animal control came and said to get rid of my chickens!

[b.hromada]

Quote:
You got that right! Ducks are much dirtier than my chickens. But I love them, just got to wash down the poops more, thats all.

 

[chickeypoo]

yeah, with the yard we have (it's only half an acre but...) it was hard to wash down all the poops.. so we decided id rather keep just chickens(plus we had a problem with hawks and i didn't have the $$ to upgrade to help my slow waddling fattie ducks lol. so i just decided it was best to not have them anymore and gave away the remaining few that i had. i think they are super cute.. even when they get older but i just didn't have the capacity to care for them properly.

 

[19hhbelgian]

The word "Chicken" encompasses hens and roosters (as I was so told by somebody on craigslist once when I was simply asking them a question about what they had for sale... No I didn't buy from them

)... I was annoyed at the time, but in this case it seems it might possibly be in your favor! If they use the term "chicken" and don't specify "hen" or "rooster", you may be able to get around any possible problems that way... Just a thought for you and anybody else who needs an idea!

We had a neighbor who decided they wanted to put in a "small coop" on their 8 acres. The area was zoned "RA" Residential/Agricultural, so ok, they already had some chickens running around, what's the big deal? They wanted to put a coop in that could house 500 hens! So, this turned into a HUGE mess! V - E - R - Y long story short, they reported everybody in the area that had animals they weren't supposed to, because the neighborhood was against their "small coop" & nobody wanted 500 hens next door. We got a letter from the township stating that we would be fined something to the tune of 500/animal if they weren't removed within 30days (at the time we'd had 3 goats and 3 minis at the house for 4 years no trouble!). Oh, we could also fight for a variance that would cost us no less than $1700!! I marched down to the neighbors and gave them a piece of my mind, then I came back home and we put a for sale sign up the very next day... No WAY were we giving any of those jerks any of our money! We ended up finding the perfect farm with 18 acres, zoned AGRICULTURE in a land preservation oriented township. We have been here for going on 3 years, and can't imagine not being here. My point is we were sort - of forced into doing something we weren't planning on doing, but it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to us! We kept the goats and minis at a friends house until we found our farm, and now the animals and we are happy as could be!

I know moving probably isn't a consideration for you, but something might happen from this mess that will have you being better off than you had been... I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and your "family"

 

[b.hromada]

Thanks 19hhbelgian. When we did go to our commissioners meeting we did tell them that we had "hens" not roosters. Like I said, some people are small minded when it comes to things like this, unfortunately.

I just found it better to do it the way I'm doing it now, so I don't have to listen to these people

The hubby wants to move, we are kind of sick of the garbage with the city, even though I've lived here my whole life. But like he says, hes got a pension, and has 15 years to be able to collect on it. Its just so sad that life has to be this way, over something as simple as backyard hens that bother no one, really. Oh, the guy with 500 hens, whoa, what was he thinking? I think just about anyone would be skeptical about that one!

I hear ya chickypoo, they can be a lot of work. I'm lucky though, where mine are, its not bad, thank god. As it is, the complainer still complains about them. I go out there, and can smell NOTHING from them. Why do some people just make others lives miserable? I guess I'll never know?

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
Someone needs to hand those folks a Betty Crocker cookbook they huh...tell them to flip to the POULTRY section and see what the ingredients are. The blazing idiots.


b.hromada I am so so sorry you are going through this. I think can explain the ducks being okay...ducks are not classified as poultry they are classified as domestical fowl or waterfowl and most juridications list them as such.

Good luck in this fight for your girls.

 

[b.hromada]

Thanks Cetawin. I do plan on fighting to keep them, and I'm doing just that, keeping them. You'd think that the ACOs would have much better things to go after, like animal abusers, etc., than to keep coming here on my girls. Crazy world we live in, isn't it?

Unfortunately, the animal control is a complaint run division. Stupid complaints at that.

 

[Cetawin]

uh huh I can honestly say...I so do not miss South florida...I was born and raised there and spent 37 years there...now a once a yer visit is just fine. I used to live in Hallandale after hurricane andrew killed my house in Cutler Ridge. I spent my bikini clad weekends on the strip in Fort Lauderdale. Come on out here to Oregon...we feed code guys to mountain lions and buy 10 more chickens.

 

[b.hromada]

Thats too funny!!! But I love it!! Wow, another Floridian. Yeah, lived here all my life, never any where else. I told the hubby, the older I get, the more I want a more peaceful way of life. He works for Broward County Mass Transit as a mechanic, has nearly 10 years in, so in about 14 or 15 years he can afford to retire with some pension. So, I don't think we can go anywhere to far away just yet. People say, what about Davie, well, I'm sure you know about Davie, its just not quite like it used to be. Unfortunately, the "big city" is trying to get its claws on them too.

They do fight to keep it the "little country town" though, I will give them that. In my opinion, progress isn't always all that its cracked up to be, if you know what I mean.
Sorry you had to lose your home to "Andrew", that stinks. Sure was a bad hurricane! Wilma was the last real bad one to hit this area. Broward had a total "black out"! Scary! I pray we don't get another one like that!

Barbara

 

[Cetawin]

Yep...My family is up in Fort Piece and Vero Beach...they got SLAMMED in 2004...my father had a massive heart attack during Jeanne and had double bypass surgery on generator power...my sister lost her home...it was a crappy year. someone complained about my fathers 4 backyard hens years ago and he had to get rid of them. Ticked me off. he loved his girls.

Davie keeps fighting to stay small...but if they wish to survive they will ultimately take over...I hope not because I like the small town feel. working in Miami and so forth...I do not miss the city at all...I am 32 miles from the nearest big city and so glad. My neighbor has a huge flock of chickens, chicks in his greenhouse, I have 30 chickens and 10 ducklings...we both have roosters that crow to each other and we could care less who likes it or who does not.

I will stop stealing your thread....you take care of yourself and fight for those girls.

 

[b.hromada]

Hey, if you ever come down to visit your family, let me know. I have a sister in law that lives in Melborne. I'd love to meet you.
Your poor family has had some bad luck with these darn hurricanes! Surprised that they still want to live down here. Its also very sad that they made your dad give up all his girls.

Give me a break.
Lets just hope Davie keeps its small town ways, right? I'll be talking to you.

Barbara