We have to get rid of our chickens!

[Cetawin]

I am so sorry you are going through and so sorry your son is being hurt in the process. Tell them "NO" and demand to see the written LAW that states you cannot have them, that you must get rid of them and the complaint specifics...what the complaint is for such as noise, smell or whatever lame thing they came up with.

Do not just take it for granted that you have to get rid of them....from what I have read there is nothing saying you cannot have them. The links posted for you are very informative and neither prohibit you having them necessarily.

Don't just roll over to this...they have to provide you with the information so demand it.

Good luck to you and your girls are beautiful...worth fighting for.

 

[LeelooD]

Quote:
I doubt they had to go to that much trouble. It looks like the OP used her real name in her blog so probably all the neighbor had to do was to Google her. It is still kind of creepy and stalkerish, though.

It's pretty much the same in my county. I think if you are zoned residential (at least half the county is) you aren't supposed to have "farm animals." Oodles of people do it anyway, but you are at the mercy of your neighbors being cool or jerks! Good luck if you try to fight it!

 

[SarniaTricia]

Us A-Burg people need to band together!
I did my research online and didn't see anything about Urban Farming and/or Chickens.
We have a turkey farm and poultry houses not that far from town. There should be something we can do!
My nieghbour has chickens, I have chickens and my other neightbour is in LOVE with my girls.....

We should be able to find some way to fight this!!

 

[The Burg Peeps]

Bump

 

[oneofseven]

What are your specific charges on paper?

 

[drdoolittle]

I feel bad that you may have to get rid of your chickens, and hope that it turns out that you are not in violation of any law so that you can keep them.

That being said, we all need to remember that if there are laws prohibiting livestock/chickens in a certain area, people who move to that area probably don't want to live around livestock/chickens.

It's no different than people moving to a certain type of neighborhood because they know that the homeowners association has certain rules that everyone must follow and the neighbors homes will be kept up to a certain level of appearance. Or any different than me moving way out in the country because it allowed me to have livestock w/o worrying about someone complaining or turning me in.

I just thought I'd point out that there are 2 sides to every story----although I think that if the neighbor had a problem with your chickens, they should have come and talked to you first. Anyway, you only have 4 chickens-----they can't possibly smell or make too much noise. I have over 30 chickens, and I don't notice any smell and they really are pretty quiet compared with some people's dogs.

 

[LeelooD]

Quote:
But is it really a problem or do they just perceive that it is a problem because of preconceived notions that the only people who have chickens are low class, hillbilly Clampett types? It can be difficult to fight stereotypes. I don't enjoy the fact that my neighbors have two noisy pit bulls who bark at all hours of the day and night, especially if I walk near my own fence. I've never complained to the authorities, but other neighbors have and nothing has been done because apparently people think it's your God-given right to own dogs. That is what finally convinced my husband and I to go for having a couple of chickens. If we have to put up with that noise, then we should be able to have the pets we want! If we get in trouble for it eventually, I guess I'll fight it or move.

 

[CluckCluck18]

OMG! I can't imagine how bad it would be to have to give up your chickens. I've only had mine over a year and they have become such a big part of my life not to mention the time,effort and $$$ to build the coop. In the county where I live there is a coalition and petition in the works to allow every household to have 2chickens. Maybe you could start something like that to help fight against all those ignorant, cowardly, mean spirited folks. I'm so sorry for you and your little one, too.

 

[drdoolittle]

Whether or not it's a problem is not what my point was-----I was just stating that there are 2 sides to every situation. Personally, I don't think 4 chickens are any kind of problem.

I have been in the OP's situation before. Where I used to live was inside city limits, and we had goats, chickens and ducks-----we lived on about an acre, and only had 2 goats, a few ducks, and about 15 chickens. They were all kept very well and only free-ranged when we were home.

An elderly couple (probably the wife) called neighborhood code enforcement on us because I had roosters and they were crowing, and of course there was a city ordinance against having livestock. Well, the NCE person came out and talked with me and took pics. of my animals and their enclosures.

The only difference in my situation was that we had lived in that house prior to the neighborhood being annexed by the city, so we grandfathered in on the livestock issue. I did, however, agree to sell all but one of the roosters to try and keep the peace with the neighbors-------although everyone else in the neighborhood said they enjoyed hearing the roosters crow. I don't think the crowing was really an issue at all-----the people who complained never even had their windows open-----I just think the wife didn't like me much.

 

[The Burg Peeps]

What are your specific charges on paper?

Having poultry in a residential zone. It is clear in the bylaw... my husband missed that part of the bylaw. I did, although, email the bylaw officer prior to getting chickens and inquired about getting them and he never responded so I assumed we were ok. He apologized for the oversight... I had some words for him about his oversight.

we all need to remember that if there are laws prohibiting livestock/chickens in a certain area, people who move to that area probably don't want to live around livestock/chickens.

I do understand your point and I can see how it would apply to me having a cow or even a rooster. Cows are large, have massive manure and can be a bit loud; roosters are loud and can even be a bit aggressive sometimes. These are 4 hens who barely make a peep and are clean and adorable. We are allowed to have 3 caged birds, 3 dogs, 3 cats, 3 rabbits, 3 of any rodent BUT NOT chickens. They are considered poultry and prohibited... this seems a bit ridiculous to me. To apply for a variance they want to charge me $500 and to get rezoned is even more expensive and requires a $2000. deposit. They make it nearly impossible to change things or make a case for yourself. We will battle this out. i have had 2 visits today alone from local media who are covering our story... hopefully we are able to make a difference or at the least spread the word and educate. The complainant used my BYC page to verify their complaint and a reporter asked me why I still leave up the page. Answer: It goes against everything I believe in. Raising Chickens is not something I am ashamed of or feel I should have to hide. Its about educating my children as well as others in the community and who may stumble across my blogs.

Fingers Crossed for Change!