Told to remove Chickens!

[2MuddyBoots]

thanks fillmore, that is what I plan to do, if they send me a letter I'll repost the news. I am very happy that she had same information as me, as soon as I realized that, no doubt I was in the right. Glad to have you guys echo my finding before I went down there.

 

[SusanRenee]

A good option to get public opinion on your side. Know anyone at the local paper? Any other chicken owners? City Council? There is no reason you need three acres to have chickens or a pony for goodness sake! I have 1 3/4 acres and comfortably house 14 chickens, 1 llama and 4 goats plus our house, me, the hubs, the kid, the dog and the cat. Sounds like a law that needs to be changed. Thankfully, I'm in county land, my neighbors are awesome and Idaho believes in personal freedoms!

 

[2MuddyBoots]

if they come back and try to enforce this based off of the tax credit thing or the FAQ sheet (not the actual code)its on. But we will wait and see. If I am still within my rights I still may go to trustees meeting and try to get a proposal passed in the books that will ena le others the right to do be apart of such an enriching thing. From my experience.

 

[Kikiriki]

I think you handled it really well. How fantastic that she had to refer to a FAQ which is not legally binding! And your conversation with the county lady shows that item one is not applicable, as it had a larger than three acre cut off, so the three acre thing is something someone pulled out of their pea brain. I think if they pursue it you could be proactive and actually file a harassment suit or something since the lady has a personal relationship with the complaintant (verify that) and since she could not back up her proclamation in the ordinances. It caused you distress, time, gasoline, and frightened your children...okay I made that one up since you never said it! Look around for a lawyer who would work pro bono for advertising he/she would get and is interested in personal freedom, and contact the local paper: you have a great story of this wholesome family of law abiding people and the government exceeding their bounds and either lying or being functionally incompetent! It might make the complainer sorry she poked the hornets nest.

Of course, you may not want to stir community trouble, yourself, so you should do what you think is best...very easy for me to sit here urging you into activisim!

 

[AlabamaDay]

Hi there!

I realize this thread is old, but just in case you're still reading these boards I thought I'd ask what came of the chicken situation in Goshen. I'm searching for a few acres where I can set up some chickens, bees, and a garden while still commuting into Cinci, and Goshen was/is on my short list. Did the Great Chicken Off end in your favor?

 

[2MuddyBoots]

LOL, well the great chicken off ended like many small town zoning issues, I lost. They threatened fines way bigger than my wallet and I backed down. I worked on a proposal but opted to look for a house out of Goshen. But. here I am, still in Goshen, we looked but nothing came up worth moving for. However, I currently have chickens, here in the same house. I let things settle a good while, put up a partial privacy fence and keep them away from the cranky neighbors. Any day I could be told to remove them though.

Here is what I will tell you, If you have 3 or more acres you are fine to have "livestock". This is based on the handwritten side notes on the FAQ page located only in the zoning office. :cough: ******** :cough:

. Since I have been house hunting, It is difficult to find 3 or more acres as they purposefully have lots sizes end at 2.9 acres in Goshen area. But that depends on you budget. Goshen land also can be very swampy in some areas, like off of Woodville so choose wisely. If for some reason you have a big budget I can tell you there is a great property at 300,000 that would make an amazing homestead that is for sale by owner off Mchenry Road. Barn, Pastures, Pond, 17 acres. hard to find set up.

Also, since I posted this most of the people I dealt with in the zoning office lost their Job. if you search Goshen trustees or Goshen zoning you will find lots of recent articles on "scandals" or Problems that many business owners had with the zoning office or the trustees. It is really my same story over and over, they did what they want, whether it was right or not and as a result many have been laid off or replaced in the recent election.

Pleasant Plain which is a town right next door to here is in a totally different township and is one of the most lax on zoning issues and is a great little community, with a great little mom and pop bluegrass restaurant (plain folk cafe) that is fantastic. Hope this helps in your search. I have looked into a lot of different options in the area so if you have any other questions, who know I may know the answer.
Hilary

 

[StarBop]

Hi Hilary, do you know anything about Goshen in Stonelick Twp? I just moved here last July so this whole township vs city thing is really confusing. I tried calling the township office but the zoning official is out of town for the week. While I would like to know, I really don't want to draw attention to myself if they aren't allowed... Hehe. I'm tempted to just order my chicks and hope for the best, I really don't think my neighbors would mind and our yard has a 6 ft privacy fence. I would appreciate any help though.
Thanks!

 

[2MuddyBoots]

As I put in our pm stonelick is about as relaxed as they come. I know a lady with like 40 silkies on about an acre that has no problems. If you have a privacy fence your neighbors won't even know if you have hens and people who live in stone lick tend to live there knowing they are in the country, Goshen just wants to be the next Mason ... I would say don't be afraid to ask zoning just be general like we are moving to area and want to known your regulations for keeping chickens. If you planning to have roos definitely talk to your neighbors or have rules on your side this will ensure you won't have any drama.

 

[StarBop]

Thanks again! I think it will be fine. Our house backs up to a huge cornfield and our backyard is completely fenced. I'm pretty sure we will only have hens, so no worries about a roo. I'll post when we get our chics and our coop started!

 

[UrbanFarming]

@2MuddyBoots , This is all absolutely ridiculous. I would be so angry, which I'm sure you are. Have you ever talked to your grouchy jerk neighbors to find out what particular aspect of your chickens they had such an issue with? I don't blame you if you didn't because they sound awful and I wouldn't want to talk to them myself. I just can't imagine with your coop 100 feet away what all the fuss could be about. And the fact that the zoning office could never supply you with any actual laws…? ***? How could they threaten you with fines without providing/citing actual laws? I just don't get this and I am extremely frustrated for you. I hope your secret chickens never get found out and I hope you find a new house in an area where you won't get hassled. I'll keep you and your chickens in my prayers!!