Hi Moselle-
WE just went through this!!!!!
We live in a VERY tight neighborhood. Our lot is 55 x 100, we are bordered on 3 sides.
In our city, it was illegal to have chickens, and my daughter and I ran a summer-long campaign to convince them to change the law. But, before we even started that, we went aroung and talked to ALL the neighbors on our street and the one behind us, to make sure nobody had any objections.
here is what we did: Olivia (then 10) and I rang the doorbell. She handed the neighbor a printed-out sheet (see below) and said something like, "Hi, I'm Olivia. I live at xxxxxxx. I would like to get a few hens -but no rooster!- to keep as pets and for eggs, and I just wanted to make sure that it was OK with my nieghbors first."
Many people were enthusiastically all in favor. Maybe 40% had some minor concerns that she or I was able to answer right away, and then they gave their blessing (she actually got signatures to show the city, but of course you don't need to do that). The main concerns were:
1) noise. "Oh, there's already that loud beagle next door! Won't chickens make a ruckus!".... that one's easy. "We're not getting a rooster. Just hens, and they make much less noise than a dog!"
2) I don't want chickens running free in people's yard. What if my dog chases them? .... easy: "we'll keep them fenced in at all times."
WE also felt it was important to point out that the hens would be kept as PETS... that we'd be keeping them clean and odor-free just like any other pet... not like barnyard animals.
That was pretty much it, although once we got to talking to the town, other concerns like avian flu and smell came up. WE addressed those with research and facts... it can't heart to brush up before you go talk to them. Here's a link to the web site we have now about city chickens:
www.sopochickens.org. and to the web site we used during the "campaign" :
http://www.sailzora.com/chickens.htm
And this is the page we put up addressing the concerns and opposition that was voiced in our town:
http://www.sailzora.com/opposition.htm
Here is the letter that Olivia wrote to the neighbors. She illustrated it with drawings of cute chickens:
Dear Neighbor,
My name is Olivia Collins and I am your neighbor at 123 ABC Road. I would like to have a few pet chickens (hens only, no roosters!) Hens are wonderful pets. They are a lot quieter than dogs or parrots, and if they are taken care of as pets, they do not smell!
Also, I think it is important to the environment to practice sustainable living. I grow radishes, carrots, and lettuce in my garden. My pet hens will give us fresh organic eggs (which we will be happy to share with our neighbors) and I will be able to fertilize my garden with their composted droppings. Chickens also eat lots of bugs which is good for the neighborhood. My parents say that it will also be a good lesson in responsibility.
Many cities in America, even large cities like Seattle, Burlington, Portland OR, Chicago, Miami and New York, allow and actively encourage backyard chickens because of the value to the community. They even have classes and seminars! Cape Elizabeth allows chickens, and Westbrook is about to change their zoning ordinance to allow up to 4 chickens per household. South Portlands law is left over from a time when they wished to prohibit commercial livestock-raising in residential neighborhoods, but my hens will be pets, not farm animals. They will not be smelly and noisy like roosters and farm poultry.
I will be meeting with the city council on May 30th, and I want to make sure that my neighbors have no objections before I do. If you support this, please sign my petition.
Sincerely,
Olivia T. Collins
WEll, we've had the girls outside since September and the neighbors have been very interested and supportive. WE've been putting together packs of half-dozen eggs whenever we have enough, and she brings them around to the neighbors. Now some neighbors are even talking about getting their own!!
Good luck-
Stacey
