Family fights to keep pet chickens in Boca Raton
BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS12) — A Boca Raton family is fighting to keep their chickens safely in their backyard coop after their homeowner's association gave them 14 days' notice to get rid of the birds.
Damir Kadribasic trains dogs for a living but has no pups of his own. Instead, he and his family have chickens.
"We've had hickens for approximately ten or eleven years," said Kadribasic. "We love them, they are our pets."
Kadribasic says he trains his chickens just like he trains his dogs, to listen, socialize and behave around others.
This summer while on a family vacation, Damir and his wife received notice from the Ashley Park homeowners' association saying their beloved pets had to find a new home.
"They tell us you have 14 days to remove the chicken and the coop, if not we start charging you 100 dollars a day," said Kadribasic.
Neighbors and friends of the family immediately protested the association's decision, writing petitions and posters to let the chickens stay.
David Rondon is a lawyer in East Boca and assisting the family.
Rondon says when the family was given the notice to get rid of the bird, they only received a note with one sentence.
Rondon claims the association did not specify what they were in violation of, and didn't point to any bylaws that stated chickens were not allowed.
CBS 12 News obtained a copy of the community’s bylaws and in it, it states only common domestic pets are permitted in the development.
Rondon argues the chickens are domestic pets since they are not being used commercially.
The lawyer also says HOA's cannot selectively enforce rules.
