CO laws on poultry care? Animal neglect in a public park, CO.

[HensSweetHens]

Dear Backyard Chicken community!
(I do realize it's a longer post, and so I thank you for hanging in there while I give a full account.)

I am writing to ask your advice on an issue of animal neglect in a public park here in Colorado. (The coop + chickens belong to the government park/museum) Please bear with me...I'll try to make my summary as concise as I can.
Twelve chickens total, mostly older birds. There is a chicken wire fence around the pen area (pen is fairly large) with a little bit of mulch on the ground and two dusting areas in the open.

My observations and reasons for calling it "animal neglect":

* No access to vegetation at all
* Coop/pen overflowing with rats (they drink/eat from the chickens' feeding troughs)
* Impacted/sour crop (giant crop clearly visible - wright after the coop is opened in the morning). I have successfully treated one of their hens with sour crop at my house that one lucky time when a kind volunteer and myself were able to take the sick chicken home. The director of the museum doesn't allow chickens to be taken from the coop no matter what the reason may be.
* Intestinal worms (I saw round worms in the poop). When I inquired, the administration said the chickens aren't being wormed.
* Bumble foot (I stay for a while at the coop when I bring them vegetables and I observe. Many hens there have the black scabs of bumblefoot.)
* Lice (also seen w/ naked eye crawling on their heads)
* Possible gout (deformation of foot in some birds)
* Respiratory illness (chicken coughing+sneezing strenuously, shaking head + scratching the face excessively, fluid coming out the nostrils, discharge from eyes, etc.) - this has been going on and off for as long as I've been feeding them - 1.5 years.
* Waterers (1-2 gal) aren't cleaned/refilled regularly and are frozen over (those that are outside in the pen area). There is a heated waterer inside the coop, which is good, but that's the one I've seen rats drink from.
* Feeder is never cleaned out, the volunteers "only add to the feeder when is it's low on pellets" (was the answer when I asked the volunteers themselves)
* Summer 2017 I saw a Polish Hat hen that was dark red/blueish in the face, falling over trying to walk and ultimately falling onto the ground unable to get up from the blasting heat of the sun. She acted like she was loosing consciousness (maybe a heart attack). Seeing that she was unable to get to the shade where other chickens were, I immediately ran to the Museum and asked them to help. They said that they'd bring a vet one of the days to check on the sick chicken. Next day - same story. I kept seeing that really struggling chicken and they told me that the vet said "everyone in the coop is healthy". This lasted about a week, with me running over to the museum, making calls, pleading with people responsible for the coop to help that poor bird. A few days later that chicken died (that's my guess, because I didn't see her in the coop/pen area anymore. I inquired at the Museum if they had euthanized her, they said "no").
* Last fall 2017 we had 2 days of crazy cold (-8F at night) in mid October. I came to feed the chickens, and saw a heavily molting hen - pretty much featherless - lying on the ground of the coop - wings sprawled out, face down, shaking violently and pretty much unconscious - dying from hypothermia. Other chickens were coming by and pecking at her, to which she didn't react at all. (I had to throw a lettuce leaf to make them stop pecking her.) Ran to the museum to ask them for help yet again - just to find that it's closed on Tuesdays. No one has responded to my phone call or called back in response to my voicemail. (The museum is closed to visitors on Tue, but the staff is usually still in the bldg working.)

(I have never seen an animal shake of cold like that hen did... and I couldn't help her because it's a government facility with a 7 ft high fenced around! :-((((....) The volunteers hardly ever check on the chickens during the day, when they do (those few times that I myself saw) - it is to take the eggs and leave right away. The volunteers might simply not know what signs to look for when a chicken is in ill, or in pain/distress - but that should not be an excuse when becoming a caretaker of animals. I tried talking to volunteers at the coop (occasionally I meet them there) about the ways to improve things, but have been ignored.

* One of their hens has a lame leg (she hardly walks... slightly jumps rather). The night I was bringing in the hen I helped heal from sour crop back into the coop (the the help of that kind volunteer), I saw the hen with the lame leg lying on the ground of the coop for the night - unprotected from those giant rats and drafts in under the floor. It was 17F that moment.

* The coop has tons of holes at the base, dug by rodents and the holes are becoming bigger and bigger. Volunteers or administration aren't doing anything to fill them in, and secure the coop from drafts.

* There is a coin dispenser machine for scratch. That scratch is pretty much all corn, and is given to the chickens all year round (by visitors/their donations). Scratch is supposed to be given to chickens only in winter/cold months, otherwise they become fat and sickly. Most chickens are pretty large at the Golden coop, as they don't move much in that pen and keep eating scratch daily.

