An elderly couple in Germany has taken their next-door neighbors to court over a very active rooster that allegedly crows about 200 times a day, making it impossible for them to rest.
76-year-old Friedrich-Wilhelm and his wife Jutta, a couple from Bad Salzuflen, in Western Germany, claim that they haven’t had a quiet day at home in a long time, all because of Magda, their neighbors’ rooster. The domestic bird allegedly starts crowing every day at around 8 am, and doesn’t stop until sundown, when the owners lock it up with their other chicken. After years of trying to reason with their neighbors about Magda, Friedrich and Jutta have taken them to court in order to resolve the matter.
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“The neighbor doesn’t give up his rooster and we have to either live with that, or we have to win in court,” Friedrich-Wilhelm told reporters. “We can’t use the garden and we can’t open any windows. It’s unbearable.”
“It’s hard to talk about torture, but that’s what it’s like,” his wife, Jutta, added.
The couple’s lawyer, Torsten Gieseke, argued that a hyper-active rooster like Magda doesn’t belong on a quiet housing estate, adding that another neighbor was forced to move away two years ago due to its incessant crowing. Magda’s crowing has reportedly been clocked at around 80 decibels, which is comparable to a busy restaurant or a heavy traffic street.
Friedrich and Jutta have begun recording Magda’s daily crowing as evidence in court, and claim that their legal action was the only option available to them, after failing to reason with Magda’s owner.
Michael D., who owns Magda, told reporters that the rooster plays an important role among his flock of chickens, as he maintains order among the other birds.
“The hens need the rooster, otherwise they would pluck each other,” he said.
Photo: Tingey Injury Law Firm/Unsplash
A Lemgo District Court judge is set to hear Friedrich and Jutta’s case soon and rule on Magda’s fate moving forward.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time a rooster’s crowing triggers a legal dispute between human neighbors. Back in 2019, Maurice the rooster made international news headlines after his daily crowing triggered a controversial legal battle between French neighbors.
