Chickenstock fiesta yardsale August 21

[suzannaski]

Ag is that u are raising them for food or show. not as pets . Mgl ch 140 will give sec when I get home. Similar words on mdar website

 

[vnsseed]

Quote:
Are you in Mass. or NH.? MDAR is Mass. There is a difference...

 

[suzannaski]

Yes maMA

 

[vnsseed]

Quote:
Here is the wording from the MDAR website:

Section 80D. No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or give away as premiums living baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl under two months of age.

No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter, display or give away living rabbits, chickens, ducklings or other fowl which have been dyed, colored or otherwise treated so as to impart to them an artificial color.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the sale or display of baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl under two months of age by breeders or stores engaged in the business of selling for purposes of commercial breeding and raising; provided, however, that prior to May first in any year, such ducklings may be sold or purchased only in quantities of twenty-four or more.

This section shall not prohibit, however, the sale or donation of such chickens, ducklings or fowl to schools for use in classroom instruction.

Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.

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The area I bolded is where the grey area is. Someone from Ma. may want to clarify with the State.

 

[suzannaski]

thanx. Hard to txt now. Law is Meant to prevent Chix in Easter basket

 

[vnsseed]

Quote:
I understand why the laws are there, but it really prohibits backyard flock owners and its something that we have been fighting up here in NH. My question would be, what happens after May 1st? Can one sell individual chicks? My biggest complaint is that it seems like the laws apply only to the local people.... I mean, I can order 5 chickens from mypetchicken.com and its OK, but heaven forbid I sell a new backyard chicken owner 5 chicks, I pay a fine if I do? I think the laws need to be revised given the movement of backyard chickens, and sooner the better. That's all I'm saying before Shay wacks me with a stick.....

 

[suzannaski]

I'm home, finally

First, I wrote MGL ch 140 earlier, but it was MGL ch 272, section 80D. I couldn't find out what year it was written.
I just checked with the proposed MA senate bill 2172 that would update the antiquated animal laws, but there is nothing that I found (yet) that addresses the 5 chicks vs. the 24 chicks. I wondered about that 24 thing, too. Maybe ballparked based on bigger farms?
This all came up because I was lamenting the Craigslist ads after Easter. Despite the law, people still give chicks as Easter gifts, and then they don't know what to do with them, if they haven't managed to kill them already. I discovered this last spring by replying to an ad for chickens. I asked her what kind, and she said she didn't know, they were given to her as a gift. I was horrified.
And if that wasn't bad enough, at the Bolton Fair, I overheard two high school girls talking about how they stole two chicks to take home "cuz they were soooo CUTE!" but the chicks died when they were left on the couch.
So I mentioned the law, in case anyone gets here asked to sell chicks for Easter.

 

[suzannaski]

Okay, the chick law was originally added to the MA Gen Laws in 1947, c. 168. Amended 1973, c. 88; 1981, c. 286; and 1986, c. 175.
Original law stated min 6 chicks sold if less than 8 wks old. Incidently, the fine was $100 even then.
Amended 1973 to pretty much the wording as it is now.
1981 added the paragraph exempting breeders, farmers & classrooms
1986 added the May 1 requirement and upped the min to 24.

Nothing currently on the boards to reduce the min number of chicks under 8 wks allowed to be sold before May 1.

 

[howardacres]

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Breed?

All differnt ones---about 1/3 are EE's, then i have buff orps, golden comets, black astrolorp (sp?), cuckoo marans, welsummers, and salmon favorolles. Lots of pretty various colored eggs in my future!

 

[darbella]

In all the years I have been into chickens, I have NEVER seen any listed as Easter gifts to be sold on CL. Has anyone else here ever seen chicks promoted on CL for Easter gifts? I would say YES that I have seen bunnies promoted that way, but never chicks. All I know is that here we seem to go again with someone going to put the cart before the horse and then the state steps in and more laws get passed and it gets harder as small flock raisers to add to our flocks. Some folks like to have a variety of breeds, so they may only want to buy 2 here and there till they have built a small flock of a few certain breeds they like, and how are they suppose to do that if minimum purchases are 12-24 chicks? The law of 12 chicks was in place many years ago when I lived in Mass. and it was to deter feed stores from selling single chicks that would end up as Eatser basket decorations because people would be shopping the feed stores coincidentaly at the same time chicks came in for their spring gardening needs, and they were trying to deter impulse buys. But if people start again with the posts, calling the feed stores and such, there will not be any swaps. I got that word first hand from a manager of one of the feed stores because they were so sick of it all last year. So before anyone complains to the state offices, think about the effect it may have in the long run. Just keep in mind the old phrase "the squeeky wheel gets the oil"...well I would hate to see the swaps get the oil in this case. It is not the state that will monitor who is buying chicks, it is the person selling them and if the seller cannot feel the person out that is buying a single chick by their actions then perhaps they should not be selling chicks in the first place. Most of the folks attending the swaps know each other or are in communication with prospective buyers pre-swap, so we know if a single or pair of chicks are gonna be basket decorations, or become part of a loved flock of chickens.