What would you do if you were me? Roo question.

[festivefeet]

We live in an area that we are not supposed to have chickens....more country than city. Corn field across the street, space between neighbors....yadda yadda.

Our township ordinance says that we are not supposed to have chickens at our home. We chose to risk it. They are at the back of our almost acre property.

Neighbors across the street have two ponies and a duck. Neighbors a door down (back in the woods), have a goat, chickens and a rooster (I know this because we can hear them). No one on these properties are in the zoning area for farm animals, just like us.

We have six chickens...one turned out to be a rooster. My daughter loves him, gotta say, I do too. He is a sweet bird and very pretty. However, I don't want to lose everything because of one roo.

So with all that said, if you were me, would you get rid of the rooster?

Thanks.
Jessica

 

[Year of the Rooster]

If your neighbor can have a rooster, then I don't see why you can't since they have the same ordinances.

 

[sherrydeanne]

Check with your neighbors to the left and right; if they're ok with it, go for it

 

[festivefeet]

Neither one of us is supposed to have chickens actually.

 

[festivefeet]

Part of me is afraid to ask the older couple next to us. I don't really want to call attention to the fact that we have chickens. They don't go outside that much and I don't want them to know and then complain. Ya know what I mean?

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Talk to the neighbors first. If everyone is breaking the same ordinances, then eveyone should get unified on it and agree to back one another up.
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What we should day is don't break the rules and approach the council about changing the ordinance. Thats the proper thing to say.
But we all know that you arent breaking anything if you dont get caught.

Besides in todays economic climate, ordinance after ordinance is falling on this score. I watched a good piece on HLN the other day about it. Clean, productive chickens in the urban setting are starting to get noticed for all the right reasons.
Note, I said clean and productive.....

And if you do get busted, do what every one else does: research those places where it works. cry "Fowl!" on the unyielding regime and present those two as your case.

After all, its just a minor ordinance. You'll likely drum up support for your cause, these days. And even if you fail, you get your hand slapped, you shrug and pay a little fine - and you carry on the fight.

 

[Phox01]

I have been told in the past that it is sometimes better to beg forgivness than ask permission

 

[ams3651]

Maybe ask around your town about how much those type of ordaninces are really inforced. I think most of the time in small towns they dont go and check untill someone complains. If your friendly with your elderly neighbors maybe you could have a friendly converstaion with them and find out if they may have grown up on a farm or feel out how they feel about animals. other people have mentioned they keep the peace by offering their neighbor free eggs. I dont think I would add the risk by keeping the rooster but I can relate to how you feel, I love my rooster and he loves his ladies.

 

[LizzyJo]

I am in a similar situation and when my boy starts crowing he will have to leave. No one else has chickens and the neighbors on three sides are going to be getting eggs, but one neighbor will report anything.

My adult daughter was on the deck one day and above his line of sight so he didn't see her; she saw him sneak across the street with a camera with a big lens thing and take pictures of the inside of our house. Later he lectured her about zoning regulations and planning department issues. We think he took his "evidence" and tried to file a complaint about two families living in a one-family house and he didn't get anywhere, so now he is just being an unpleasant person. He also has issues about how our cars are parked and how we set out our garbage cans. He is not even close to being as bad as some of the people I've read about on this site, but he is definitely troubled.

Anyway, he is getting no eggs and no information. We are begging the neighbors that know about the chickens not to let anyone else find out, and so far they are cooperative; but then they have been cooperative over the years for other things as we have been. The strange man is a renter and I can't understand why he feels he has to be the neighborhood Nazi.

My advice is to keep your boy until you receive a complaint letter from some authority and even then don't let anyone come onto your property to snoop around.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I'd be writing letters to change the ordinances where you are. I just can't imagine not being allowed to raise your own animals. That just doesn't seem right, no matter where you live.

Anywhoo, I would check with the neighbors if you know them well. Ask if it would bother them. Most likely if it isn't bothering anyone no one will be reporting it.

I hope you can keep him