I don’t understand how people are allowed to keep dogs of every size in the city, yet it’s illegal...

I don’t understand how people are allowed to keep dogs of every size in the city, yet it’s illegal to keep chickens. Yes, roosters are loud, and I’m not saying that people should be allowed to keep roosters. But someone having a couple of laying hens in their back yard…I’m sorry, they make WAY less noise than a poorly-behaved dog. The last place I lived, our neighbor had two hens. When we were outside in the yard, we would occasionally hear the odd “bruck bruck". I never heard a peep when I was inside. The same can absolutely not be said about dogs. I constantly hear dogs barking, some of them carrying on for half an hour or more. Every time I go into my yard, my current neighbor’s dog loses his shit.

I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be allowed to have dogs, though I am saying that I believe people have a responsibility, to their neighborhood and to their dogs, to train them when and how often it is appropriate to bark. I don’t think it’s good for the dogs to constantly be carrying on, especially in the summer heat.

I’m just saying that my city’s (I don’t know about other places) arguments against keeping urban chickens, which basically boil down to noise, are completely ludicrous.

What about smell, which I think is one of the other arguments. I’m not saying that a person should have a flock of fifty hens or something ridiculous like that, any more than a person would be allowed to keep fifty dogs. But a small flock of 2-5 hens…again, going back to my former neighbor. I never smelled anything, and I am known for having a very sensitive nose. Even when we went to her yard to visit the chickens…there was no smell.

I think what the ban on urban chickens really centers around (again, only in my city) is ignorance. These people have never seen a live chicken. They’ve never heard a live chicken, because then they would know how quiet they are. They don’t feel the need to educate themselves, because they’re happy to just get their eggs at the supermarket and not think.

My thought is, if and (hopefully) when backyard chickens are allowed, and someone does have a problem with their neighbor’s chickens, they can call in a noise complaint, just like you would for a dog or a party at 3am. I can, unfortunately, see people abusing the system when it comes to chickens, simply because they personally have preconceived misconceptions about chickens, not allowing them to see (and appreciate!) the living, breathing bird in front of them.

*keyboard smash*