Changing ordnance

[Estelleannette]

Good afternoon. Sorry if I picked the wrong thread to post in. I’m working on changing an ordnance in the village I live in that states no backyard chickens. Any advice?

thank you

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I live in the "country", so don't have to deal with restrictive ordinances and/or CC&Rs/deed restrictions...but this Mother Earth News article may be of help, at least until another BYCer comes along. Best of luck!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Meet and nurture allies on the city council. They are the ones who will vote.
Find people in the area who currently own chickens. If their coops are pretty and kept clean, organize a coop tour for the city council so they can see they aren't smelly or an eyesore. One of my arguments was that there is already a nuisance ordinance so there is no need for a chicken ordinance.
Find others in your city who want chickens and will be allies in the fight. Sometimes there are other keepers already there flying under the radar.
Talk to your neighbors to see if any object. (I tread lightly on this one)
If you have good relationships with neighbors you may or may not want to take that step.
If you have a** holes for neighbors, it probably won't be helpful.
Once ordinances are changed, all they can do is complain.
Get the media involved. Newspapers, TV and radio. That step is what really pushes it over the top for us.
Find a local chicken expert that can testify at city council meetings.
Getting as many residents as possible to attend as many city council meetings as possible. We packed city hall every 2 weeks for almost 6 months till they relented.
I have a permit for 85 chickens and 5 roosters and they don't mess with me about anything any more.
The wording of the ordinance is critical. Most city councils and their attorneys are lazy. The council will turn it over to the attorney to write the ordinance. They will research other ordinances around the country and just copy and paste. In the end, that is what you want to avoid and why you need a chicken expert to testify.
If you will ultimately be allowed chickens, you want to dictate what goes into the ordinance. What most cities ordinances say is about 3-6 hens allowed, no roosters, lot size restrictions, set back limits, coop size restrictions, etc., etc., etc.. None of those things are good for chickens. That's where the chicken expert testimony comes into play.
Most town lots have trees on the perimeter. Set back limits often require the coop is in the middle of the yard which requires it to be in the sun and too hot for chickens in the summer.
Let me know if you want more ideas.

 

[Estelleannette]

Meet and nurture allies on the city council. They are the ones who will vote.
Find people in the area who currently own chickens. If their coops are pretty and kept clean, organize a coop tour for the city council so they can see they aren't smelly or an eyesore. One of my arguments was that there is already a nuisance ordinance so there is no need for a chicken ordinance.
Find others in your city who want chickens and will be allies in the fight. Sometimes there are other keepers already there flying under the radar.
Talk to your neighbors to see if any object. (I tread lightly on this one)
If you have good relationships with neighbors you may or may not want to take that step.
If you have a** holes for neighbors, it probably won't be helpful.
Once ordinances are changed, all they can do is complain.
Get the media involved. Newspapers, TV and radio. That step is what really pushes it over the top for us.
Find a local chicken expert that can testify at city council meetings.
Getting as many residents as possible to attend as many city council meetings as possible. We packed city hall every 2 weeks for almost 6 months till they relented.
I have a permit for 85 chickens and 5 roosters and they don't mess with me about anything any more.
The wording of the ordinance is critical. Most city councils and their attorneys are lazy. The council will turn it over to the attorney to write the ordinance. They will research other ordinances around the country and just copy and paste. In the end, that is what you want to avoid and why you need a chicken expert to testify.
If you will ultimately be allowed chickens, you want to dictate what goes into the ordinance. What most cities ordinances say is about 3-6 hens allowed, no roosters, lot size restrictions, set back limits, coop size restrictions, etc., etc., etc.. None of those things are good for chickens. That's where the chicken expert testimony comes into play.
Most town lots have trees on the perimeter. Set back limits often require the coop is in the middle of the yard which requires it to be in the sun and too hot for chickens in the summer.
Let me know if you want more ideas.

Thank you. How would I find a chicken expert? Please forgive my ignorance.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Try facebook or meetup.
Try your state's list of npip breeders. Someone there may be willing to testify.