Councilman in SUPPORT has questions!

[jbher]

We have finally gotten a councilman to confirm his support!! YAY!!! But, he has emailed me this and I want to do my BEST to answer his questions thoroughly so he can feel confident in how he will respond to everyone else's concerns during the council meeting:

A couple of questions for you:

Not all chickens are created equal. Will you just be focusing on “laying” birds?

What will you do with them in the winter?

Where will you get your chickens?

What will you do when your neighbors complain about your chickens?

One of the concerns I have been hearing about is enforcement. Do you know how other cities handle that issue?

Do other cities require you to get permission from your neighbors first?

... Just started thinking and researching more about chickens so I can talk smart later.​

Any chance I can get some help in answering these so I don't ramble on??

Thank you!!!
Jen

www.facebook.com/HudsonUrbanChickens

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

First question I would ask in response to his questions is whether he would be asking these questions of cat/dog/fish/cage-bird owners. And I would not give specific answers for what any single individual's plans are.

You might answer that there are many purposes that people have for raising chickens, to include exhibition, 4H, pets, eggs, meat, insect control, yard candy, source for tie flying feathers, etc.

Chickens are available from many sources including breeders, hatcheries, feed stores, other backyard chicken enthusiasts, school hatching projects, etc.

How I would handle a neighbor's complaint would depend on the neighbor and the complaint. A legitimate complaint (birds hopping the fence into their yard, excessive noise, odor, flies, light from coop keeping them awake, etc.) would be handled as soon as the issue is known, or prevented fro the get-go. Something like "I don't like chickens" or "chickens do not belong in this neighborhood" are not really legitimate complaints. Some people do not like cats or do not like dogs, but as long as those animals do not create an actual nuisance, those are opinions, not legitimate complaints, and I would ignore or respond to them the same way as if someone said "I don't like your car" or "I don't your dog."

Most cities enforce code violations only when there is a complaint, and then only to the extent that there IS a code violation.

Some cities require permission from adjoining neighbors, but that is not really a good solution, and many cities do not require neighbor permission. Adjoining neighbors can change their minds, or sell their house and a new neighbor moves in. The cost to acquire chickens can vary from a couple of dollars for a chick at the feed store to several hundred dollars for a show bird. Cost and time expended for purchasing or building a coop and run or installing an escape-proof fence can also be considerable. It is not fair to let a neighbor decide what one can/cannot do on their property so long as no actual nuisance is experienced. Anyone MIGHT open their windows and play their stereo at 150 decibels, rendering the neighbors deaf, but to regulate the owning of stereos because of what MIGHT happen would be deemed silly by most. Ownership of chickens should be viewed the same way. Define and regulate actual nuisances, not their cause.

 

[silkielover5]

Are you guys trying to get just chickens or ducks too? Bantams and standards? Do you plan on having a limit per acre type of thing?

 

[jbher]

Are you guys trying to get just chickens or ducks too? Bantams and standards? Do you plan on having a limit per acre type of thing?

Just chickens, no roosters is really the only "limit" besides number. We are requesting 5 hens per residential lot. Though if owning more than half an acre it would be nice to allow more... I may try and squeeze that in.

 

[jbher]

First question I would ask in response to his questions is whether he would be asking these questions of cat/dog/fish/cage-bird owners. And I would not give specific answers for what any single individual's plans are.

You might answer that there are many purposes that people have for raising chickens, to include exhibition, 4H, pets, eggs, meat, insect control, yard candy, source for tie flying feathers, etc.

Chickens are available from many sources including breeders, hatcheries, feed stores, other backyard chicken enthusiasts, school hatching projects, etc.

How I would handle a neighbor's complaint would depend on the neighbor and the complaint. A legitimate complaint (birds hopping the fence into their yard, excessive noise, odor, flies, light from coop keeping them awake, etc.) would be handled as soon as the issue is known, or prevented fro the get-go. Something like "I don't like chickens" or "chickens do not belong in this neighborhood" are not really legitimate complaints. Some people do not like cats or do not like dogs, but as long as those animals do not create an actual nuisance, those are opinions, not legitimate complaints, and I would ignore or respond to them the same way as if someone said "I don't like your car" or "I don't your dog."

