What would the neighbors say, part 2

OR  Logic, reason and open-mindedness meet fear, ignorance and prejudice ( also known as a Home Owner's Association.)

Westerville being Westerville I knew that the push to make hens legal would be an uphill struggle. I never realized how steep that incline would be! I recently sent the following email message to the HOA in my neighborhood. I wanted to extend an olive branch, be reasonable and start a discussion:

By now I am sure you have seen the newspaper articles about a group that wants to make keeping chickens legal in Westerville, and that one of the group’s founders lives in McDot Farms!  Chickens in a suburban neighborhood like ours seems like an odd, a down right crazy to those unfamiliar with the practice of keeping backyard hens.  But many, many keepers of small flocks are proving everyday that hens can be good neighbors. 

None of these people would argue that a full scale chicken farm is a good fit in a neighborhood like McDot Farms. Ordinances prohibit that sort of thing for good reason, and rightly so.  But what those small flock owners would make clear is that a few pet hens (no roosters!) take up less space than a pool table, make less noise than most dogs or lawn care equipment, and a lot less mess than a dog too.

Press coverage of the insect and odor problems at large scale commercial poultry operations have made a strong impression on the general public, who are now convinced that chickens are always a loud,  smelly annoyance.  Nothing could be further from the truth-when talking about small groups of hens in a backyard setting.

I’m writing to you to let the officers and membership of the McDot Farms home owner’s association know that I want to answer any questions and address their concerns. There is no point in  getting City Council to  change the current ordinances if the local HOA would oppose the action.  I repeat in this message to you  what I express in the letter I have sent to City Council: If I thought that keeping 3 hens in my backyard would cause any odor, any noise, any form of annoyance at all, I would not do it. My family and I use our backyard, we spend a lot of time there and I would never introduce an unattractive nuisance into my own backyard, and am not expecting my neighbors to put up with one either. Pet chickens in my backyard would be quiet, odor-free and unobtrusive. I know this for a certain fact because literally thousands of backyard flocks are being kept in neighborhoods just like ours with no problems and no complaints.

I am including with this email the text of a letter I have sent to City Council, along with an information sheet that answers many questions and reservations about backyard chickens, as well as the proposed ordinance we’d like to see Council adopt. 

Let me close by repeating my willingness to talk with any HOA officer or member and speak to their concerns and questions.

Best Regards,

Your Neighbor

Mark Passerrello

Imagine my astonishment when I get this in the mail two days later:

An invitation to discussion? NO! A request for more information? NO! Just the usual dodge for very scared small minds: Hit people who are different than you with rules!