Goldenrod 6 owner: Tension is escalating

The Goldenrod 6 may become the Longhorn 6 if the owner of the Corona del Mar chicken flock moves out of state.

Michael Resk said escalating tension with his neighbor has made him contemplate moving “the Ladies” he’s kept for 18 months at his home on Goldenrod Avenue.

He is looking at moving to Texas or another local home because he fears for the safety of his hens after he found rock salt, which is potentially toxic to the birds, spread about his yard. He also said a pipe was removed from the ground at his home.

Resk has talked to Roger’s Gardens, a private nursery in Corona del Mar, about taking the chickens so they can safely remain in the community and be enjoyed by residents.

“As much as I love Corona del Mar and Newport Beach, it’s at the level of continual … I’m hesitant to use the word harassment, but it’s all I can come up with now,” Resk said. “I can’t live in … continual fear for the safety of the chickens. No one wants to feel like they have to go home and lock their doors to feel like they can have a conversation.”

Two similarly named Facebook pages have been created about the chickens: The Goldenrod 6, which is in support of the animals, and The Goldenrod Six. The latter, possibly made by Resk’s distraught neighbor, has videos and pictures demonstrating a disliking of the birds and Resk, and includes a link to the Wikipedia page describing the word “nuisance.”

Keith Head, who lives across the street from Resk, said he has enjoyed the fresh eggs and that his 16-month-old daughter likes watching the fowl.

“They’re just amazing,” Head said. “He brought home these little tiny [chicks] … and they all grew up different-looking. It’s just kind of cool to see that in a suburban neighborhood.”

Dogs in the neighborhood are noisier then Resk’s chickens, he said.

“We’re really going to miss him if he moves,” Head said. “[We] don’t want the neighborhood to go to the birds.”

Lorenza Robbins said that she believes the neighbor has a camera trained on Resk’s backyard and has taken video of her 5-year-old autistic daughter, Summer, with the chickens.

“[Resk is] a wonderful neighbor,” Robbins said. “But she posted pictures of our kids on YouTube and that’s not right.”

Robbins said the birds have helped Summer communicate more verbally because she has bonded with the flock. Robbins has even brought a friend with a disabled child to visit the hens because of the miracles she has seen with Summer.

Robbins said she and her husband, Brent, have thought about adopting the hens — Blackie, Red, Flaty, Tiny, Blondie and Whitey — and moving into Resk’s home so that Summer can be with the birds.

But because of the tension with the neighbor, the Robbinses say they may move with the chickens to Dana Point or Laguna Beach.

Attempts to reach the neighbor, whom Resk identified as Maggie McFarland, were unsuccessful.

The Goldenrod 6 first made headlines when Resk was given two weeks to get rid of the birds after a neighbor complained.

Since then, the Newport Beach City Council has considered revising a 42-year-old ordinance that prohibits owning livestock in the city, with a few exceptions near the Back Bay area.

The council is expected in a study session Tuesday to discuss changes to the ordinance.

lauren.williams@latimes.com

Twitter: @lawilliams30