City Issued a Citation and claims we aren’t allowed to have chickens due to neighbor’s complaint. What are my options?

[my spoiled chickens]

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actually you only need to put them in a 3rd of a cup of water for 4days

 

[my spoiled chickens]

yknow we could just start a riot

 

[wkyongae]

Perfect if I had a rat problem on my farm I don't think it would be a good idea to move the rat food source in the garage unless you just really like rats and mice.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Feed is in a big plastic tub, rat proof. I’ve seen rats eating the food out in the run, even in broad daylight.

Poison isn’t really an option because the chickens free range often. So we have been using traps ever since we discovered rats but they must keep reproducing or something to be causing this big of an issue.

Use Rat X, it's safe around livestock, it works by dehydrating the rodents.

 

[wkyongae]

I talked to a professional rodent exterminator once years ago as he was checking the bait boxes around huge warehouses. He told me if he catches one rodent then he has a serious problem of rodent infestation. His job then changes from exterminator to food source locator.

 

[All4Eggz]

Use Rat X, it's safe around livestock, it works by dehydrating the rodents.

I did purchase that as soon as someone mentioned it and I’ve been using as instructed until now.

 

[Evadig]

I am sorry about your hens...

 

[MysteryChicken]

I did purchase that as soon as someone mentioned it and I’ve been using as instructed until now.

I must've didn't see the suggestion.

 

[Emmaloveschickens9156]

She has no proof they are coming from your property. Maybe some Rat poison around the fencline? your chicks may be safer if you get a non toxic or less potent version. hope this helps!

 

[The Welch Chickens]

Some time last year the city came because of a noise complaint, demanding we get rid of almost all the flock and all the roosters. We had almost 10 roosters, had to get rid of all of them.
Had about 60 chickens, they said we can only have 15 so we brought it down to about 20 and the guy let us slide. He’s a nice guy, always is trying to help us and doing everything he can to let us keep the chickens.

That was sometime last year. We’ve had chickens for around a decade so we thought we’re off the hook. City clearly said we are allowed 15 hens because of the size of the coop and property, multiple inspections followed the complaint last year.

Some back story. Fresh eggs are huge in our family. Chickens are a big deal here. We don’t even eat store bought eggs, before they would even make some of our stomachs hurt.
So I am trying to do anything I can to keep these hens. We don’t sell eggs anymore, no profit from them. Just the fresh eggs, and occasionally, meat.

I am just needing help on how I can fight them this time…

It’s the same neighbor complaining this time.
This time there’s rats “coming from the coop and into her garage.” And i don’t deny we have rats, i’ve seen a few here and there. The chickens are close to her property line but we have double fencing to divide both sides.
The guy from the city claimed she provided “evidence” of the rats because she took photos/videos of them in her garage.
HOW is this evidence that they’re coming from our coop, and how is that enough to force us to get rid of all our chickens?

The man mentioned something about other neighbors being involved, so she must’ve got other people on board to fight against us.

I am willing to do what it takes the keep the 15 that we were allowed in the first place.

Thinking of moving the coop to the other side of the property, it would be almost an acre away from the complaining neighbor’s fencing.
I can get an exterminator for the rats if it I find it to be affordable…. I’ll do this if I need to. I’m not going to do it if I have to get rid of the chickens either way.

Please share your experiences if any, and any insight on what to do/how to do it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

That stinks. By best friend lives in Mass and they just got told on by their neighbors. They had to get rid of their roo yesterday and were told to bring the number of hens down. They're so upset.