Got a letter from the town...

[max13077]

Quote:

 

[RoostersCrow]

Whatever their rule is it would not stand up in court. "Farm animal" is not specific enough to enforce. There is not a single pet in the world, i will venture, that someone does not keep on a farm. Such a law can not be arbitrary and must be clearly defined.

Anothr thought... Write them a letter explaining that you no longer keep any farm animals as you no longer have your sheep. The only animals you have are your pet chickens which you keep purely for enjoyment like any other pets.

 

[max13077]

Come to think of it, I’m actually expecting a letter from the town saying I didn’t obtain a permit before building my coop. It turned out a little bigger than I thought it was going to…. However I was told that if you don’t have power running to it, you didn’t need a permit. How right or wrong that is, I don’t know. Any experience on that anybody?

 

[farmgirlie1031]

Some towns consider chickens livestock and therefor you can't have them and that's just the way it is. sorry. I am not trying to start a fight. My mom worked animal control in a large city in Kansas where people had pet chickens and she hated it but she always had to make them get rid of the chickens due to the livestock laws. I've always wanted chickens but never could have them because of the rules of all the towns/cities in all the states I've lived in. Finally we live out in the county and can have chickens for the first time. In the one town I was suprised I got away with have 22 rabbits. They were purebred show rabbits but I could have had major trouble if someone reported it as rabbits were considered livestock.

 

[RoostersCrow]

Quote:
In many towns it is more about the foundation. Buildings on skids often don't require permits but they often restrict their size and you still have to keep them the required offset from property lines.

 

[RoostersCrow]

Quote:
That is true if the law is properly written and uniformly applied and enforced. Of course if a judge decides it is not enforceable they could then rewrite it. However, that could create the situation in which your case would be grandfathered in and they might have to leave you alone. Should a judge find they are being anything but evenhanded in their enforcement he could force them to either broaden their enforcement (which could prove unpopular) or back down.

You may also want someone to make some inquiries with the local papers. The town office just might deserve some negative press.

The bottom line... if you want to keep them it will require a legal or politically savy response.

 

[max13077]

I live in a little group of five houses 10 miles from the nearest "large" town. And that town, the village of Homer, has less than 3500 people. I don't think the people around here would rat on me anyway. All of us have lived here a long time(30+ years). I know two out of the four wouldn't. The third I don't know and the forth knows I've seen him shooting deer out of his bedroom window. So I hope he keeps his mouth shut...

My coop is built on skids that are set on blocks to level it up. Hope they'd be cool with that...:|

 

[conny63malies]

livestock
One entry found.

livestock




Main Entry: live·stock
Pronunciation: \\ˈlîv-ˌstäk\\
Function: noun
Date: 1742
: animals kept or raised for use or pleasure; especially : farm animals kept for use and profit
i took this from the merriam webster online edition.
if they complain about chickens, no city or what so ever goverment can allow bunnies, rabbits,chinchillas within their city limits, because by all defination they are livestock or are farm animal too. They are kept on farms for fur and/or meat production. Before they take my chickens i insist on going with the mayor/law from house to house to remove all "livestock" bunnies that are kept against the law. I want to see them taking their kids pets because of their own laws. ahh i am a evil genius today.
edit/add on:
there is no definition for the word "farm animal" in the m-w book. so how can they say what it is . Other than a animal that is kept on a farm for meat or fur production on a regular basis. Where we would end up with the bunnies again. As long as people keep bunnies we dont break the law. we are just bending it to our favor without breaking it. I think they rather should make a specific chicken law
less than 5000sqf 3 chickens
5001-8000sqf 6 chickens
8001-12000sqf 8chickens
12000+up to lets say 3 acres no more than 10-12 chickens
but the coop has to be a certain distance from the neighbors land and no roosters or other noisy fowl can be kept. That would be in my eyes a decent law.

 

[justinszoo]

Livestock is the term used to refer (singularly or plurally) to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to make produce such as food or fibre, or for its labour. The term generally does not include poultry or farmed fish.

Here is the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock

 

[conny63malies]

justin , thanks for the link, they consider guinea pigs livestock. boy , i really want to see the goverment take a guina pig from a five year old because livestock isnt allowed.