Eugene, OR's City Council is considering adding Backyard Goats...

[Shobe Biz]

Chickens and bees are no longer the only animals allowed for backyard keeping. Eugene, OR is now looking at adding backyard goats. Read about it on my blog Chicken Women. Anyone know of any other cities that allow backyard goats on small parcels? And, how small is too small?

 

[Oregon Blues]

I'd be seriously unhappy if I lived on a small city lot and the neighbor added goats. They are loud. They stink, and they produce flies.

At my current house, I have a neighbor with goats, but we each have 2 acres and are zoned agricultural.. That is a huge difference. I like the neighbor and I don't mind the goats, but they produce an enormous number of flies and I am constantly buying fly traps to keep them under control.

If the wind is wrong, I smell goat, and I hear a lot of bleating, starting even before the sun comes up. Fine. I choose to live in the country and the country comes complete with farm animals. I expect it.

But people who buy those tiny little postage stamp size yards in the city don't want to live in the country, or else they would have purchased in the country to begin with.

It rains constantly in Eugene, so the yard with the goat would be a muddy mess. Not a nice thing to have next door. Of course, I'd never live in Eugene, anyway. They take "liberal" way beyond the point of "crazy".

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Oh neat! We live close to a well run goat farm that has been in business for generations, and is about the last whisper of what the land used to be used for still standing in this growing city. No flies and no stench (thats what the dumpsters around here are for), but lots of goats. I would be devastated if they went under or were legislated out of our city. They are the only local source for goat products, and have amazing cheeses and even raw milk that makes a heavenly frozen custard. They make healthy and quality goat products available to those of us who could otherwise not afford them.

I'm almost always for something that will give people the option of going towards self sufficiency and away from having to eat what is on the corporate menu. I do hope the city will do things like set and enforce space and fence requirements, and offer education for people before they jump in. When our city allowed chickens, there was a strong network of free chicken raising information and affordable classes. It seemed to make for a smooth transition, and I haven't heard of any conflicts with neighbors. .