Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 31, 2025 A crackdown on crowing Board of Health director says proposed revisions of animal keeper regulations won’t allow roosters in Saugus By Mark E. Vogler R Dr. Rosemonde Paulo DNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC Mindset Psychiatric & Wellness LLC 26 Ferry St., Everett, MA 02149 Phone: (781) 242-5401 Fax: (781) 205-1973 Email: Info@mindsetpsychiatricwellness.com He’s Back...and Better Than Ever! John A. Fitzpatrick (Fitzy) Sales & Lease Consultant Direct: 617.410.1030 Main: 617.381.9000 Cell: 617.279.9962 jfitzpatrick@mcgovernauto.com jfitzpatrick McGovern Automotive Group 100 Broadway, Rte. 99, Everett Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 oosters are an invaluable part of poultry farming. They mate with hens and fertilize the eggs. They are also defenders of the flock, protecting it from predators and other threats. They are at the top of the chicken pecking order and necessary for its survival. But there’s a reason why they are not welcome in residential neighborhoods in the vast majority of municipalities throughout Massachusetts. “It’s the nuisance factor,” Board of Health Director John R. Fralick III said in an interview this week. “They’re loud and obnoxious and can cause disturbances in a neighborhood.” “Another problem is horses, cows, goats, swine, rabbits, poultry or pigeons, without a permit from the Board of Health. Section 2 - Buildings, yards and enclosures for horses, cows, goats, swine, sheep, rabbits or poultry must at all times be kept satisfactory to the Board of Health. No poultry house or yard shall be located within fi fty (50) feet of any dwelling nor within fi fteen (15) feet of any adjoining lot line nor within fi fteen (15) feet of any street without special permission of the Board. Section 3 - Swine and you can’t regulate the number of chickens that somebody is permitted to have if they have a rooster on premises,” he said. That’s why the Board of Health will soon be considering proposed changes to the animal keeper regulations that would specifi cally prohibit roosters, according to Fralick. The current regulations don’t address roosters. But owning roosters in residential areas isn’t allowed when offi cials respond to and document noise complaints from neighbors. So when neighbors start squawking about the racket of a rooster, town offi cials respond quickly, according to Fralick. “I wouldn’t say it’s a huge problem,” Fralick said. “But it’s a problem when a rooster becomes a nuisance in the neighborhood. If you’re living in a residential area, you don’t want to be sharing fences with people who own a rooster. I’d say it’s about fi ve times a year that we crackdown on it,” he said. “Under the current regulations, it’s technically legal to own a rooster, because it doesn’t say they are not allowed. But they can be removed from a neighborhood if they’re causing a nuisance. So, all we would be doing with A BOISTEROUS BIRD: This rooster is excited to see the sunrise. But the Board of Health will soon be considering proposed changes to the animal keeper regulations that would specifically prohibit roosters. (Courtesy photo of acrylic painting by Joanie Allbee) the new regulations is making it offi cial – no roosters permitted.” Revision of the current regulations is long overdue, according to Fralick. “There are only seven bullet points in the regulations and they only take up one page,” he said. “We’re going to announce at next Monday’s [Feb. 3] meeting that we will be sending a notice to our animal keeper permit holders that we will be looking to update these regulations to refl ect the current environment of animal keeping in Saugus,” he said. Chickens account for 37 of the 47 animal keeper permits in Saugus. Fralick said the Board of Health will probably hold public hearings on proposed regulations in March and might vote on them in April. Current regulations Roosters are not mentioned under the current “Keeping of Animals” regulations enforced by the town’s Health Department. Here are the regulations: Section 1 - No person, fi rm or corporation shall keep within the limits of this Town, in any building or on any land of which he may be the owner, lessee, tenant or occupant any Goats. Permits shall be subject to the following conditions, with which the holder thereof must in all respects comply: 1. The pen or other enclosure wherein swine or goats are kept shall be maintained in a clean condition and free from any accumulation of manure, garbage or refuse. 2. No pen or enclosure shall be located within one-hundred fi fty (150) feet of any public or private way. 3. In pens, swine shall be fed from troughs of cement or iron kept clean and in good repair, except in the case of breeding pens, in which case the troughs may be of wood, if kept clean and in good repair. If the swine are not in pens, they shall be fed from platforms at least one (1) foot from the ground on all sides, the air space underneath to be kept clean and clear. Food shall never to given to the swine from the ground or allowed to accumulate on the ground around the platform or trough. 4. The feeding places shall be cleaned once each day and all refuse and manure removed. Manure and refuse in outdoor pens shall be cleaned out of pens at least twice weekly and cleaned off land not in pens at least weekly. All manure and refuse shall be entirely removed from the premises at least weekly or plowed under, and CROWING | SEE PAGE 9
9 Publizr Home