ZBA okays 6 of 12 Goffstown Road woman’s chickens

MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Thursday night, The Manchester Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance allowing Samantha Dumensil of Goffstown Road to keep six domestic chickens, but denied her a variance to keep 12 domestic chickens.

The first variance request dealt with the fact that Dumensil’s home would need to be about 2,000 sq. ft. larger for her to be allowed to have chickens at her home by right. The second variance dealt with the fact that Samantha and her husband Jacob Vaillancourt accidentally ordered too many replacement chickens.

Those replacement chickens came due to an incident with their neighbor, Lauren Boisvert of Greer Street. Several months ago, Boisvert’s dogs found a gap in the fence between the two properties, killing all but one of the chickens. After the incident, Dumensil told the board she built a privacy fence.

Dumensil said that the chickens were allowed to free range at that time after obtaining permission from her neighbors, who she said had given her permission in part because the chickens ate ticks that could find their way onto their children and pets. After the incident and moving forward, she said that she would restrict the chickens to her chicken coop, which the board said would be a requirement in any case.

She added that the chickens have been a beneficial impact on her children and have also helped reduce several hundred pounds of waste each year.

Boisvert complained about an event Dumensil and Vaillancourt held called “Booze for Burnouts,” but the couple explained that the event was a charity motorcycle ride for a friend nicknamed “Booze” who killed himself at 25. Boisvert also said that a fox made its way into her neighbor’s backyard at an earlier point and also killed chickens. Dumensil confirmed this and said that fence additions were made, stating that it is a learning process raising chickens.

Boisvert also claimed that the chickens attracted rats and claimed her neighbors abused the chickens.

The only individual from the neighborhood to speak was Janine Lavoie, who lives to the south of Boisvert and Dumensil. Lavoie said she never had a problem with the chicken coop, but did have an issue with noise from the dogs.

Members of the board indicated that they felt comfortable with the first variance since her lot was so close to being the size needed to have chickens by right under the city’s zoning ordinance. However, the other variance was denied due to the fact that she and Vaillancourt had only had the additional chickens for such a short time.

Manchester Department of Planning and Community Development Deputy Director Michael Landry asked Dumensil and Vaillancourt to give away the chickens within a reasonable timeframe, both responding that it shouldn’t be a problem.