I'm curious if someone could enlighten me on the rules of owning a farm or having livestock in a residential area (i.e. Neighborhood). The town we live in is surrounded by farm fields and forests. However, inside the town it is heavily suburban like any typical neighborhood: bakeries, restaurants, shops, etc. Some of the homes in the area have some chickens and roosters in their backyards, which thankfully are not too close to us as the rooster constantly conducts its "calls" at all hours of the day. Recently, a neighbor who I'm assuming is a farmer and happens to own a thin strip of grass that goes between the the old houses (where my home is located) and the newer constructed homes, decided to move a flock of sheep to the area. The farmer has done this in the past, mostly for two weeks during the summer to sheer them. This time it appears the sheep are here for good. They are constantly baa'ing at all hours, especially at night. During the summer drought this year, the grass was all but burned up and the sheep were desperate for food. They then started to eat neighboring plants, including all my bushes as far as they could stick their heads through the fence. Besides this, they poop and pee a lot and they're just annoying.
Bottom line, in the US, there are rules about having agricultural animals in a neighborhood. There are also rules about animals making loud noises throughout the night as well as eating plants that are not on their property. I just don't know what is allowed in Germany. It seems like this should not be allowed, but I'm not sure. I've heard all the stories about how strict it is in Germany with residential laws, for example, shoveling snow, keeping weeds out of the sidewalk, cleaning up debris, keeping the yard in order, no loud noises on Sundays and holidays, etc., but this neighbor is violating all of those. Even without the sheep issue, the property behind our fence line is unkempt. There are mountains of debris and waste which include a non-functioning car, old farm equipment, toilets, kitchen sinks, a stove range, and other various items left around in garbage piles. I put up with all that stuff, but now add in the sheep and its just too much.
Do I have a valid complaint in Germany? Or is this something that I'm just going to have to suck up and deal with.
