Coalition of Animal Sanctuaries Urges Ban on Backyard Chickens

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
No, you are not looking at the same statement. There are several versions of their statement that they put out. I put links to them in my initial post of this thread, which I have to assume you never read. One is at the Oil Drum in response to a previous day's thread about chicken-keeping. The exact wording of their statement to the Oil Drum posters that day was this:

This coalition is also urging municipalities throughout the U.S. not to allow backyard flocks and exhorting those that are already zoned for this practice to establish and enforce strict regulations for the care of these birds.

As you can see, they use the words like "urging" - "not to allow" and "exhorting."

The language is toned down somewhat in the statement they sent to me and city officials in some cities. That statement can be found here.

Edited to add: The second statement is one of the ones people are referring to when they assert that this coalition is misinformed and saying things that are not quite true, like chickens attract mice and rats.

I have not gone to the individual sites of the groups in the coalition; I imagine they all have somewhat different versions of the same statement, but basically saying the similar things.

I think you are the one who needs to slow down and read more carefully. It appears you never even read my initial post, or you would have seen the wording that got everyone going.

Also, I don't see any personal attacks. "Personal" means attacking a person, an individual. Many of us have critiqued these groups and their goals. I haven't seen anyone attacking a person.

Katherine​

 

[mistyfeather]

"Slaughter: The average chicken guardian is ill-equipped to “properly” stun and kill a chicken. Further, slaughtering can be traumatic for neighbors, including impressionable children. If chickens are to be permitted in urban areas, they must be protected from cruel mistreatment as much as “traditional” companion animals like dogs or cats, including a ban on slaughtering them for consumption."

thoes line came directly from that letter

i would hope that people responding to the coments of people on this post READ the origonal post and click on the links provided !
the people i know who do eat their chicken are far more humane then comercial chicken / turkey farms and processing plants.( i say that from first hand expeirience) i hhave phisicaly seen these plases and what is done to the birds, these people should be lobbing for laws that help make the lives of those animals more humane and help educate and endorce small family flocks. i know that you would not find living chickens preplucked/declawed and debeaked in someones backyard flock.

the turkeys i see going to the nearby procesing plant are stufed into tiny crates defeathered and debeaked loaded onto a flat bed trailer and are not even sheltered from the wind on the ride from farm to plant. is this more humane than a backyard flock?if you ever seen these places in person (not on tv or utube) it will make you

i say

to those who save chickens by raising them in their own back yards!

 

[AZKat]

Quote:
Looking at the 'Standards of Care' document, which I eventually did find linked on the UPC website, it clearly says, at the top:

Adapted from Standards of Care for Farmed Animals , The Association Of Sanctuaries
(TAOS). Edited by Chicken Run Rescue. 6/2008, revised for MACC 4/7/09

and it refers to 'shelters' several times throughout the document. It is clearly written for people who are housing birds at an animal sanctuary, although, as I noted, most of the information is sound advice for anyone who is interested in keeping chickens.

For the record, I think that animal sanctuaries do an important job, and I don't have a problem with people trying to convince other people to become vegan. What I do take issue with, and what I think most of the people who have posted on this thread, is their goal of getting cities that already have chicken bans to keep their chicken bans, and the fact that they are willing to spread misleading information to do this.

I think that the reason for the defensiveness is due to the strong implication that backyard chicken keepers are part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Where did anybody tell you that they are trying to make you get rid of your birds?

I've never claimed that, based on their current position paper, that this group of animal sanctuaries is trying to ban chicken keeping in places that already allow it. What they are trying to do is stop places that currently do not allow chicken keeping to not make it legal, and to put 'strict restrictions' in place in areas that currently allow it.
Strategically, it makes a lot of sense to first try to keep urban chicken keeping from spreading, and restrict further in areas that allow it. This would not effect me personally, as long as I don't move to an area that currently has a chicken ban. Also, there is nothing that these organizations have published on their websites that makes me think that they are unlikely to start calling for a ban on backyard chicken keeping in general.

