If this were me, I would call our local radio station....called talk on the bayou....I'm sure a lot of town have things like that....and I would engage in a conversation to explain to the radio man and to the public listening what was going on and why I believe the laws should be changed and start talking chickens. I would probably have notes before me to make sure I have several points made before hanging up. And I would have called before hand to ask if he would help me out with this problem and keep the conversation going good. In that way I would go in already have some public support and knowledge. I would then ask like minded people to join me at the meeting, just to show support. I would ask them just to show acknowledgement when they liked something to nod there head.
I would mention reason I wanted chickens and that would be:
!. I dislike the use of a lawnmower
2. I would prefer my grass, bugs and table scraps to become meat and eggs, rather than be wasted.
3. I can make use even of their waste, in my garden, by placing leaves or pine/cypress needles under their roost and returning it to the compost pile when it needs to be replaced.
4. I know what fresh eggs taste like and I think about that every time I try to eat one of those store bought things.
5. I can section off my yard and pasture the chickens according to my current needs, such as about 9 weeks before I plan on planting a little garden, I can let them completely clean that area of all grass, weeds and bugs and have a more fertile soil to work with and all I have to do, is turn the ground over and plant and later on they will return, when the garden has given me everything I could get from it and will wipe out all the dying/dead/used up plants and turn it into high-nitogen compost for me, much faster than I could by collecting it and turning it over every few days.
6. I can significantly cut down my meat cost, by allowing my hens to go broody from time to time, insuring a constant supply of young stock, slaughtering off the cockerals ( unless I need another one ), and replacing the hens with young pullets when they reach 3 or 4 years old.
7. They only cost between 2.00 to 5.00 dollars depending on how much of a fancy breed you want, as compared to 250.00 for a dog, that will never be eaten, will never lay an egg, frequently barks, needs dog food because he can't live on grass and such and depending on the breed, might very well land me in court. ( at this point I might say something real quick and personal about liking dogs, for certain other things, but that I'm just trying to get my point across that chickens are a good animal for the average person to consider having )
Then the closing arguements.......highlight all the above, being cheaper to have eggs and meat, easier to keep up the yard provided it is set up correctly, taste better......not to mention healthier, better garden produce. I would also state that I have plans on building a preditor proof coop, that will be pleasing to the eye and will be very functional. That I would like to offer my chickens a safe place to roam by day, free from any worry of escaping neighborhood pets ( in other words, they won't have to make any new laws in the future regarding awarding of damages to you for your neighbors lab getting into your coop )
I would time myself making this arguement. I would practice saying it a few times. I would pray for courage. I would decide what I needed to elaborate on to make sure I use the entire 5 minutes. I would make eye contact with the council members and use body language, but avoid anger in my face or gestures. And I would smile and thank them for the opportunity to speak my mind.
I wish you luck.