Most cities enforce code violations only when there is a complaint, and then only to the extent that there IS a code violation.

Some cities require permission from adjoining neighbors, but that is not really a good solution, and many cities do not require neighbor permission. Adjoining neighbors can change their minds, or sell their house and a new neighbor moves in. The cost to acquire chickens can vary from a couple of dollars for a chick at the feed store to several hundred dollars for a show bird. Cost and time expended for purchasing or building a coop and run or installing an escape-proof fence can also be considerable. It is not fair to let a neighbor decide what one can/cannot do on their property so long as no actual nuisance is experienced. Anyone MIGHT open their windows and play their stereo at 150 decibels, rendering the neighbors deaf, but to regulate the owning of stereos because of what MIGHT happen would be deemed silly by most. Ownership of chickens should be viewed the same way. Define and regulate actual nuisances, not their cause.

You said it exactly as how I was thinking it, thank you!!!

 

[jbher]

Things are heatin' up over here!! The chief of the Public Safety Committee who is also a council member that will be voting tomorrow just sent out an email to a TON of people within her district saying there is a "major" item on the agenda and asking for input on chickens. Apparently she did not include any facts about what we're asking for (no roosters, etc...) and wants FEEDBACK from people in her district. This doesn't even seem remotely fair considering she is blanketing these people and not including any facts?! She knows the facts because I provided her with a ton of them and so if people write back about noise, smell, etc... she will KNOW them to not be valid concerns but who knows how she'll feel... ugh. I'm trying to get the email myself so I can see... thankfully we have a few chicken supporters in her district... this is how I found out about the email.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Things are heatin' up over here!! The chief of the Public Safety Committee who is also a council member that will be voting tomorrow just sent out an email to a TON of people within her district saying there is a "major" item on the agenda and asking for input on chickens. Apparently she did not include any facts about what we're asking for (no roosters, etc...) and wants FEEDBACK from people in her district. This doesn't even seem remotely fair considering she is blanketing these people and not including any facts?! She knows the facts because I provided her with a ton of them and so if people write back about noise, smell, etc... she will KNOW them to not be valid concerns but who knows how she'll feel... ugh. I'm trying to get the email myself so I can see... thankfully we have a few chicken supporters in her district... this is how I found out about the email.

Call the local paper and news stations and ask them to write or publish an article about the proposed changes, and provide answers to concerns that people are expressing.

 

[jbher]

Call the local paper and news stations and ask them to write or publish an article about the proposed changes, and provide answers to concerns that people are expressing.

I was asked by our local patch to do an interview. We were hoping to avoid this getting out into the media until after our first hurdle tomorrow night... I thought being in the media before the meeting would have a negative impact since we already have a lot of supporters that will be attending tomorrow's meeting. Not sure what to do but I know she will definitely be hearing back from people stating they don't want chickens, or chickens are noisy, they smell, etc... it will be all the common things.

 

[jbher]

Okay well since she opened a can of worms there are people commenting on her page about all the common stuff but here are two I'd like help replying to.... ahhhh I'm pulling my hair out:


Brian S******: why does Hudson need chickens within the city limits? How does this help the community as a whole? What is the driving force behind legalizing chickens within the city limits?
Eric S*****: Ordinances look fine on paper; it's the practical application and enforcement of them that really matters. My parents live in a city that allows chickens and had a next door neighbor who had a few for a while. What a mess! They never violated any ordinances, as far as we know, and my parents never complained just so they could stay on good terms with the neighbors. Thank goodness they moved and took the chickens with them. Go to an organic food store -- like Whole Foods in River Falls where we used to sell our eggs -- or a local organic farmer if you want free-range chicken meat or eggs. Look up Organic Valley Farms in River Falls. There's a good reason we've kept livestock on farms and out of the city all these years -- health and aesthetics.

 

[silkielover5]

Is there a way to message these people to let them know the true facts. I know in Stillwater they are pretty strict. I have taken in 3 roosters and have found them new homes so far from Stillwater families that were about to get reported