Neighbor complaining about noisy hens; what can I do?

[ChickenCanoe]

As for the coop, it's up against the wall, and my neighbor's backyard is directly across that wall. I don't get how my neighbor can get away with their wailing dog while my chickens are to blame for noise..

There's your avenue for success. They don't like to hear chickens, you don't like to hear wailing dogs. You're even.

Having the coop up against your neighbor's house may not have been the best decision.

 

[frogeyed]

I just talked to my mom a moment ago, and she said she's checking in with her friend (who I might have mentioned in the first / original post).

The neighbor who I'm talking about had complained in the past of a few other people owning chickens around their residence, so that explains why I'm getting trouble.

But anyway, I have some hope for my chickens. My mom said if my grandpa (he's the one who made the coop) can build another coop for them at her (my mom's friend's house), my chickens can stay with her (I don't want my hens to be put with her other chickens, as she has a rooster who seems to be rough with whichever hen is living with him).

My mom also said I may be able to keep the younger chickens (in pfp) for a while, since they're quiet.

Thank you to all of you who went out of your way to help me. The last thing I want to happen to my pets is for them to be permanently / forcefully separated from me. Despite everything about the rules for owning chickens, keeping most of them here isn't an option, but I may be able to relocate them where I'll be able to visit them again. Thank you again, everyone. The replies helped relieve my panic (partially) and reassure me.

I'll most likely remain on this forum, since it's such a nice place for a chicken-person like me.

 

[glassdragonfly]

Hi I hope you decide to stay! This is a great place to learn and visit with people that share your devotion to feathered friends! Your Grandpa did a fine job on the coop and you keep it very nice for your girls. I hope he will build you another one. Good luck!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I am wondering who the neighbor has complained to. Is it to city authorities or to your mother or other neighbors?
That would make a big difference.

 

[Quackter]

I never had an account here until now, though I often "lurk" here for advice for my chickens. The reason I made this account is because this is an "emergency".

I'm a teen living in Lancaster, California. I have 3 hens and two juvenile chickens.

Just today, my mom had said my new neighbor(s) next door are complaining about my chickens being noisy (ironic considering last night, when it sounded like there was a dying screaming dog next door, not to mention there's so many other noisy garbage around here).
I never got any complaints until today. My mom is worried about being fined $1K+ due to possible noise complaints from them, and she now wants to get rid of the chickens that I've had for months.

A friend of my mom's who raises chickens isn't accepting any more chickens right now, and if I give my chickens to any other of my mom's friends, they'll most likely kill them for food regardless of age or whatever (it's probably a fillipino thing...happened to some of my chickens years ago when I was younger) rather than keeping them as pets or for eggs.

I've been trying to find some ways to fix this through this forum, and all I ever see are people saying to offer the offended (more like offending) neighbor some eggs, which won't work, or to cover the chicken coop, which is impossible for me to do due to how the cage / coop is built.

I keep trying to reason with my mom, but she isn't going to listen to me.

Is there anything I can do to keep my animals quiet? All the "choices" I have right now will most likely result in my chickens being killed. I'm really desperate, and I don't want to lose my pet chickens.

If it helps, I have a leghorn and two small bantams(?). The leghorn lays every day, and screams before and after (mostly when she wants to go outside). The other two barely make much noise, only when they lay an egg once in a while. The two younger chickens are relatively quiet.
I live in a city (sort of), so there's obviously some loud noises everywhere during the day.
Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong forum, but I don't know where else / what else to do...

Hi, and welcome to the forum.
I'm not a lawyer by any means. So my sound advice might not be too sound, (yes lame dad joke). 1st. If the five chickens are all you have, no cats, dogs, etc, skip the rest of this paragraph. I agree with @muddy75 , up to twelve is OK, but there are a couple "buts" to that ordinance. 1. Your property has to be zoned rural residential (You'll have to look at that on a zoning map, you should be able to find it online. It will probably easiest to find on your county's site.) 2. Your property must be over 20k square feet. (This should be on the same property map.) You can ask you mom to look at the deed or do a deed search online too. Those are the easy parts.

