Town is threatening to take away our beloved hens, HELP!

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ntloveschickens

ntloveschickens

Hatching
5 Years
May 22, 2014
3
0
7
New York
Someone has called and reported us for having chickens after THREE years with no issues!!! The stupid building code enforcement lady came to my house today and gave me the bad news and im very upset and you know what i will go to court to fight this. I live on Long Island, Nassau County. The Town of Hempstead laws are ridiculous.

Okay so people can have yappy loud barking dogs but not hens which are way quieter then dogs. So we are allowed to keep dead chickens but not happy live ones? This is messed up. Im not letting go of the hens because I love them so much. I feel violated and i hate that there is no privacy in this neighborhood. I want to know which of my “fellow neighbors” called and complained! Theres no way im parting with the hens!!! Our chickens cause no harm to anyone and are extremely peaceful animals. Apparently I have a very selfish ignorant neighbor(s). I feel sick to my stomach and am so upset and angered by this. We have cared for them since 2011 and it hasn't been a problem until today. Id like to excuse myself from life.. Because this is obserd! This is their home.. Where else do they expect us to keep them? I trust no one with our chickens because society just will view them as a cheap meal and not the unique creatures they are. My dad even built them there own huge chicken coop by himself and in the egg industry.. There would be like 100 hens crammed in there and our government says that is legal. There are 5 hens who sleep in the coop comfortably and its like a chicken mansion by industry standards lol. Something needs to change here..

So we now received a notice of violation that states “you are hereby ordered to immediately cease and desist from HARBORAGE OF CHICKENS which constitutes a violation and if your failure to comply with this order by 6/22/14 may cause a summons for an appearance in court to be issued against you. Then so be it.

If anyone has an suggestions on how fight the town of hempstead please feel free to help me fight this so we can keep our hens! I can't imagine parting with the hens, I care about them just as much as my dog and cats.




 
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Ive seen people contact news crews & start petitions. Call the city, check the codes and make sure your with in guidlines. You can also check with your neighbors & see who the stick in the mud is.. Best of luck
 
Dear ntloveschickens,
oh my gosh. i was so upset when i read this!!! well have you done your research about how many hens you can keep in a res area. feel free to PM me. this is so upsetting and disappointing if you have raised them or just bought them
so sorry,
NakedChickling9
 
BrendaJ said:
Ive seen people contact news crews & start petitions. Call the city, check the codes and make sure your with in guidlines. You can also check with your neighbors & see who the stick in the mud is.. Best of luck
Click to expand...
yes yes yes you should take BrendaJ's advice again so sorry
 
Thank you for both of your feedback and support! I am going to try contact the news tomorrow so i can better advocate for keeping the hens. Its astonishing how just ONE neighbor complaining dictates us keeping the hens or not. Its ridiculous. I firmly believe that everyone has the right to raise backyard chickens!
 
Alright
welcome-byc.gif
great to have you joining the BYC flock
frow.gif





Wow that is just horrible I would really like to say what I think but I am on the computer so I will just say that and not what I would like too .......


Good luck and please keep us updated .....
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


Oh NO! That is just awful!! Your flock is so pretty!! You need to follow the link to our Chicken Laws and How To Change Them that Kelsie has left for you. Maybe you can glean some info from others that have changed their laws and how they went about it.

I wish you all the luck I can give you!
hugs.gif
 
ntloveschickens said:
Someone has called and reported us for having chickens after THREE years with no issues!!! The stupid building code enforcement lady came to my house today and gave me the bad news and im very upset and you know what i will go to court to fight this. I live on Long Island, Nassau County. The Town of Hempstead laws are ridiculous.

Okay so people can have yappy loud barking dogs but not hens which are way quieter then dogs. So we are allowed to keep dead chickens but not happy live ones? This is messed up. Im not letting go of the hens because I love them so much. I feel violated and i hate that there is no privacy in this neighborhood. I want to know which of my “fellow neighbors” called and complained! Theres no way im parting with the hens!!! Our chickens cause no harm to anyone and are extremely peaceful animals. Apparently I have a very selfish ignorant neighbor(s). I feel sick to my stomach and am so upset and angered by this. We have cared for them since 2011 and it hasn't been a problem until today. Id like to excuse myself from life.. Because this is obserd! This is their home.. Where else do they expect us to keep them? I trust no one with our chickens because society just will view them as a cheap meal and not the unique creatures they are. My dad even built them there own huge chicken coop by himself and in the egg industry.. There would be like 100 hens crammed in there and our government says that is legal. There are 5 hens who sleep in the coop comfortably and its like a chicken mansion by industry standards lol. Something needs to change here..

So we now received a notice of violation that states “you are hereby ordered to immediately cease and desist from HARBORAGE OF CHICKENS which constitutes a violation and if your failure to comply with this order by 6/22/14 may cause a summons for an appearance in court to be issued against you. Then so be it.

If anyone has an suggestions on how fight the town of hempstead please feel free to help me fight this so we can keep our hens! I can't imagine parting with the hens, I care about them just as much as my dog and cats.




Click to expand...
Your chickens are gorgeous! While I understand your anger and frustration, I have to play Devil's Advocate here and ask a couple of questions. Did you research the ordinances of your community before you got chickens? If you did and you knew that you couldn't keep them, then in the eyes of your town you absolutely are in violation of existing law. If you didn't check into that beforehand, why not? Before you come down too hard on your neighbor, are you certain that your chickens haven't done anything to incite her resentment? They don't wander over to her property and nibble here and poop there? Is your coop closer to her property line than it is to your other more accepting neighbors' lines? Can she see , hear and smell things they don't because she's closer? (Before you get angry, I see your beautiful birds but cannot see your set-up so it's a fair question)

As angry as this situation would make me, I'd have to be honest with myself and instead of ranting I'd be taking some serious looks at why my neighbor complained first. It's like the old saying, "The only person who doesn't hear a barking dog at 2 am is the dog's owner." We all want to think that our chickens and our set-up is perfect, but sometimes a look through the eyes of another is helpful. And lastly, that "stupid building code enforcement lady" who came to your house is doing her job - nothing more, nothing less. Getting angry and calling her names will not help your situation a bit. Your tax dollars are paying her salary...would you rather she didn't earn that salary and just sat in her office filing her nails? If you'd called with a complaint about someone or something and she did nothing you'd be angry about that, and rightfully so. She probably didn't want to come to your house bearing bad news any more than you wanted to hear it.

There are ways to change laws, as Kelsie and others have pointed out. Get angry, but be smart about that anger. Channel it instead of nursing it and letting it grow. Arm yourself with information, be prepared to present your arguments calmly and rationally, and get others in your same situation to unite with you. Going to the news organizations is a real good idea, but only if you come across as a rational person with genuine concerns and ideas. Going off half cocked on TV or radio isn't going to help. First impressions count.

I so hope you find a way to be able to keep your chickens. They look healthy and happy, and it's obvious you love them very much. One other thing you might bear in mind - if you do have to re-home then, remember the people on this forum. Think about the time that goes into doing the best they can for their chickens, about the care and the attention their birds get. Most people who love having chickens want the same thing for theirs that you want for yours. So lose the mindset that anyone who takes your chickens for you is just going to "view them as a cheap meal." That's a little unfair. I know that you believe you are the best owner for your chickens and you are absolutely right. But to paint all other chicken keepers with a black brush is harsh and won't help you find the best home for them if that's what it comes down to. Oh, I wish you the best of luck. Please keep us updated on your situation and be sure to read the forums on the laws and how to change them.
 

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