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

[ntloveschickens]

Thanks you for all of your feedback, I appreciate it more then you know! I can use all the advice and suggestions that I can get.

Quote:
I am fully aware that according to the town, we did technically violate the law. But IN MY EYES, the law is unfair and unjustified. Its outdated and when we adopted the chickens from a friend, I really didn't see anything wrong with keeping them in my backyard considering they are not a nuisance to my community.
To me, I looked at bringing healthy happy LIVE chickens into my home as such a harmless act, that i honestly didn't think it would become a problem for anyone else around us if we kept it on the down low. It just doesn't make sense to me how it is totally and perfectly legal to posses dead chicken like its nothing and people can go to the supermarket and buy chicken there but keeping live ones is somehow against the law? I mean, don't chickens have rights? Apparently they do not, and neither do I. I just hope that I can open the towns eyes to the keeping of hens.

Quote:
Our property is fenced in, so they only stay in our yard, never crossing over to the neighbors house.they free range all day, but the hens do naturally go into their coop at night to sleep and lay eggs in morning. They do not smell and the coops placement is far away from the neighbors house. I will admit that sometimes the hens to get a little noisy occasionally but stop after maybe 5-10 minutes and then stay quiet throughout the rest of the day. I will take a picture of their set up today!
Quote: The woman who came to the house was very rude and abrasive towards me about the chickens though.Also, she made it a point to go around my entire property, and find as many "violations"as she could while she was there to of course make money for the town. I understand she is doing her job but there is a nicer way to go about things. When i wrote this post I was of course feeling angry and very upset so I apologize if the way I worded certain things were offensive.

Quote: When I said that, It wasn't at all directed to any member on here. This is a website where people I would hope would love their chickens as much as I do. It wasn't directed to backyard chicken owners, unless the chickens are being used for food. Then I have a huge problem with that! From my experience, the general population( not including backyard chicken keepers) do not look at chickens as pets or family, Most people look at a chickens and think food, and do not appreciate the creatures in which they are. I have a huge passion for all animals, so it upsets me very much that these animals are used for food. That is why I said most people view chickens as a cheap meal. What i wrote shouldn't be taken personally and was not directed towards the caring people on here.

 

[Blooie]

You know what I think? I think you are a genuinely good person who read my responses and thoughtfully responded to my points, even when you didn't like them. That speaks volumes about your good character. I was so hoping that you'd read what I said with an open mind, realizing that I was indeed playing the Devil's Advocate, and not launching a personal attack. Thank you for that! I'm so glad that I was able to make my points without offending you.

But IN MY EYES, the law is unfair and unjustified. Its outdated and when we adopted the chickens from a friend, I really didn't see anything wrong with keeping them in my backyard considering they are not a nuisance to my community.
While I see your point, we can't pick and choose what laws we follow. There's a stop sign not far from me that annoys me to no end. It's at a really dumb intersection and the road dead ends on one side, so there's no actual cross traffic - just me at the stop sign and any other car would be coming from my left with making a right turn his only possibility. In fact, it's more of a sharp curve than an intersection. But the law says that even at two in the morning I have to stop at that corner. I can't choose what laws to obey - I just have to obey them and then try to get someone in authority to see what a waste that sign is. By the way, I am working on that but in the meantime I have to stop.

Our property is fenced in, so they only stay in our yard, never crossing over to the neighbors house.they free range all day, but the hens do naturally go into their coop at night to sleep and lay eggs in morning. They do not smell and the coops placement is far away from the neighbors house. I will admit that sometimes the hens to get a little noisy occasionally but stop after maybe 5-10 minutes and then stay quiet throughout the rest of the day. I will take a picture of their set up today!
That's great...that would be very helpful. It was hard to visualize what the situation might be, so my questions were necessarily vague and generic.
The woman who came to the house was very rude and abrasive towards me about the chickens though.Also, she made it a point to go around my entire property, and find as many "violations"as she could while she was there to of course make money for the town. I understand she is doing her job but there is a nicer way to go about things. When i wrote this post I was of course feeling angry and very upset so I apologize if the way I worded certain things were offensive.
Understood! It's bad enough being called out but to have to deal with someone who was rude was asking a lot! There is never an excuse for anyone, most especially a representative of a community performing an unpleasant duty, to come onto your property and throw an attitude. If that was the case, you are certainly justified, almost obligated, to report her behavior to her superiors. I sure would have. Just be absolutely sure you aren't reading more into her words and actions just because you were angry. As far as her just being out to make money from the town, as a town official myself believe me, there are easier ways to supplement a town's coffers than personal visits and finding as many violations as possible. Of course you were angry when you posted, and understandably so. No apology necessary.
When I said that, It wasn't at all directed to any member on here. This is a website where people I would hope would love their chickens as much as I do. It wasn't directed to backyard chicken owners, unless the chickens are being used for food. Then I have a huge problem with that! From my experience, the general population( not including backyard chicken keepers) do not look at chickens as pets or family, Most people look at a chickens and think food, and do not appreciate the creatures in which they are. I have a huge passion for all animals, so it upsets me very much that these animals are used for food. That is why I said most people view chickens as a cheap meal. What i wrote shouldn't be taken personally and was not directed towards the caring people on here.

By wording my statement to include members of BYC, I inadvertently gave you the impression that I was only referring to those members. I was simply trying (and very badly!) to convey that there are lots of people who could offer a home to your chickens and who wouldn't look at them as a cheap meal. My intent was to point out that lots of people - including many who've never heard of this site (Do such people exist? What do they do with their time?

) who genuinely like the idea of keeping chickens and would be able to give them a good home, not to imply that you in any way mistrusted those who dedicate so much of their time to helping each other right here.

You know what else I think? I think I'd very much enjoy sitting with you over a cup of coffee and strategizing over a way to fix this so that not only you, but future chicken owners could know the fun and benefits of backyard chickening!

 

[Basskids08]

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.

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.

Very nicely put,

 

[dikbiscuit]

First, welcome to the site. Sorry you've had a complaint. I absolutely agree with @Blooie . If they've been causing a noise issue or perhaps getting in to other people's gardens then that is cause for complaint. Assuming you are allowed to legally keep chickens then it would have been nice for the neighbour concerned to contact you first. Perhaps as has been suggested you can go round and have a talk with your neighbours to see who complained and see if you can work things out with them and the building code enforcement folks. As Blooie said, be calm, be rational. Point out that you've owned them for 3 years with no problems, that they are quieter than barking dogs, they are looked after etc...

I don't know the full situation but I hope things work out. Best of luck and I hope you get to keep your chickens, they're very pretty.

Edit: agreed with NakedChickling9, you'll have to give us some updates when you can.

 

[sourland]

Hello

and Welcome To BYC! You might like to check out the BYC Laws forum for suggestions on getting ordinances changed etc www.backyardchickens.com/f/37/local-chicken-laws-amp-ordinances-and-how-to-change-them and check out/ post in your state thread if you can find any people near you that might be able to join you https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/231485/ny-chicken-lover Sorry about the problems you are having, hope you are able to keep your hens, you have a lovely little flock.

Welcome to BYC - sorry about the circumstances. Right now the town has the upper hand since they have an ordinance that says "No Chickens". Others have proved that such ordinances can be changed. You may have to find a temporary home for your birds until you can get the laws changed. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[NakedChickling9]

beautiful hens! so unfortunate you are having troubles. if you are in a 4-H,FFA,independent, etc. you should get your group to help or if any of your friends love chickens. the more you have the more people will pay attention!! We are all waiting to see what will happen!! good luck!! update the thread when anything changes