"The crowing of roosters disturbs." An unequivocal message, accompanied by an anonymous letter that threatens judicial repercussions if the bird is not immediately prevented from singing. It happens in Sestu, in the area around Piazza San Salvatore, in the historic center, where in recent days a young man has seen a letter delivered to the mailbox that leaves no room for doubt: either he immediately silences his rooster, or they will click the repercussions. No signature, no possibility of understanding who the neighbor is so annoyed by the bird's early morning singing.
The story
The outlines of the story are still a bit smoky, also because at the moment the details are few. Months ago, according to the few leaked rumors, the young man had been given two chicks that, once they grew up, turned into a small hen and a domestic cockerel. To unleash the discontent of some of the neighbors would have been the song of the latter, even if officially none of the neighbors would have shown up to complain. To arrive, however, was a letter complete with signs and references to the civil code that recall the noises caused by animals. In support of the anonymous letter, whose tones did not seem quite conciliatory, there were a series of tips to prevent the rooster from singing too early in the morning, such as keeping him in a dark place and therefore not letting him know when the Sun.
Social controversy
In the previous days, a similar controversy, always against the crowing of roosters, had also flared up on social networks when some users had complained about the presence of poultry in some courtyard of the town. The overwhelming majority of comments, however, criticized those who complained and did not accept the presence of animals, given that Sestu remains a historically agricultural center and it is not uncommon to find courtyards where families keep two or three hens to have fresh eggs at the morning.
The standard
"The veterinary police regulation at national level provides that there cannot be farms within the communities", explains the commander of the Local Police, Giorgio Desogus, "The rule, however, on the other hand, provides that animals can be kept in affection, without identifying its type ". The law, therefore, prohibits breeding in the confines of the inhabited center, but does not prevent the possibility of owning some hens. In fact, several rulings of the Supreme Court have now made it clear that these birds, although noisy at the time of laying the egg, are classified as pets and companions. «Different», concludes the commander, «is the discourse relating to the disturbance of public peace and noise». The few cases of fines (166 euros) for singing roosters registered in Italy have often been resolved with the annulment of authority: this is because the law takes into account the concept of "tolerability" which mediates between the needs of the neighborhood and the right to keep pets in full legality. For a noise to be intolerable, it must be shown that it exceeds the background noise by 3 decibels.