I have talked to the lady at the museum who is in charge of the chicken coop and volunteer program probably 8 times or more... but was shut off every time. I've pleaded with her and the director of the museum for a chance to collaborate, offering my care giving and medication (dewomer) at no cost, no time on their part and no change to their day-to-day operations... The kind volunteer who has been super supportive and concerned has offered to cover the cost for vet visits/treatment numerous times...All we've gotten from them is "thank you but the chickens are fine and we do not need help at this time". The volunteer group does not have each other's contact info, so there is no open communication. There has not been any training provided on chicken keeping/care practices from the words of volunteers themselves.

Since I've started asking people - visitors of the coop - for advice and trying to raise awareness, I've found out that the coop has been a high profile place for complaints, and the administration being "political" and ignorant of the issue. I've heard that people reported the museum for animal neglect before. Somehow the situation is still not good (it's been over a year now since I've started advocating for those poor birds; more than 5 years of this negligence - from what I've heard directly from visitors).

My intent is not to cause trouble/harass anyone. I am just trying to help the birds, and the administration is very hostile to us volunteers, who see the issue of poor chicken care practices. What I've written above is a true account and not an exaggeration.

I am at a loss, and in need of advice/help on the effective approach to change the situation for those birds? Who do I contact to raise more awareness?
Referrals are welcome too, if you know anyone in CO or elsewhere who could help.
Thank you SO MUCH for reading my post!
Perhaps someone knows a link to Colorado poultry keeping law... (I found very little so far) Referrals are welcome too.

Thank you SO MUCH for reading my post and I hope to hear from you guys soon.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't know what the laws are on poultry care in CO, but maybe you could try the following:
- Find out who is in charge over the person/group that is in charge of that museum, and make the issue known to them. Just noticed you said it's government funded... see if you can find out which agency is supposed to be overseeing it, might be at the state level?
- You didn't mention contacting animal control, I don't know who would be in charge of that in your area, but it's worth looking into, though they may not have jurisdiction over something government run.
- Contact the media, either a local paper or local news station. It's amazing how even the threat of negative press can change someone's mind about how they handle things.

 

[PirateGirl]

Ok, so some of the points you make are more of a matter of opinion vs. something that would legitimately be viewed as neglect. For example you said there was frozen water in the run, but they still had access to a heated waterer. If they have water available they have water available and personally I would not be concerned about this. There are a wide variety of opinions on the best way to feed a flock, availability of forage, giving treats and scratch, even how often to clean an outside food dish that sits in the mud as well as what chemicals/soaps/cleaning products to use, so it might not match up with how you manage your flock but that doesn't instantly mean neglect either. If the chickens have food available that is not moldy or rotten and they are not of poor weight, they are doing their part to feed their flock.

After reading through all your comments, I believe the most critical point that can be verified and can legally addressed would be the illnesses and parasites. Animal control should be able to offer a vet to do some sort of wellness check or request that the chicken owners produce records showing that they are working with a vet and treating the ailments. Their health is concerning. Any illnesses, parasites, injuries should be addressed. The county should have some sort of standard living conditions outlined that are required for poultry as well and this is something animal control should look at, adequate shelter, food, water, fencing (may or may not be required). Again this is something animal control checks on.

In Colorado, Animal Control (unless it's a wild animal issue in which case you may need Division of Wildlife) is a division of the sheriff's office, so a call to them would be a good starting point.

The rats are also concerning and if there is an infestation in a public place it's a public health and safety concern. I'm not sure who the appropriate contact would be for that, but perhaps the sheriff's office can point you in the right direction.

Good luck, and thanks for looking out for this flock!

 

[centrarchid]

I need to see pictures of setup in question and ideally videos of sick birds as well. Too many times I have seen parties with issues against poultry keeping giving a very filtered perspective as they try to rally support for a cause. That said, animals maintained for public viewing need to held under conditions that are at least typical.

 

[rjohns39]

From reviewing their website, the park and museum appear to be a 501(c)(3) organization that is heavily funded by the city and other donors. I'm going to be brutally honest here, so please don't think I'm mean or being negative. There are some facts of life that are unpleasant.

First, it is much easier to affect change from the inside rather than the outside of an organization. Becoming a member of GHM would give you a voice to their advisory board. Another approach would be to become a voice to their major sponsors. You are not going to influence the city, but might be able to sway some of their other sponsors.

Your bridge is already burnt. You are the crazy chicken lady and your opinions for husbandry may or may not match up with the educational goals of the establishment.

Feed: Feed is like religion. I'd love to see them replace scratch with a formulated feed, but in the end it's a money maker. They could easily replace scratch with pellets. I see so many folks out here who don't understand limits. I never intended to learn feed, but was force to and there is such a thing as too much good.

