Help me change the law in West Hartford CT

[kabel123]

Yes, i would love to change that law as well

Edited by staff

 

[RonniNewton]

I'm the editor of We-Ha.com, the online news site in West Hartford. I was running to Elizabeth Park today and saw the sign about saving the chickens at the house on the corner of Birch and Waldbridge. I have some other chicken connections in West Hartford and would love to write about the chicken farmers.

I wrote about the ordinance issue several years ago when I was with another publication, and will look to do that again, but before I do, I would like to get an idea of how many chickens we have in West Hartford.

I would like to give the town a "stealth tour" of chicken coops in town. Would anyone be willing to participate? I'd especially like to include the gorgeous coop on Birch/Waldbrige (that one doesn't need to be a secret). I promise to keep you a secret, and hope some will participate.

Please contact me at [email protected] if possible!

Thanks!
Ronni Newton

 

[KasheyCoop]

Hi WH Chicken Peeps,
We are the family at the corner of Birch and Walbridge with the signs! (And there was a story about our Save the Chicken Petition on Eyewitness News today (http://www.wfsb.com/story/29379879/west-hartford-family-petitions-to-keep-their-chickens). We have a hearing scheduled for July 15th in front of the Zoning Board of appeals; we, like the post-er who just got back from Florida to find a "remove your chickens or else letter," are being told to get rid of our hens. These are the same hens to which the Town was referring when, via an August 2014 phone call to Town Hall, they described them as "neither legal nor illegal and therefore, as long as the neighbors are ok, we are as well." On that good faith approval, we have invested a lot of money and love. We are being told that the since town's permissive ordinance doesn't specifically identify chickens--they are indeed neither legal nor illegal--the default is that they are illegal.
How can we push to get an ordinance specifically addressing chickens? Maybe we can start by joining together on July 15th? Or meeting up beforehand?
Go chickens! Asha

 

[KasheyCoop]

I love your point about the questioning of whether it is legal ot have cats or dogs, since they are not specified by the town's permissive ordinance. We have been cited for our chickens, which is very frustrating as we had been given the Town's tacit approval when we called to invesitgate last August. "They are neither legal nor illegal," I was told. "If your neighbors are ok with it, so are we." We are now being told we have 30 days to get rid of them, in accordance with our violation of the permissive ordinance you brought up. Indeed, they are neither legal nor illegal, but, said a Zoning Officer, that means that they are by default illegal. I too am boggled by this.

 

[KasheyCoop]

Thanks, Ronni. My husband blushed by your shout out to his gorgeous coop (he did design and build what we call the Four Seasons of Chicken Coops). We'd be happy to be in an article and a fight to save these chickens from having to leave town!
Asha

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Glad to see the petition getting so many signatures!

 

[katieroth]

So should we show up on July 15? With deviled eggs perhaps?

 

[katieroth]

I posted Ronni's article to the chicken chick's facebook page The Chicken Chick and she said "She and Dr. Appel would do well to get an experienced West Hartford zoning attorney if they hope to keep their chickens and/or to get the zoning code changed. A petition isn't going to do it."
You should contact her about your situation. She's in Suffield and is a lawyer, I think. Also very VERY pro-poultry.

 

[KasheyCoop]

Katie, we would love people to show up on July 15! I will post details as it gets closer. And I had contacted The Chicken Chick; she is awesome and knowledgable.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

How is this going? Any progress?

Someone should post in the Connecticut thread to get more attention, there may be people there who have not seen this.