$675 fee plus $75 per year to keep chickens?

[MNKris]

Or, you just keep the chickens and go about your business as usual until someone REALLY complains about it.

I am all for following rules, but rules like those are stupid. If your yard is clean and the chickens aren't a nuisance to neighbors, you probably will never hear from the inspector again. They are usually too busy to pick on people. They are busy calling on the problem cases.

I would check on the definition of poultry in your area. Here in MN, chicken falls under "Poultry" and there is a whole different set of rules compared to typical livestock of cattle, swine, equine, goat, etc.

 

[okiemommy]

Seems a little rediculous to me, so I guess now I am going to look into what the first step are to get this ordinance changed.

My initial reaction was: " OMG! sounds like extortion to me!!!!"


My "calmer" reaction is go after it and get it changed. good luck to you

 

[Akane]

I really think they should change that I think 'livestock' the word should be used if you use your chickens for their meat or eggs. If their pets its abit different and some people just have em as pets but the eggs are nice too

By that reasoning someone could stick 5 horses in their yard and so long as they didn't ride them and just kept them for pets (or maybe even if they did ride them) they would be within the law. They actually did try to get horses reclassified as pets instead of livestock but it would have impacted so many laws and caused many legal issues in cities. Many places would have been forced to rewrite the law to have a seperate equines section. It's quite obvious horses don't belong in most people's backyards. Poultry are livestock for a reason just like horses are. It's better to try to get an exemption for poultry than to try to claim them as pets.

The definition of a domestic animal and the definition of livestock is not the same thing. Livestock are usually domestic but domestic animals are not all livestock. There are some animals raised as livestock that aren't considered fully domesticated and require a special exotics license. There are plenty of domestic animals classified as pets or other things instead of livestock. The law says livestock or non domestic animals therefore it excludes all things not domestic and all things classified livestock. Just because one does or does not fit the other does not exclude it from the law. If they fall under either one they are not allowed.​

 

[greenthumb89]

i ask around me because i really shouldnt be allowed to have chickens but if they come after me ill fight it, the law says no non domestic animals are allowed where i am, i did a little research and chickens are considered domestic livestock, the livestock is only for the commercial raising like meat birds, but i only have mine as pets, and they are domestic so....work around the wording and youll win, or just stay low until they decide to try and bill you, then give em all youve got.

 

[ji]

Many good replies on this subject. I think these rules are in place to be applied with common sense. In my opinion, rules about livestock are great to protect neighbors from neighbors who want to have a smelly, noisy nuisance right out your door.
I think also that the rules are not to be followed mindlessly and opress any one who wants to do something.
The rule is there if someone NEEDS to complain about a neighbor that has created a nuisance and not followed common sense.
Once again it falls on inspectors to use a little common sense in enforcement and not just become little money grubbing dictators.
All that being said, I liked the idea I saw in another thread quite some time ago.
Tell the inspector politely that you don't own any chickens. You have Lithuanian ground parrots all with papers from the GPA (Ground Parrots of America) showing their impressive lineage.
Explain how brilliantly colorful they used to be until they started drinking chlorinated city water.

Too bad there are more regulations against raising chickens in America than there is against predatory subprime lending schemes.

 

[Shared Acres]

From a journalist's perspective, this is what I would do.

I would write a press release and send it to all the media (tv, radio, paper) and write it as newsy as possible. I would also send it to the city council, etc.

Call the feed stores ask them what they think. Ask them if more people are buying chickens. My feed store said that with the cost of eggs and everything else they are selling more chickens.

BTW, my sister actually lives in your city and has chickens, and I KNOW she doesn't have a permit.

I would write it something like this (this is just an example, get REAL quotes from people around you. If you need any help writing it or direction on where to send it, let me know):

Your contact info
phone, email, etc.

Got a chicken in your backyard? It's going to cost you!
With the price of everything from milk to eggs going up, more and more local people are buying and raising their own chickens.

In a rural area, like St. Mary's, it's not uncommon for people to have a few chickens, but most residents don't realize that the city requires them to get a permit and applying for it costs $675, then $75 a year.

The majority of people who could afford such a permit fee up front are either large businesses or people who make enough money to begin with that they aren't buying a couple of birds just for their eggs.

"It is ridiculous how much the city is charging people around here," Tom Jones, ABC Feed owner, said. "If you are trying to save a couple of bucks a month by raising chicks, how are you supposed to spend $675 to get a permit?

He's not the only one who's upset about the matter.

"I think the city has gone too far and should reconsider such a high permit fee, especially for people like me who just want a couple of chickens in their backyards," YOUR NAME said.

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[FlaChickenMan]

In Florida I heard of a lady who challenged the law by saying her chickens were he pets, they even had names. They were not farm animals, but pets! It is all in how the law is spelled out. In Florida and most municipalities there is no wording but"avian or aviaries" so they fall in that category! Good luck. I give my neighbors eggs to keep them ok with mine, but they all are intrigued with how 'cool" it is to go back to what our forefathers lived with! I think it is sooooo insane, especiallly with the price of chicken and eggs these days (not to mention all the antibiotics and hormones that are in the ones we eat commercially!