HELP! My HOA wants to evict our hens!!

[SunnyCalifornia]

Do you know which neighbor complained? Throw eggs at their house!! LOL.

No, actually I'm totally kidding. Don't do that. Sometimes chickens are noisy and a nuisance. I have a hen that is much louder, and "speaks her mind" more often than even my roosters. Even though I'm zoned for chickens, I totally worry about them being loud an annoying. I'm even contemplating moving their coop to the other side of the yard, where she'll be further away from my neighbors that like to read and smoke

on their back porch in the morning... (but I don't complain...)

Sometimes its not the chickens though, and the chickens are just a 'legitimate' excuse to complain. Do you have anything else that goes on that might be irritating them? I'm pretty sure my dog is more annoying than my chickens. She likes to bark a lot, but that wouldn't be a legitimate complaint in an HOA, the chickens would be, get what I'm saying?

Maybe a nice discussion could lead to a compromise and withdrawal of their complaint? Free eggs might help? Sometimes if you even "introduce" them to your fuzzy butts, then it personalizes it a bit more... Throw a diaper on your cutest, friendliest hen, and the two of you bring over a basket of eggs. ?? Yes, that is totally manipulative, but its not illegal...

Or are they just curmudgeons that like to complain? If so... bummer... those kinds of neighbors stink!

I often wonder what happened to the "kind" in "mankind", you know? Good luck to you. I hope you can find a solution that allows you to keep your hens. I'm in North County too, fortunately the old, unincorporated area that is more livestock tolerant.

 

[swatskee]

Quote:
There it is... What exactly is a "household pet" ?? I say keep'em

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
There it is... What exactly is a "household pet" ?? I say keep'em

If you read the whole section, the board has sole discretion in determining what is and is not a household pet. In my email to the OP, I suggested that she formally request recognition that they are pets, along with several other things to show herself in being reasonable and responsible in preventing and addressing any nuisances.

 

[CAMathMom]

Are you in the Estates by chance? If so, I'd love to help change CC&R's to make chickens legal on the horse side. My neighbor's horses smell and the dogs next door bark at every car that goes past. My hens eat snails, earwigs and other garden pests. They are fenced in and don’t dump on the road. I know that some people have aviaries and I am wondering if chickens are much different.

 

[amylou22]

I am so sorry you are going through this. At the end of the day, how much power does your HOA really have? Like, if you just roll your eyes and say "riiiiiight." And keep your chicks. Will they really come pack your animals up or will they just be jerks and continue to pressure you to do it?

(And stuff like this is why I refuse to live anywhere there is a HOA.)

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

HOA - that's like my worst nightmare! I will NEVER live anywhere that my neighbors decide what I can and cannot do on my own property. We once considered moving to the Denver CO area. That ended real quick when I realized the only decent houses we could afford had HOAs
I'll stay on my 25 acres zoned agricultural.
Sorry I can't help you. The wording looks to me like absolutely no poultry.

 

[ChickenGirl3]

Hey Everybody,
If Your Illegal For Have Poultry Say "i"


I

We Hide Our Chickens They Are Noisy But My Closest Neighbor Moved And My Other Neighbor Is An Arce Away!!! My New Neighbors Don't Mind The Chickens, Give'em Free Eggs!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Depending on your state's laws and the documents for the specific HOA, breaking the rules can bite BIG time...or not. When you purchase property in an HOA, you are agreeing to a LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT.

If you signed a contract with someone, and they failed to live up to THEIR agreements, what would you do? Say the contract is for them to purchase your home...and they fail to make reasonable efforts to secure a loan; or if it is a contract to provide you with some service...and they do not; or a contract to rent a home with utilities included, but the utility company turns them off for non-payment. Legally, failing to abide by the CC&Rs is no different.

 

[Mattemma]

I would ask that they be seen as pets. Perhaps you can limit it to 3. I bet they are concerned that if they allow you then everyone will have chickens,and some will not care for them properly...then the whole neighborhod would go to hell....chickens,pigs,underwear drying on a front yard cloths line,lol.

If that does not work I would be hammering a *FOR SALE* sign on the front law the same day they said no to my hens.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I think arguing that the hens are kept as pets is your best bet. I can't see any other loopholes to go through, unfortunately.

I hope you are able to work something out so you can keep your hens!

I know I would be devastated to have to give up any of my birds. From what I've seen on here, HOAs can be a pain in the butt! Makes me adamantly certain that I will never live anywhere with a HOA. I want to be able to keep the animals I want in the numbers I want without anyone putting their nose in my business. If all else fails, maybe it's time to pack up and move somewhere else. Lots of empty houses right now, that's for sure, and I'm sure not all of them have HOAs attached.

Best of luck to you.