There is also at least one noise ordinance relevant. It basically states that the owner must keep an animal within what a reasonable person considers acceptable level. Vague for a reason, I am sure.

Here is what I would do,
Talk to your mom, show her the ordinances. As others have said, let her call the city and see what their take is before you even start to worry. (Make sure you are zoned and meet sq ftg 1st)
With your mom's blessing, for all of the following.
Get statements from all your immediate neighbors, if you have contact with the neighbor that moved who didn't mind, that would be extra good. This will go a long way for defining what a "reasonable" person finds too loud.
Set a phone out and get the neighbor's dog barking and your chickens being loud from the same spot, right on the property line. Get video, of where you place it, and showing the dog. Download a recorder app that will show the decibel levels. Good for the goose is good for the gander.
Pull up the local ordinances, bookmark them, take screen shots of the parts that are relevant. Have them ready, everything in one folder on your phone.
If you have contact with the police, or someone from code enforcement, health dept, etc, have your mom there with you, be polite, but tell them why you think it's legal. Pull up the ordinances, state your case, show that your neighbors don't consider it a nuisance. Take notes of any code they cite. Ask them what they think you could do to comply and still keep them. It's a good thing to video, just don't be obnoxious about it like some of the fartheads on Youtube, just tell them why.

Most normal people are going to be on your side, a teen raising chickens vs. zombying out to Roblox is going to get you empathy, if not support. Probably from the officer taking the complaint, among the first. Somebody who has an issue with a chicken clucking 30 feet away is probably going to rub plenty of people the wrong way. At the same time if they talked to your mom first, rather than calling the police, you may be able to work it out before it comes to that?

Option B. I truly despise the "safe space" culture that young people like yourself are being indoctrinated into. With that said, in this case, the ends justify the means. Get your mom to find you a sandal wearing doctor to document them as therapy animals, anxiety... whatever the reason. Let them try to take them then, or try and fine you. You'd have Non Profits and lawyers jumping to take your case for free so they could do their hours standing up for the disabled rather than defending a drug dealer. You could put one of your chickens on a leash and walk it in front of your neighbor's house after that, (on the sidewalk of course).
Your mom has legitimate worries. If your city has a third party lawyer, it is scary and wrong what they can do over a little code violation. I wouldn't blame her for not wanting to risk too much. You have county and state laws too.
If you have a 4H close, talk to them, they may have good advice, or an Ag or FFA teacher at school.
Good luck Kiddo, I'll put the ordinance link below.

(PS, find out what gets their dog barking, you want it going nuts if the police show up about your chickens. Don't make it obvious.)

https://library.municode.com/ca/lan...T17ZO_CH17.08REZO_ARTIVSTSPLAUS_17.08.180ANKE

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I never had an account here until now, though I often "lurk" here for advice for my chickens. The reason I made this account is because this is an "emergency".

I'm a teen living in Lancaster, California. I have 3 hens and two juvenile chickens.

Just today, my mom had said my new neighbor(s) next door are complaining about my chickens being noisy (ironic considering last night, when it sounded like there was a dying screaming dog next door, not to mention there's so many other noisy garbage around here).
I never got any complaints until today. My mom is worried about being fined $1K+ due to possible noise complaints from them, and she now wants to get rid of the chickens that I've had for months.

A friend of my mom's who raises chickens isn't accepting any more chickens right now, and if I give my chickens to any other of my mom's friends, they'll most likely kill them for food regardless of age or whatever (it's probably a fillipino thing...happened to some of my chickens years ago when I was younger) rather than keeping them as pets or for eggs.

I've been trying to find some ways to fix this through this forum, and all I ever see are people saying to offer the offended (more like offending) neighbor some eggs, which won't work, or to cover the chicken coop, which is impossible for me to do due to how the cage / coop is built.

I keep trying to reason with my mom, but she isn't going to listen to me.

Is there anything I can do to keep my animals quiet? All the "choices" I have right now will most likely result in my chickens being killed. I'm really desperate, and I don't want to lose my pet chickens.