Where is it written that they want you to stop eating your birds' eggs? NOWHERE. Again, people are confusing these organizations' personal lifestyles with what they are trying to accomplish. I don't believe the two have much to do with eachother.

I disagree. I think that for some of these organizations and their members, the most important part is preventing animal abuse. However, since Animal Place, Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center, and United Poultry Concerns, three of the organizations involved in creating this document, all advocate, in very strong terms, adopting a vegan diet, I don't see any problem with saying that yes, they do want me to stop eating my birds' eggs. They may not yet be trying to legally prohibit me from keeping birds for eggs, but there isn't much question that they do, in fact, want people to only keep chickens as companion animals, and not for meat or eggs.​

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
I was just on the Farm Sanctuary (also one of the coalition members) site looking at their adoption application . One of the questions they ask is whether you are vegan or vegetarian, and if neither, to explain why. Yet, they want us to adopt chickens, rather than get them from hatcheries.

I want to say to Rachel that I do believe (as others have said in this thread) that people in these groups do care deeply about animals and do some good work. And I agree with them that people should do their homework before getting chickens.

The main takeaway from this, I think, is just to be aware of the kinds of arguments they will make to get city officials to "resist" allowing people to keep chickens so that we can effectively refute those arguments.

Katherine

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

Yes, I did read the initial post and the statement on the Oil Drum website.

If a municipality already does not allow chickens, take it up with the municipalty. Town Councils and ordinance committees do what THEY want half the time, regardless of what the residents or even the Mayor have to say about it, so I highly doubt they'd give two hoots what these groups think is right or wrong. I still don't see how people are taking this as a "RED ALERT, NATIONWIDE BAN ON CHICKENS!!! GUARD YOUR FLOCKS!"

There are far worse things than humane organizations writing guidelines for the proper care, treatment and handling of poultry. I feel as though the only reason everyone here is so up in arms is that they have opposing opinions and lifestyles. Why is being open-minded and accepting such a difficult thing?

Anywho, I'm graciously retiring from this thread to avoid it being locked (which actually wouldn't bother me much) or getting banned. Goodnight.

 

[Galaxiedriver]

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It isn't passion, it is anger bordering on rage. No one but me has a right to tell me how to enjoy my life......no one!!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

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I bet they would be glad to see me if a swarm the size of a beach ball is plastered against their front door.
Man.......stopping backyard chickens........Well I will pitch a fit if anyone tries that here.

 

[canada-goose]

They want to ban this?!

 

[mistyfeather]

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i dont think so, im not vegitarian or vegan, i have many friends who are. but none of us think that these groups should be trying to keep cities from removing bans on chickens or having other cities to restrict them. as for citie that alow chickens not looking after them , our Animal control oficers watch out for chickens and other farm animals just as well as cats and dogs. with proper information they can ensure that citychickens are kept humanely with out outragouse restrictions placed on backyard chicken keepers.my town has very loose chicken polices. you can keep as many as you can properly care for maintaining animal clenliness and health, but there is a noise ordenace so we can not have roosters

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
And I would say that you are the one who is not being open minded, but rather is reading the various statements with blinders on so that you will not see and can deliberately ignore what is plainly stated.

I don't have a problem with people espousing their beliefs, but they need to be honest in what they say, not use lies and inuendos that twist the truth, and that is the reason for the strong concern/outrage you are reading here. City/Town Councils do respond to what they believe their citizens want--as elected officials if they ignore citizens opinions they will not get re-elected, and may well be recalled. While they may not necessarily embrace the idea of backyard flocks, which causes great concern on this forum, we have to realize that there are many people who do not want chickens in their neighborhoods, and the City/Town Council needs to be considerate of their opinions, too. Accurate information that dispells invalid concerns, and ordinances that address real nuisance issues go a long way towards finding compromise between those who are concerned about nuisances related to backyard flocks and those who want to have them.