Oddly enough I just had a conversation with a friend that lives in Maryland on this same topic. Apparently a lot of east coast states allow you to raise a small number of chicken hens for eggs. There are rules and no roosters.

A little research or a visit to city hall might be helpful.

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
If it smells really bad they are doing it wrong. Maybe you could help them learn better flock management techniques.

DING!

Too many chickens in too small an area, plus not frequent enough cleaning.

As others have said, check the code. Cities that allow backyard chickens by code often have a limit on how many you can keep.

As to HOA, I'd rather smell somebody's animals than have some asshole telling me how often to mow my lawn or what color I have to paint my shutters.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
If it smells really bad they are doing it wrong. Maybe you could help them learn better flock management techniques.

DING!

Too many chickens in too small an area, plus not frequent enough cleaning.

As others have said, check the code. Cities that allow backyard chickens by code often have a limit on how many you can keep.

As to HOA, I'd rather smell somebody's animals than have some asshole telling me how often to mow my lawn or what color I have to paint my shutters.

I agree. And as Black said, many allow chickens in town now, but not more than a few. What you have happening sounds like a problem, and if you work it right, you might get some free eggs
Actually, probably not likely if it's to the point where you have to comment on odor. Somebody for sure isn't cleaning well. I could see a bit perhaps in spring when it starts to warm up, but once thaw has happened, and the ground dries and firms up, it shouldn't stink! That would suck to be at your pool, enjoying the high life, and smelling chicken shit. Lol. Definitely a fan, at the least...but then there'll be noise pollution.

Chickens are on the front burner in my little town. Currently you can keep 5 but there is a movement to increase flock to 10. Much dithering going on.

http://www.newsandtribune.com/...59-6715588b41ec.html

JEFFERSONVILLE — An update to a 2016 ordinance regulating certain animals in Jeffersonville may be revisited after it failed to pass a final reading by the Jeffersonville City Council on Monday.

If passed, Monday's ordinance would have included restrictions on keeping certain animals. Roosters, turkeys, guineas, ducks, geese, pigeons and peacocks would be banned within the city limits unless the property was zoned agricultural.

Chickens would be limited to five on residential properties less than one acre and chicken coops would need to be at least 50 feet from any home.

The update, a plan that J.B. Ogle Animal Shelter director Sarah Green had worked with the council on, included modifications to the ordinance that regulates the treatment and keeping of domestic, dangerous and/or vicious animals within the city limits.

The updates were partly to fill in gaps that were left out when the ordinance was amended in 2016, Green said. The way the current law is, if she gets a complaint about a rooster or too many chickens, she doesn't have legal backing to cite a resident for it.

“We can go out and talk to them but we can't tell them they can't have them,” she said.

But the law would only apply to new situations, she said. People who now have more than five chickens, for instance, or a rooster or duck in the city, would be grandfathered in and unaffected unless they got more animals.

Although it could be easier to keep track of when someone builds a new chicken coop, Green even has questions on how exactly the grandfather clause would work on the animals themselves.

“We can't go tag them so I don't know how we would be able to enforce the grandfathered aspect,” she said.

Lisa Gill, council president, said she's had complaints from her constituents on the smell and on roosters getting loose.

“We're not trying to be discriminatory against roosters but roosters [can be] mean,” she said. "We need to address [the issues] and go ahead and get a solution for them."

Although a motion by Councilman Dustin White removing ducks and roosters from the ordinance passed 5-4, the subsequent vote to approve the ordinance itself failed 6-3.

White originally wanted to change the ordinance language to also allow 10 instead of five chickens and no 50-foot yard space barrier to chicken coops. Some people don't have yards large enough for that, he said. And keeping 10 chickens can allow people to get enough eggs for their family while raising new hens...

quote:

We're not trying to be discriminatory against roosters

Ha!

I could say something here, but I better not

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
If it smells really bad they are doing it wrong. Maybe you could help them learn better flock management techniques.

This. We have chickens, granted we live in the country, if the Coop is kept clean, they use some decent bedding, the right food, etc.... they don't stink.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
I would check into the city code on poultry raising before I did anything.

Exactly.

It's surprising the kind of damage a couple of hungry mink can do to a flock overnight.

quote:

Originally posted by Jaywendland1981:
Get a pit bull and start feeding it raw chicken and let ot loose.

Beat me to it.

**UPDATE** Im not sure if my neighbor heard me ranting about the smell. Within 2 days of my post the smell was gone. I have not heard a peep from my neighbor about my rant, but the smell is gone! Thanks for the ideas. I will go to the City and inquire regarding Chickens in City limits if the aroma comes back. Thanks everyone!!

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
If it smells really bad they are doing it wrong. Maybe you could help them learn better flock management techniques.

This. We have chickens, granted we live in the country, if the Coop is kept clean, they use some decent bedding, the right food, etc.... they don't stink.

Yep.

We have a small flock and the points above are right on the mark. Pine shavings about a foot deep (like what's used for horse bedding), replenished on occasion and cleaned out once or twice a year works great. Ours are out all day and penned in at night.

Silent

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
If it smells really bad they are doing it wrong. Maybe you could help them learn better flock management techniques.

This! Our coop is 30' from our porch and we get breeze from that direction part of the time and no smell. Keep the coop and run clean and don't over crowd them. My wife hangs dried herbs(basil, oregano, lavender, mint etc.) in the rafters of the coop and much of the time it actually smells nice inside.

health dept, h.o.a. , but good luck ,
there are people all over the place that are relocating because of this b.s.

Nice that the smell is gone, but if I were that neighbor I'd be building some goodwill by slipping the occasional basket of eggs your way.

Glad the smell is gone.

The next door neighbor had chickens when I moved into my current place but I never smelled anything. No rooster issues either.

My neighbor raised them and I guess they did it right, they were both vets though.

We miss the free eggs, they were delicious.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
I would check into the city code on poultry raising before I did anything.

This. Very few city's allow roosters. Most have a limit to the number of chickens. There's also nuisance and health issues.