Plandome Manor resident's bid to keep chickens denied

A bid by one Plandome Manor resident to keep a small flock of chickens in his yard was denied last week by village trustees, who expressed concerns about potential nuisances caused by the birds.

Resident James Brodie said he asked the village board if he could keep five hens in a movable coop in his yard. He said he has kept chickens intermittently during his life. The village adopted a law banning the keeping of live chickens without the village’s permission in 2005. The issue has come up several times across Long Island, where municipalities differ in their approach to chicken-keeping.

“There’s nothing not to like about chickens,” Brodie said.

But at the board meeting, one of Brodie’s neighbors said he was against the practice.

“I’m opposed to having chickens next door — it’s unsanitary and everything else,” said Joseph Pace, who expressed concerns about the noise the chickens would make and how they would be kept.

Village officials agreed, voting after executive session to deny Brodie’s request, according to the village clerk.

Brodie said he planned to circulate a petition to try to overturn the village’s ban on chickens, which he called overreaching.

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“If there’s a problem with noise, or health issues, you should come down with a heavy hand,” Brodie said. “But a blanket outright ban of innocent chickens? It’s criminal. It’s overlegislating our environment.”