vi sable from the street. Since the Chickens wont be running all over the place and since there will be no roosters to make noise, the problem of predator's will be minimal. You could reply with several pictures of low profile chicken tractors. If you do, make sure that every single thing in the picture is pristine and absolutely perfect. You have to prove with the pictures that clean, upper class people can have chickens. Remember that when you say urban chickens, the first image that comes to mind is a slum or ghetto. Each picture must break that image. I would also point out that your a good neighbor, you keep the yard clean, are quiet and don't cause trouble. Tell him that you don't intend to start trouble now, or to become a nuisance. You will continue to keep things clean and quiet and that he wont even know the chickens are there. Of course, if you happen to be one of those loud neighbors that keeps the yard a mess and pl ayes music at nine o'clock at night, then your out of luck.

Riki

As for predators, he has a point. I wouldn't want one in my neighborhood either.

 

[calliexw]

Do his cats live outside, or come on your property? A lot of places have ordinances and laws against that.... just sayin

 

[bj taylor]

My neighbor called the code officer on me yesterday
I'm building just the cutest little coop in the world for my six chicks, and I thought I was in compliance with our local ordinance in Mendon, NY. We are allowed six chickens, no roosters, as long as they are housed 100ft from all property lines. It turns out I'm 20ft short on all sides and there is no place to move the coop to comply. So, I'm going to have to have a public hearing to request a variance--which the neighbor said he will fight.

I received an email from the neighbor today, stating his explicit concerns. I'll be going over to talk to him tonight and would like to be able to refute his arguments with evidence. Help show me the way!

His arguments:

1.) My chickens will draw predators and therefore disease to our neighborhood, and that puts his cats at risk.

2.) Chickens, even just the perception of chickens, will decrease property value.

His arguments 3 & 4 are hard to refute. 3-He doesn't like the concept of zoning variance in general. 4-He has hated chickens ever since being pecked horribly as a teen.

Can anyone help point me to the most successful defenses against these lines of thinking?

thanks so much!!!
jessa

*the predators are already there - he just doesn't see them. his cats, that he aparently allows to roam at will, are already encountering these predators. his cats, in fact, are a more serious predator than many other animals.
*there is a very large movement, especially in urban areas to address outdated ordinances restricting chickens. chickens are the new chic demonstrating a person's preference for organics &/or natural foods. chickens help minimize garbage waste by consuming kitchen scraps, help keep pests controlled such as ticks.
* help him see that he was probably attacked by a rooster & you will have hens (nice girls laying delicious fresh eggs).

 

[chickmashnoon]

if his cats are fed openly outdoors, and your chickens have their food inside the coop away from other animals, then it is more likely that his cats would be attracting predators. Issues 2,3, and 4 need to be pointed out that they all his own personal bias. #2 needs to have examples of clean upperclass coops to break the image of 3rd world livestock, but I would also point out that it is a pride of Americans to try to be self sufficient. Appeal to patriotisim Chckens are patriots! Where else do they come up with a breed like plymouth rock? Jersey giant? ohio buckeye?

#1 seems like the only real battle, and with proper mantinence disease can be averted and you can point out that your chickens will be inside the coop and not attracting predators.

save all your arguments for the city. I would also get the opinions of your other neighbors to see if you have a fighting chance. If he is the only one in the neighborhood who has a raging anti-chicken bias due to a traumatic childhood experience, well, it's likely you're not the only one who might disagree with him. He may have other issues with other neighbors and your city may be more likely to ignore his disapproval if he is a pest.

good luck!

there is always the malaysian ground parrot defense . . .

 

[llandry]

i completely agree with gg706. i like the idea of asking another neighbor if you can put the coop closer to their property line. a much more mature response than what i was thinking! i work in a vet hoslpital and trust me, his outdoor cats are a bigger problem than your chickens. if you wake up one day and decide his cats are a bother to you, a little call to animal control will fix them.

 

[Renegade Rescue]

We have a dog rescue and several small coops someone had the bright idea to drop their pregnant cats at a dog rescue some peoples kids.

The cats are more of a concern hurting the chicken has cats do hunt small animal’s rodents and such. If the coop and yard are kept up property values should not be affected. If your chickens are going to be penned up then your neighbor will not be forced to interact with them. And maybe remind him how many times you have seen little paw prints all over you just clean car and have never complained. Perhaps a good argument against his chicken argument can be found below hope it helps and good luck in your endeavor
.


The cats can also pass zoonotic diseases to not only animals but to humans

Cat-scratch disease, also called bartonellosis
Salmonellosis

Parasitic Infections
tapeworms
roundworms
hookworms

Fungal Infections
Ringworm

Protozoal Infections
Cryptosporidiosis
Giardiasis
Toxoplasmosis
Toxolasma gondii

Cats can become infected by eating infected rodents, birds, or anything contaminated with feces from another infected cat. An infected cat can shed the parasite in its feces for up to two weeks. The parasite must then mature for one to five days before it becomes capable of causing infection. However, it can persist in the environment for many months and continue to contaminate soil, water, gardens, sandboxes, or any place where an infected cat has defecated.



Please keep in mind I do not hate cats I am only offering information.