Hey all, wasn't sure what forum would be most appropriate, but I thought this was the closest, so here we go. As I said, I need advice.
I have a friend who keeps a hen. Illegally. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, as long as he didn't get caught - I'm sure a lot of people keep chickens illegally, whether knowingly or not. It's the way he keeps her that bothers me. Now, she's a big buff orpington, so keep that in mind. He keeps her inside all the time (can't risk a neighbor seeing her in the yard, and the yards are tiny, so that WOULD happen). This wouldn't be bad, either - lots of people have house chickens. This is not what he does. He keeps her in a tiny cage that is, maybe, 2 feet by one foot. I don't think it's even that big. Oh, and he keeps her with a male pheasant, both locked in that cage all day every day. And he did have another hen, also locked in the cage with them, but she mysteriously passed away. So I don't think he's even really taking care of them all that well. And I can attest to the fact that both birds are locked in the cage with their feces for at least a week between changes. They run out of water constantly, and he never has money to buy them feed (he's mooched feed off of me several times) because he has a zillion other animals, mostly reptiles and rodents, to the point that you can't even walk in his room and there's maybe two feet of free space in there, besides the bed. Yes, he keeps them all in one room and sleeps in that room. The hen is so stressed that she's never laid an egg, despite the fact that she always has at least twelve hours of light and is well over six months old. I feel so bad for both birds. She hasn't seen the outside in at least three months. And now he's talking that he wants ducks, plural, to also cram into his room somehow in cages. Did I mention he also keeps a pit bull in the house with a taste for birds?
So here's the problem: I've offered to take her, several times, and he refuses. He always insists that she's happy and spoiled, which clearly she's not. And now he wants ducks and has been pestering me to buy some of my ducklings, which is ironic because he already owes me $30, but I digress. The simple solution: report him. He'll get a letter or a call saying he has to get rid of the birds in 30 days or face astronomical fines. And I know he'll immediately get in touch and ask me to take them. I would feel absolutely rotten doing this, but I haven't been able to convince him. He's so convinced that he's an animal lover and has 'rescued' all his animals that he refuses to see what he's doing and it hurts the birds. I've tried time and again, to no avail. And now he wants to add more illegal birds to cram in cages.
So here's the question: Do I report him, or do I let it be? What do you all think?
I have a friend who keeps a hen. Illegally. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, as long as he didn't get caught - I'm sure a lot of people keep chickens illegally, whether knowingly or not. It's the way he keeps her that bothers me. Now, she's a big buff orpington, so keep that in mind. He keeps her inside all the time (can't risk a neighbor seeing her in the yard, and the yards are tiny, so that WOULD happen). This wouldn't be bad, either - lots of people have house chickens. This is not what he does. He keeps her in a tiny cage that is, maybe, 2 feet by one foot. I don't think it's even that big. Oh, and he keeps her with a male pheasant, both locked in that cage all day every day. And he did have another hen, also locked in the cage with them, but she mysteriously passed away. So I don't think he's even really taking care of them all that well. And I can attest to the fact that both birds are locked in the cage with their feces for at least a week between changes. They run out of water constantly, and he never has money to buy them feed (he's mooched feed off of me several times) because he has a zillion other animals, mostly reptiles and rodents, to the point that you can't even walk in his room and there's maybe two feet of free space in there, besides the bed. Yes, he keeps them all in one room and sleeps in that room. The hen is so stressed that she's never laid an egg, despite the fact that she always has at least twelve hours of light and is well over six months old. I feel so bad for both birds. She hasn't seen the outside in at least three months. And now he's talking that he wants ducks, plural, to also cram into his room somehow in cages. Did I mention he also keeps a pit bull in the house with a taste for birds?
So here's the problem: I've offered to take her, several times, and he refuses. He always insists that she's happy and spoiled, which clearly she's not. And now he wants ducks and has been pestering me to buy some of my ducklings, which is ironic because he already owes me $30, but I digress. The simple solution: report him. He'll get a letter or a call saying he has to get rid of the birds in 30 days or face astronomical fines. And I know he'll immediately get in touch and ask me to take them. I would feel absolutely rotten doing this, but I haven't been able to convince him. He's so convinced that he's an animal lover and has 'rescued' all his animals that he refuses to see what he's doing and it hurts the birds. I've tried time and again, to no avail. And now he wants to add more illegal birds to cram in cages.
So here's the question: Do I report him, or do I let it be? What do you all think?
