my chickens against ordinance. any response appreciated.

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
When Tiki first started having issues I took a hard line on it also. If someone
gets chickens when they know the ordinance is against it then they run the
risk of having problems. That is a chance someone could take. It's a chance
I'm going to take when I move to a "no chicken" town in three months.
We won't have the 60 hens we have now but will sneak a few silkies and
quail. If we get caught then I will have to pay the price.

With that said, I disagree about her having chickens being wrong. We
are talking about local ordinances, most of which are in place because
of trends, whiny people, or towns who simply copied other town's zoning
guides. Zoning violations are not a crime and are only enforceably through
fines, not arrest.

If we lived our lives through logic alone they would be pretty boring. Even
Spock had a heart.

 

[Mom 2em All]

I have one neighbor who thinks he is supposed to be the neighborhood police. If he perceives it as illegal or against ordinance- he calls the law. He sticks his nose in everyones business. He has tried every excuse in the book to get into my backyard when we are out there. 10 years here, and he has not been allowed in my back yard once. If he wants to talk to my husband, I send my husband out. I have made it clear to my husband that I do not want him in the house, or in the back. Be as neighborly as you want, but my business is my business- not his.

He lives two doors down, and now I have to be really nice to him. I added a few pullets to my group of illegal ladies and they were so loud the first day, and evening, here. When I had to catch them to lock them in the coop- I KNOW he heard them. I expected the pound to be at my door yesterday morning. NOW, I have to talk sweet, and I made a point to be extremely nice yesterday making small talk. ( yeah, I see your antique car. Its really nice- you are doing a great job, etc) While I was gagging inside, I just kept remembering my girls. I am torn between giving him some eggs, as in admitting that they are there- and just pretending he didn't hear them.

Good luck with your neighbor. There is all sorts of illegal crap going on on my street, but I always mind my own business and keep to myself. My birds are not hurting anyone, or hurting the environment in any way- so, I hope everyone will just continue to leave me alone.

 

[spook]

If there is a law against things, then why be illegal? Give them to a friend or relative until you can fight city hall. Look at what Envirogirl did, that was commendable beyond belief, she is a young lady and made the difference.
Stand up if you are a tax payer or registered voter and let your voice be heard. Bring this to the towns attention at a meeting, get registered voters to sign a petition, neighbors to ok this desire to help you maintain a healthy flock with payment of eggs! Secure a pen, for example again, envirogirls suggestions and get those girls legalized.
The reason that the law is in place could be the fact that people allowed them to stink, rooster fights/or crowing, and even hens can be agressive.
Good luck, but if AC told you to get them gone...your going to be paying a fine and re homing them!

 

[spook]

Quote:
But that is your personal choice to keep to yourself where you neighbors are not like you. So leading by example in several cases is not working, you cover your own butt to keep your home safe, legal and moral. You also take responsibility to contain your girls and not allow them to thrash out their spring fever and worm needs in your neighbors back yard.
I agree on laws, why they are made and also that no one has come forth with a solution to keeping a back yard flock. If we can imagine neighbor hell with a bunch that own a junk yard, with the dog barking all the time, rooster crowing chasing the little kids down the street when they play at the next door neighbors!
This might not be YOU, but it may have been someone else and this is one of the biggest reasons why they put up these laws, that had to be voted on at one point in time (and if your not a registered voter, shame on you) to have passed the law.
Again, bringing the attention to the community, doing your best at odors, happy chicken sounds etc, then you are a role modle, why not step forward and fight city hall. But if a town official caught you, that is quite ofthen the end of the subjet, it is our duty to know and live the laws that are in place, ignorence is not an excuse.

 

[jmb]

I would kill the neighbor with kindness, and meanwhile see how to request a zoning change just for my lot. If chickens are kept legally across the street, this seems reasonable. Where I live it would be a formal request, then it would be published to see if there are any protests against it. I'm not sure what it would cost..if anything..

 

[jmb]

Oh..and I would also re home them until this is squared away..you want to appear to be law abiding..

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
How is it working to put the pine shavings in the RUN AREA ? I use the shavings in my chicken coop , but scared it might cause odor problems if shavings get wet .


As for the nosy neighbor , BRING him a dozen of FRESH EGGS and SMILE real pretty . JERK

 

[jonbanks]

i have the same problem. i live in a town of 300 in the middle of nowhere and they told me i cant have chickens. im keeping them anyway. its funny the ord was only passed in 2006. i dont know why dogs are louder and across the street is a 500 acre spread of horses and all kinds of farm stuff. i dont understand these people

 

[tiki244]

Quote:
How is it working to put the pine shavings in the RUN AREA ? I use the shavings in my chicken coop , but scared it might cause odor problems if shavings get wet .

:As for the nosy neighbor , BRING him a dozen of FRESH EGGS and SMILE real pretty . JERK

Yeah I usually put pine needles down and it rained and the shavings need to go. I wouldnt recomend the shavings

Pine needles work great, and I have even put cedar shavings down which are better but only a few here and there because they can be toxic to chickens if you put too many down, but they smell wonderful. I may put a whole bunch down around the bottom of the perimeter on the outside.

Last year I gave them a bunch of tomatoes from my garden because they love tomatoes. My hens dont even lay that many eggs though. I have bantys and not very many.

When the AC came out he said the place looked very clean and he seemed like he didn't even want to be doing this. He told me he had to come out because of the complaint, but it seemed to me it was more of a nuisance for him to be coming out here than my chickens were.


eta: I rake it up a lot and compost. Last years compost is the top layer of my gardens dirt this year and NOBODY knows it. There is no smell it has turned to dirt!

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Quote:
Wave and shout hello. Make it really obvious that you know they're being nosy.