$840 fine for 4 chickens in Vacaville CA

[4hchickmama]

to be fair, everyone isnt like the typical member of this internet community. i just saw a news report this morning from somewhere in the midwest where one irresponsible chicken owner was pissing off the whole neighborhood....chickens lighting on fence lines, roosting in neighbors trees, getting into gardens. problem is, it only takes a few of these mental midgets to ruin it for everyone. these kinds of occurrences are what lead to zero tolerance ordinances.

Very true....but they shouldn't pretend to know what they are talking about either.

And you are right....it only takes a few idiots to ruin it for everyone. Those same people probably shouldn't even own a pet rock.

I live in town and have 7 birds. I have one hen who is particularly vocal in the mornings, so she and a random buddy sleep in the garage in a you-are-too-loud-at-5am coop because I like my neighbors. I also don't keep any roos even though I could. I think it *could* be an issue with some people being irresponsible, but they could be responsible with other animals as well. They would be the person who didn't clean their rabbit hutch, scoop the litterbox, or clean the dog run. I think the ideas set forth in the petition to encourage responsible ownership are good.

 

[japittard]

Sign the petition!

http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-vacaville-mayor-allow-vacaville-residents-to-raise-chickens-now

 

[rangir]

nnn

 

[4hchickmama]

Good article....and it sounds like good news. That they have no plans of stretching the wording to go after people currently owning chickens.

 

[MsLisaG]

That's even better than the Daily Republic article! Love it!

 

[traildad]

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[MsLisaG]

I think the main problem we're facing here isn't necessarily chicken prohibition, it's mostly that the left arm of the city doesn't know what the right one is doing. Depending on who you ask, the answer to the simple question "Can I own chickens?" will be wildly different. The ordinance in question DOES seem to apply only to RE lots, but it seems that our illustrious city workers don't fully understand it. Either way, it will be a good thing to get the ordinances more clearly spelled out and more chicken friendly. I will be at the meeting.

Afterthought - the previously mentioned animal ordinance that bans livestock on lots less than one acre specifically states which species, and doesn't include chickens or fowl. I think that means that the city of Vacaville separates livestock and chickens into two categories. Not immediately helpful, but may need to be pointed out to someone eventually.

 

[traildad]

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