chickens in Grand Rapids MI

[curliet]

mlive.com/news/.../10/beerhorst_family_chickens_can.html

Here's another victory for us "Stealth Chicken" owners.

At least I hope it turns out to be a victory. And I hope that it also influences the Wyoming (right next door to Grand Rapids) MI city commision to allow chickens as well.

 

[curliet]

for some reason I can't seem to get that link to work. Maybe someone more techie savvy than I am can make it work for me, please?

 

[Boyd]

I thought Grand Rapids Michigan already allowed backyard chickens. You can't have a rooster though. One of our Mods TheChickenLady and Crystal (citalk2much) in the michigan thread are in that area already. Give them a PM

 

[curliet]

No, I'm also in the area, and there are at this point no allowances for chickens in GR or Wyoming. Those of us that do have chickens may be outside the city limits or else are rainsing our chickens incognito.

 

[curliet]

strange, when I try to search for the news article by the url, I get an error message, but if I search for chickens in Grand Rapids MI the article is found on a search page. Sorry about this, it might be because it's on a page from the GR Press which requires a subscription to read online or something.

 

[curliet]

Beerhorst family chickens can stay until Grand Rapids determines its stance toward urban roosts
By Jim Harger | The Grand Rapids Press
October 27, 2009, 11:29AM

Katy Batdorff | The Grand Rapids PressPearl Beerhorst, 15, feeds fresh kale to her family's five chickens last week. "I think we should be able to keep them cause they are not doing anything wrong," she said.
Update: Mayor George Heartwell supports idea of urban chickens

GRAND RAPIDS -- The Beerhorst family chickens can stay in their urban roost while city commissioners debate whether to create an ordinance allowing them to stay permanently.

City Neighborhood Improvement Director James Hurt said today he will suspend enforcement of the Oct. 13 "notice of complaint" issued to Rick and Brenda Beerhorst, the Eastown family that has been raising chickens in the backyard of their home on Fuller Avenue SE.

Hurt said the ticket will be on hold "until the city determines which way it is going." Hurt said he expects the subject to appear on the City Commission's agenda within the next 30 days.

Second Ward Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss said she wants to meet with Hurt, city planners and attorneys to review what other cities have done to permit urban chicken farming.

At least 25 major U.S. cities have developed chicken keeping ordinances in recent years, according to city Planning Director Suzanne Schulz