If it helps, I have a leghorn and two small bantams(?). The leghorn lays every day, and screams before and after (mostly when she wants to go outside). The other two barely make much noise, only when they lay an egg once in a while. The two younger chickens are relatively quiet.
I live in a city (sort of), so there's obviously some loud noises everywhere during the day.
Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong forum, but I don't know where else / what else to do...

I would think they could not really make a noise complaint because usually it has to be before or after a certain hour or continuing noise. I don’t think Chickens make continuing noise unless they are super unhappy or scared. Usually when they lay in egg, the noise is only for a short duration.

 

[frogeyed]

I am wondering who the neighbor has complained to. Is it to city authorities or to your mother or other neighbors?
That would make a big difference.

The neighbor complained to my mom, but my mom did mention something about a fine, so I'm sure the person next door "threatened" to have us fined for the chickens' noisiness.

I would think they could not really make a noise complaint because usually it has to be before or after a certain hour or continuing noise. I don’t think Chickens make continuing noise unless they are super unhappy or scared. Usually when they lay in egg, the noise is only for a short duration.

That's what it mostly is. My chicken goes around "singing" for a while, then goes quiet and starts scratching for worms or something. She mostly lays around the morning to later in the day, once a day.

Hi, and welcome to the forum.
I'm not a lawyer by any means. So my sound advice might not be too sound, (yes lame dad joke). 1st. If the five chickens are all you have, no cats, dogs, etc, skip the rest of this paragraph. I agree with @muddy75 , up to twelve is OK, but there are a couple "buts" to that ordinance. 1. Your property has to be zoned rural residential (You'll have to look at that on a zoning map, you should be able to find it online. It will probably easiest to find on your county's site.) 2. Your property must be over 20k square feet. (This should be on the same property map.) You can ask you mom to look at the deed or do a deed search online too. Those are the easy parts.

There is also at least one noise ordinance relevant. It basically states that the owner must keep an animal within what a reasonable person considers acceptable level. Vague for a reason, I am sure.

Here is what I would do,
Talk to your mom, show her the ordinances. As others have said, let her call the city and see what their take is before you even start to worry. (Make sure you are zoned and meet sq ftg 1st)
With your mom's blessing, for all of the following.
Get statements from all your immediate neighbors, if you have contact with the neighbor that moved who didn't mind, that would be extra good. This will go a long way for defining what a "reasonable" person finds too loud.
Set a phone out and get the neighbor's dog barking and your chickens being loud from the same spot, right on the property line. Get video, of where you place it, and showing the dog. Download a recorder app that will show the decibel levels. Good for the goose is good for the gander.
Pull up the local ordinances, bookmark them, take screen shots of the parts that are relevant. Have them ready, everything in one folder on your phone.
If you have contact with the police, or someone from code enforcement, health dept, etc, have your mom there with you, be polite, but tell them why you think it's legal. Pull up the ordinances, state your case, show that your neighbors don't consider it a nuisance. Take notes of any code they cite. Ask them what they think you could do to comply and still keep them. It's a good thing to video, just don't be obnoxious about it like some of the fartheads on Youtube, just tell them why.

Most normal people are going to be on your side, a teen raising chickens vs. zombying out to Roblox is going to get you empathy, if not support. Probably from the officer taking the complaint, among the first. Somebody who has an issue with a chicken clucking 30 feet away is probably going to rub plenty of people the wrong way. At the same time if they talked to your mom first, rather than calling the police, you may be able to work it out before it comes to that?

Option B. I truly despise the "safe space" culture that young people like yourself are being indoctrinated into. With that said, in this case, the ends justify the means. Get your mom to find you a sandal wearing doctor to document them as therapy animals, anxiety... whatever the reason. Let them try to take them then, or try and fine you. You'd have Non Profits and lawyers jumping to take your case for free so they could do their hours standing up for the disabled rather than defending a drug dealer. You could put one of your chickens on a leash and walk it in front of your neighbor's house after that, (on the sidewalk of course).
Your mom has legitimate worries. If your city has a third party lawyer, it is scary and wrong what they can do over a little code violation. I wouldn't blame her for not wanting to risk too much. You have county and state laws too.
If you have a 4H close, talk to them, they may have good advice, or an Ag or FFA teacher at school.
Good luck Kiddo, I'll put the ordinance link below.

