Neighbors Breaking Every "Raising Chickens" Rule In the Book!

[beastiesfirst]

If anyone can answer my questions, I know someone here can. There are no zoning laws in my village; neighbors have installed a makeshift coop - which controls neither the flock which seems to be growing weekly, or the rooser that crows incessantly - just outside their door and not 20' from my property. I have never seen them clean anything in the coop - the most they do is sweep now and again. Grain is kept in plastic pails. Unless these birds are litter trained, they're pooping all over the place (including my property) and toddlers under the age of 5 are running barefoot in what I can only presume is chicken offal. They have a BBQ grill set up on a wooden fire escape, not 3' from the coop on which they cook food and then feed it to their children. They do not wash their hands (including the children) after handing the birds, but go back to whatever they were doing - sometimes cooking. They do not change their shoes (if they're wearing any) after being around the coop. Hay/straw is stored in an old garage with no doors without appropriate circulation around the bales. I have seen rats in the garage. All of this causes me to wonder why they don't install a billboard advertising free room and board for the rodents. The coop was installed on 5/2, and not three weeks later, the first of my geriatric dogs was diagnosed with a serioius bacterial infection. About three weeks after that, a second dog fell ill. My vet is beginning to believe this has something to do with the chickens and the maintenance of the coop, since the dogs did not become sick within days of each other. I am having urine tests run for leptosporosis and salmonella. For what it's worth, the prevailing wind comes to my property from the direction of the coop. When I look for the cause of a problem, I look at what has changed; the only change has been the addition of the chickens and the associated coop, feed, hay, etc. Since I cannot change the village law, can anyone give me guidelines about how far the coop should be placed away from a residence? Can anyone address what I believe is a likely connection between the coop/chickens/rats and my dogs getting sick?

 

[Leslieb118]

Wow, it really stinks that you're going through this, no pun intended! Where do you live? There is a section in the forum relating to local laws and ordinances.
Not sure what type of diseases can be passed from chickens to dogs/people, but I know rats can do harm to both. Most chicken owners are more responsible than the ones you seem to be dealing with. If the lab work on your dogs comes back positive for something associated with them, then maybe you can contact your local authorities about the problem? Can you file a complaint in your village about the problem?
I'm really sorry you're going through this. Chicken ownership is such a positive and rewarding experience for us here at BYC and what you're going through is far from normal, I'm sure. It would help to know where you live, though, so maybe we can help you research a little more about it.

 

[Judy]

They have a responsibility to keep their animals off your property, just as you have to keep yours off their property. Around here, animal control would address a situation like this, I believe. Your vet will know who to call.

 

[beastiesfirst]

I really appreciate your concern. Thanks for your response.

I live in Lewis County, NY a place where nobody wants anything to change ever - God forbid there should be more laws! The Town Board flatly refuses to enact zoning. I have called every agency I can think of - the Fire Department that cannot act until the Codes Officer cites them, and he's apparently not in any hurry to do that, fire hazards notwithstanding. I am told I must have "proof of rats". I am in no mood to buy a camera capable of taking pictures at night and even less amenable to sitting up all night (I could never do it!) to get the job done. I had thought about setting traps, but the children are often unsupervised and if they got into one, it would open another can of worms that I can't bear to contemplate.

I have called the CDC in Atlanta who sent me to the NYS Department of Health who sent me to the County Health Department that clearly has no interest in pursuing the matter. There is no village Health Officer; the last one died earlier this year and the village board is clearly in no hurry to appoint one. The Sheriff's Department has no jurisdiction because there are no laws being broken. I have "hotlined" the Department of Social Services because of the children and they won't help me because the children are "not in imminent danger". Really??

What I know about chickens (except that they're tasty) could fit on the head of a pin. I've been researching and researching some more and I have learned about lepto and how it is transmitted. If there are rats in their garage, there've probablyl been rats in my yard/dog run. I didn't realize that salmonella could be airborne spread. The good news is that both dogs will recover - this time. If the situation is not corrected, I'm afraid it'll all happen again. At their age, the dogs can't withstand the the trauma of serious illness, and I can't afford the vet bills.

Will you address the issue of proximity of the coop to the residences - theirs and ours? And can you recommend any other agencies to call?

 

[beastiesfirst]

There is no "animal control" around here. We have only one sorely over-worked part-time Dog Officer. He has no jurisdiction over chickens and the fools that own them.

 

[Kittyf]

I'm so sorry you must contend with inconsiderate - and by your descriptions, dirty - neighbors. At least almost everyone here can sympathize. We also can sympathize with the chickens, as most of us not only keep chickens, but keep them very well indeed, with secure and attractive, clean coops, secure runs or free ranges on private properties. Most of us are also considerate regarding our own neighbors, with coops away from neighboring residences and roosters only where allowed.

I really don't know what you can do about people who cook near their coop and allow small children to live in unsanitary conditions. Sometimes these things sort themselves out just fine and children develop immunities and no one gets sick. The chances of airborne illness from chickens are pretty small. Disease from rats would be more likely - you do need to control vermin on your side of the fence.

As to how far their coop needs to be from your property, if your village has no rule, then there is no rule. My city has no rule for this either, although roosters are prohibited where I live so as not to bother neighbors with noise.

I might suggest you invest in a proper fence or wall to separate you from the neighbors and screen them from your view - the rooster noise may still be a problem, but that may be addressed by your village's noise abatement polcies.

Sometimes the best way to deal with a neighbor problem - barring any actual cruelty or illegal activities - is to ignore them and try not to fret about it.

 

[Leslieb118]

Well, for starters, here is a link to the Laws and Ordinances forum:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/37/local-chicken-laws-ordinances-and-how-to-change-them

There are many people on there that have issues with ordinances and how they can keep their chickens. I know some people have posted at one time or another, their local deed restrictions, zoning ordinances, and things like that. Some I've read have said that their coop has to be quite a ways away from the property line. Some limit the amount of hens you can have, along with the banning of roosters. Do you have a Homeowner's Association? Are there Deed Restrictions where you are?

I'll keep looking around for things that might help.

 

[Cetawin]

I hate to tell you this but dogs eat chicken poo and can puck up bacterial stuff and worms from that. Do you have a fence around your property? If not, I suggest one and then capture every chicken you find on your property and call animal control.

 

[beastiesfirst]

Nope, dogs aren't eating chicken offal. They are in a run where chickens can's get in - but rats/vermin can.

 

[JoePa]

Well - it seems you have yourself a problem - living in a town that has no zoning rules has its advantages but also its disadvantages - as you know - now since there are no zoning in your town you can build anything you want to as close to your property line - right - so why don't you build a real high fence along your proerty line - a real high one - as high as you can afford - then plant those green giant bushes that grow to 50 feet next to the fence - that should pretty much block the smell - and anything else that might come from their yard - if any chickens come in your yard butcher them - the fence and bushes will keep you neighbors apart from each other - the other alternative you have is to move which I think you don't want to do - but if you do make sure that the new place has zoning laws - have you ever gone over and talked to them about the smell and other annoyances - if done the right way maybe - I say maybe - they will clean things up - who knows - in the meantime don't let things get to you - life is full of things like this - you gotta roll with the punches and make the best of it - good luck - hope things work out -