I was listening to this story about a family, living in the city, having to get rid of there chickens because the neighbor didn’t like it. I realized that many people don’t want the added noise or possibly smell chickens, goats, or any farm animal near them. I understand that.
Even though I understand it, I don’t agree. We live in the city and sure it is not customary to have farm animals. But we put up with noise from cars, trains, and others. While we should seek to minimize those noise or all possible noise pollution. I see raising or maintaining a small farm as something we should all tolerate, even if it is a slight disturbance to us.
Keeping our food close and local, helps the environment in many ways. Chickens for example, would happily eat certain types of kitchen left overs. That means less waste to the garbage dump while the family spend less for their grocery, even if it is the cost of eggs and occasionally for meat.
Either way, I think our distaste for the farm like, which we happily consume. Puts more control of our foods in the hands of greedy corporations that raise thousands of animals in close proximity and thus causes all kind of food related health problems. Problems, we then expect the governement to fix for us.
Let’s play a more active role in our food production. Allow, even if you don’t encourage, your neightbors to have a chicken or two, or a goat, or a rooster if they so please. Those animals will add some noise to your life, but is that really so bad? I don’t think anyone has gotten sick from animal noises.
May be I am biased because I grew up with chickens, pigs, goats, cows, horses, etc. either on the property or close by. So I am used to it. But even if you haven’t, I am willing to bet, people have gotten used to a lot worst in city living. Not only the noise of the city, but the anonymity of people around you, the hustling and bustling, and other sources of stress.  Who knows, may be some farm animal noise might reduce your stress or talk to that distant part of you when farm animals was crucial to our survival.