(PS, find out what gets their dog barking, you want it going nuts if the police show up about your chickens. Don't make it obvious.)

https://library.municode.com/ca/lan...T17ZO_CH17.08REZO_ARTIVSTSPLAUS_17.08.180ANKE

Well, both my dad and mom don't want to hear any reasons from me, even if I say there's a chance "by law" that my chickens can stay. I'm not really sure if I even have enough time to do much about the problem, since I'm already stuck with highschool work. My parents aren't going to go through a lot of business just because of some chickens, so that's not going to happen (though if I were living independently I would do that).

So far, my mom is working something out with a friend of hers who lives way out, very far away from the city. She's got a huge property, and raises and hatches chicks and chickens where she lives. If my grandpa will build another coop there for my own chickens, I can safely relocate them to my (mom's friend's) house where I can freely visit them whenever I can. I just hope it's soon, because I'm going to have a panic attack if I ever get the notion that my chickens aren't going to be safe.

 

[ShannonR]

I think it's ridiculous when new people move into a home and immediately start complaining about what their neighbors are doing. Your chickens were there first!

I have an idiot neighbor kinda like this, and I love to do small, legal things that irritate the crap out of them. Such as releasing thousands of insects into my vegetable garden, then snickering when a pest control company shows up at their house a week later. Repeatedly.

I've also: parked my car in my lawn, stopped watering the front lawn, left my RV (which in all honesty I had planned to move) in my driveway for them to complain about, even though it's perfectly legal there. I put in a veggie garden in the front lawn, and had to tear out a bunch of tree roots to do that (no trees on my side of the fence). So, yeah. The neighbors leave me alone now, which is exactly the way I like it.

If they want to fabricate drama, I'll give them all the drama they want. In my quiet, passive aggressive and totally legal manner.

Good luck with your own neighbors.

 

[Quackter]

The neighbor complained to my mom, but my mom did mention something about a fine, so I'm sure the person next door "threatened" to have us fined for the chickens' noisiness.


That's what it mostly is. My chicken goes around "singing" for a while, then goes quiet and starts scratching for worms or something. She mostly lays around the morning to later in the day, once a day.



Well, both my dad and mom don't want to hear any reasons from me, even if I say there's a chance "by law" that my chickens can stay. I'm not really sure if I even have enough time to do much about the problem, since I'm already stuck with highschool work. My parents aren't going to go through a lot of business just because of some chickens, so that's not going to happen (though if I were living independently I would do that).

So far, my mom is working something out with a friend of hers who lives way out, very far away from the city. She's got a huge property, and raises and hatches chicks and chickens where she lives. If my grandpa will build another coop there for my own chickens, I can safely relocate them to my (mom's friend's) house where I can freely visit them whenever I can. I just hope it's soon, because I'm going to have a panic attack if I ever get the notion that my chickens aren't going to be safe.

I really feel for ya kiddo. My pure guess would be the neighbor knows the fine amount because they had to deal with it over their own dog. From my totally novice interpretation, "reasonable" seems to be 65 decibels at the property line. I could see a dog exceeding it, but I couldn't see a hen coming close on it's worst day. I don't know your parents, but sometimes taking the initiative and showing them you put the work in might sway them your way a little bit? Maybe taking a measurement of how loud your hen actually is might be a start? They do have their reasons, fines, and into liens, court recovery costs, (California is famous for), it definitely isn't something to take light.

Whatever happens, learn something from it. Best case could be sometimes you have to stand up for things that should be a given, or the world will just take more. Worst case, it's that life just isn't fair sometimes, not always, but sometimes. Your parents might be teaching you to pick your battles, school and being able to choose your college is probably the more important one right now?

 

[chickens really]

@Brahma Chicken5000
He definitely will understand and possibly have some input for your situation...