BOSTON -- A Fairhaven family is locked in a battle with the Board of Health over the chickens they are raising on their property.

Should Family Be Allowed To Raise Chickens?

Kate and John Vliet have been raising chickens on their property since 2007. The family said the chickens are part of a sustainable, organic lifestyle and they eat the birds' eggs, the New Bedford Standard Times reported.

But the town said the Vliets need a permit from the Board of Health to keep the chickens, and the board voted unanimously to deny their request after a relative of a neighbor complained.

The town plans to seek a preliminary injunction to remove the chickens from the property, an attorney for the town told the paper.

The family has brought their case to court arguing that zoning laws permit them to keep chickens on their property and the decision is not that of the Board of Health.

According to the zoning code, raising livestock is a permitted use of the Vliets property, and health regulations require residents keeping domestic animals to report to the Board of Health before Jan. 1 each year. The Board of Health "may require such owners or occupants to obtain a permit to keep certain classes of domestic animals," the paper reported.

The Board of Health has granted other domestic animal permits to residents living nearby, the Vliets said.

Town health officials would not comment on the pending case, the paper reported.