Man headed to court over chicken coop in backyard

The owner of a chicken coop in Eastchester is facing criminal charges for letting hens live in his backyard. Ben Rosner has received numerous summonses from the town for having four hens live in the

News 12 Staff

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Oct 6, 2015, 6:41 AM

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Updated 3,447 days ago

The owner of a chicken coop in Eastchester is facing criminal charges for letting hens live in his backyard.

Ben Rosner has received numerous summonses from the town for having four hens live in the coop.

"There's going to be a jury and a prosecutor and witnesses," he says. "It's kind of overblown in my opinion, just for a few chickens that aren't bothering anybody."

Rosner says it was the town that had a problem with the hens living in his house, not his neighbors. He says neighbors actually stop by to see the hens and to get some of the eggs they lay.

"If you look in the code, it doesn't say anything about not being able to have chickens," he says. "In fact, it says you can have small animals as pets and those are certainly small animals."

Pre-trial hearings are currently underway, and the trial is expected to start in about two months.

The attorney for Eastchester says the town cannot comment on pending litigation.