Hello I'm new here + ANIMAL CONTROL SENDS ME A COMPLAINT!

Hello fellow city chicken keepers!  I'm new to this group.  My name is Stephanie.  I have silkies in a little coop with their own white picket fence right in my NE Heights backyard.  Three are hens & one is a rooster.  The "girls" are all sitting on eggs right now.  We excect some little silkie babies this week!

I received a complaint a month ago from animal control.  It was their form letter informing me that my "barking dog" was causing my neighbors grief.  Also included was a booklet that provided hints on how to keep your dog from being a disturbance.  The only problem?  I don't own a dog!!!

It was Friday evening when I read the letter I had to wait until Monday to get some info on the barking complaint.  So upon callinganimal control for details, I was first asked, "Do you have a rooster?"

Now since I am also an attorney, my instincts told me to never admit guilt to any charges!  So thinking quickly, I answered the question with a question, "What?  A rooster?  Is this a joke?"  The reply, "No.  It says here, Rooster crowing at 6:00 a.m. repeatedly."  I replied evasively, "You know, I got this letter here about a barking dog.  I don't even have a dog.  Who is complaining?"  The response was that they cannot provide that information!!!  I would have to come to the shelter to get a copy of the complaint. 

So I did, only problem was the phone number was scrubbed off, and I had only a name.  I was able to look up the complainant and found it was a neighbor whose property adjoined ours in the back, separated by a fence.  How unneighborly for them to complain without talking to me first!  Especially considering their cats poop in my kids sandy play area on a regular basis, and after complaining I resigned myself to live with it since they couldn't keep their cats out of the yard!

Too make a very long story short, I took the direct approach.  I phoned and confronted the neighbor who made the "anonymous" complaint and told him how very sorry I was, and if he wanted me to make rooster soup I would be happy to oblige, but if he would permit me to try to keep the rooster quiet until a more reasonable hour each morning I would accomodate his morning sleep.

So now, each evening, I place a small, blue rubbermaid container over the rooster to darken him morning into an extended evening.  It mostly works . . . sometimes I still hear him crowing, but it is very muffled, and no more complaints.  Looks like the chickens can stay another day.

 Stephanie