 

[centrarchid]

I am growing fatigued with the intrigue of this thread. To increase odds it resolved to the interest of most interested parties I submitted the following to the Golden History Museum & Park. They can peruse this thread to see several parties are interested and make adjustments as they see fit in light of the interest.



You have a party contacting a website I frequent. She is concerned the quality of care your chickens are getting is substandard. I have worked with displays like you have at other institutions so feel it is appropriate to contact you about it. I suggest someone look into the thread linked below to the website where they can get a handle on the concerns being expressed.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-animal-neglect-in-a-public-park-co.1285596/

The only major concern I have pertains to the rodent issues that are causing more trouble than to just the feed consumption, they appear to be undermining your infrastructure which is a frequent problem for agriculture producers I work with.

 

[GoldenHistoryMuseum]

Dear BackyardChickens.com Community Members,

One of your participants brought this thread to my attention. I am so glad there is a community like this for people to share ideas and suggestions on how to improve their chicken keeping practices. I appreciate the interest and concern for the welfare of our much-loved birds at the Golden History Park. I thought it might be helpful if I gave some background about our chicken husbandry program and offer a different view of the situation.

Golden History Park is a three-acre park located in downtown Golden, Colorado. The park recreates a 19th century mountain homestead and features historic structures from a nearby ranch. The chicken coop and barn are more than a century old and its flock of heirloom hens are beloved local celebrities. The chicken husbandry program began when the park opened in 1999. The program aims to teach visitors about the importance of farm animals to the livelihoods of Colorado’s pioneers. The program has run continuously for twenty years through the love and dedication of more than a dozen volunteers who open and close the coop daily, feed and water the birds, and tend to the flock’s well being.

In addition to daily monitoring by our trained volunteers, the chickens’ health is regularly evaluated by a local avian veterinarian. The birds were most recently examined by the vet on December 20, 2018. The vet’s evaluation showed that our birds are very calm, healthy, and in a great living situation. As a part of their examination, the vet handled the chickens to evaluate their crop, keel, and feet. She found the chickens well fed and that their feet showed no signs of bumble foot or other infection. Per our partnership, the vet will reevaluate the flock again in late spring/early summer and continue on a bi-annual basis as normal.

It is frustratingly true that we are combating a pretty significant rodent infestation this winter. Like all of you, we contend with vermin on a daily basis. However, being in a public park setting and along the waterway, our challenges are amplified. We also believe that the rat issue is being exacerbated by the extra food that is thrown into the chicken yard. Staff and volunteers have implemented an aggressive eradication plan and are seeing success, but the challenge requires continuous monitoring.

The coop and its feathered residents are a huge attraction to thousands of families who visit each year. It’s a big undertaking to maintain the program and to train and retain volunteers that help manage it. For the well being of the flock and the sustainability of the program, it’s important that we have clear and strict management policies and procedures—all of which are shared with the volunteers prior to their tenure at our organization. Our policies and procedures are regularly evaluated and continue to follow veterinary recommended chicken husbandry. Those who express unwillingness to comply with and uphold the museum’s policies are ineligible to participate as a volunteer with our program.

I hope you will visit GoldenHistory.org for more information and stop by for a visit when you are in Golden. Attached are a few photos of our coop that I took this morning.

Sincerely,
Nathan Richie
Director

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

*Polite notice*

Please can we all try to keep this thread on good terms. I understand everyone may not agree on every single thing but please let’s try to respect each other’s thought & or opinions.

Thank you.

*BYC STAFF*

 

[centrarchid]

Everything looks to be in order.
But that doesn’t mean the original poster’s concerns were false or unfounded. I have first hand knowledge of animals kept in seemingly humane conditions to someone stopping by for 30 minutes when in reality the animals are only fed once a day.

Based on pictorial and video evidence provide by the original poster, I could see no problems with respect to condition of the chickens. Environmental conditions, with exception of the apparent abundance of rodents, is consistent with what I consider to be acceptable for chickens kept in a run.

We can not rule out the original poster cherry picked clips with rodents making the apparent density appear higher. I certainly do that with imagery of my poultry area where I have been studying predators. Some might reasonably assume I breed Great-horned Owls and Virginia Opossums. Care must be taken to try and fairly quantify what is going on. It is my opinion the original poster is trying to paint a picture to stimulate others to do something she wants that may require getting those people riled up.

I like what the Golden Museum and Park is doing and wish to promote its efforts by any means at my disposal.

 

[centrarchid]

Curious how do you breed owls legally in the US?

Perfect example of how I fooled you with a bunch of pictures / videos and vaguely worded sentences. Go back and read the posting again. Awesome!