GREENWICH — A long-running dispute between two neighbors over the crowing of noisy roosters could lead to a broader examination of town codes about keeping live fowl on residential properties.
Resident Aron Boxer, who says he loves animals, went before the Board of Selectmen and asked for restrictions on keeping roosters.
“I am here to get peace,” Boxer, who lives on Walnut Street, told the board Thursday. “Peace of mind and literal peace from the cacophony of roosters littering the peacefulness of the day. With their constant crowing, they go from dawn until dusk. … Sometimes I get a reprieve for an hour or two, but that is rare.”
Boxer said he saved up his whole life to buy a house in the town where he grew up, but the dispute with his adjacent neighbor has made his life difficult for the last 20 months.
He said he works from home as a learning specialist and an executive functioning coach. Some of his clients, he said, have anxiety and attention difficulties.
“It is impossible to shield myself from the continuous disturbances, let alone my clientele,” Boxer said. “The roosters have had a direct impact on my ability to get proper sleep and provide adequate support to my business patrons.
“I love animals. I have two dogs and I have nothing against any breed or any animals. Chicken, ducks, geese, cats, whatever you like. I’m not here to interfere with anybody’s ability to enjoy animals and birds,” he said.
In addition to the constant noise, Boxer said the roosters roam on his neighbor’s property and could wander onto his land.
The neighbor, Boxer said, has told him multiple times that he would get rid of the roosters. And Boxer said the neighbor left a white noise machine in his mailbox and “told me to deal with it.”
Rooster owner
Boxer did not identify the neighbor before the Board of Selectmen, but he told Greenwich Time after the meeting that Peter Janis, a resident of Valley Road, is the owner of the roosters.
Janis confirmed to Greenwich Time on Thursday that he has had chickens and roosters on his property for the past seven years. He said he once had four roosters but has given two away. Then, coincidentally, Janis said he found a new home for the other two on Thursday and was taking them there.
His goal was to find homes for the roosters because he did not want them euthanized. Janis said he believed he had found the roosters a good home, which he hoped would deescalate and end the problems with Boxer.
Also, Janis confirmed he had left the white noise machine for Boxer. Janis said he meant it as a genuine gesture because he uses the same device and said he told Boxer “this should help you” when he gave it to him.
Janis said he has soundproofed his chicken coop and said he never lets the roosters out until after 9 a.m. on weekdays and after 10 a.m. on weekends. In all the years he has had the chickens and roosters, Janis said he has not had any other complaints.
“I am not breaking any law,” Janis said. “I am doing everything within the rules.”
No rules on roosters
Under questioning from First Selectman Fred Camillo at the meeting, Boxer said he had talked to other neighbors and posted a petition on Facebook that he said was signed by 45 people. No one else spoke about the issue at the meeting.
“I am imploring you to either enforce the current ordinances or re-create ordinances with specificity to protect taxpaying homeowners like myself that want nothing more than peace and quiet,” Boxer said.
Camillo said he will meet with the town’s health, zoning and police departments on the issueand visit the property.
According to Michael Long, the town’s director of environmental services, Boxer registered a complaint with the Health Department this week. Long said it would be checked out.
But it was unclear what the town can do, at least immediately.
Animal control is covered in Chapter 4, Article 9 of the town code, Long said, but it mostly covers location of coops, stables and kennels.
And there is no protection under the town’s noise ordinance because “noise from an animal is exempt,” Long said.
Residents are permitted to keep chickens on their property if rules are followed, Town Director of Planning and Zoning Katie DeLuca said. The rules cover no slaughtering, requiring a special exception approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals to sell eggs and setting size and location rules on chicken coops.
Those rules only cover chickens. “There are no rules on roosters,” DeLuca said.
Boxer questioned why anyone would keep roosters.
“Everybody knows that roosters are a nuisance, and they serve no purpose in the chicken community,” he said. “They are not needed for hens to lay eggs and have the potential to be aggressive on top of the noise pollution they create.”
kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
