Looking for input on neighbor raising chickens

[Henry&Friends]

lol I don't get rats, an occasion mouse that gets brave enough to enter the yard but never rats, and between cats, dogs and chickens they are dispatched quickly

I watched my chickens eat a mouse whole, but no bird, cat or man could get these rats. Well, except the one I got with my shovel, but that was a lucky grab anyways. (It ran out from between my feet and scared the crap out of me.) Once the chickens were out of the house and I set out poison, I never saw a rat again.

 

[Ribh]

Neighbour wars are the pits. I would mind my own business & let the neighbours mind theirs. Unless there is some genuine problem I would leave it alone. And deal with your dog. I hate friendly dogs. I'm not a dog person @ all. Nothing worse in my opinion than some unwanted mutt making advances.

 

[Wallypoky]

Yes, it's against local zoning laws to raise chickens on their property even if they are kept in a coop.

It seems there are good reasons for this and after doing some more research it appears that the potential for rodent problems in a platted community of limited acreage is one of them.

*

 

[Acre4Me]

Yes, it's against local zoning laws to raise chickens on their property.

So, then you can notify the zoning board and see what happens. This may resolve simply, or it may not from their end. You can’t control their behavior but you don’t want to be the brunt of their pettiness either. Good luck.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

So, then you can notify the zoning board and see what happens. This may resolve simply, or it may not from their end. You can’t control their behavior but you don’t want to be the brunt of their pettiness either. Good luck.

X2

 

[Wallypoky]

I called zoning.
He sent them a notice.
The chickens have been moved inside of the shed and the small chicken door is now shut.
The zoning guy tells me that if the chickens are not visible that the zoning inspector can not enter their property to look inside the shed unless they give him permission. He didn't answer my question as to whether or not he asked for permission to look in the shed. I know that the chickens are in there as I can hear the dozen chickens pecking on the wooden floor and flopping around. I can hear this from my back porch which is about 35' away.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I am not sure what you are asking for on this site.
Is there a rat or rodent problem at your house?
Are the chickens causing a direct problem for you?

If they have junk laying around, that is probably more of a concern for rodents than chickens. Last summer there was a serious rat problem in the city near where I live. Chickens were not allowed in many of the areas that were having problems. Turned out the problem was caused by junk in backyards that gave the rats a place to live, alleys filled with litter from take-out, high water from too much rain, and just general uncleanliness on the homeowners part - unmowed lawns, untrimmed shrubs.

 

[Tortoise]

Now sadly the chickens will have to be housed strictly indoors, so the chickens pay for the owners breaking the law and you complaining before you really had any problems due to chickens.