Hoping This Doesn't Pass...

[Lacy Duckwing]

They're trying to pass this ordinance in my town all because of a couple people who have way too many goats. There are so many ways this will effect me and many in my neighborhood. Everywhere you go, at least someone has chickens and with the raising egg prices, many more have gotten chickens. There's a meeting tomorrow night about this topic, though it will have no effect over it being voted on. On April 29th, they're having a vote on this, which me and many others will be voting against it.

There are many ways many of us won't be able to comply if it does get passed. First off, those of us who are keeping chickens for their eggs, six chickens won't be able to feed our homeschooling families. The no butchering your animals, violates our Maine Right To Farm bill. Not to mention, we have many poor people here who will not be able to pay a butcher.
The chicken run alone is a hard one. Wire buried 12" under ground? A lot of us don't, and there's not enough predators to need it. Runs that rodents can't get into? People can't even keep rodents out of their houses and when I've seen a rat chew a hole through the floor in one night, how am I supposed to deal with that? My neighbors have so many dumpsters that it's impossible to keep the rats away, even with poisoning them.
How about the no lights in the coop after dark? We have this new store that has more light pollution than anything and some people use lights to keep their chickens laying in the winter and heat lamps to keep their chicks warm. The no free ranging part is almost understandable, but am I going to be violating this ordinance over taking my chickens out for a few minutes to do a photo shoot or to simply clean out their coop? When they're out I'm right there watching them, ensuring they don't leave my property.
And back to the coops, they want the coops built a specific way, meaning, none of us can use our recycled materials. Instead, we must buy wood that we can't afford. On the waste, I compost all of my manure and use it as fill and in my garden year after year. We have corn fields that use manure for fertilizer that stinks up our whole airport. Will the corn fields be effected? Or what about the Amish community that just moved in? They have fencing up near the road. And they probably butcher their own animals too. We even have a business that butchers their own animals on their property.

I can go on and on about how bad this all is. I'm planning on going to the meeting tomorrow night, but I'm terrible at public speaking. I've been keeping chickens on this property for nearly fourteen years and I've never had a problem.

 

[townchicks]

That does seem terribly restrictive. I would be in trouble if this was the rule here. So would all the neighbors that have chickens near me. To not even be able to compost the chicken manure is ludicrous. You could ask that at least those of you that already have had poultry or livestock that have not been a problem, get their setups grandfathered in. Good luck.

 

[Perris]

They're trying to pass this ordinance in my town all because of a couple people who have way too many goats.

If this is the case, why not focus your efforts on getting the ordinance restricted to the real cause, and not generalised to *all* so-called 'farm animals' large and small? Whoever drafted it seems to be on a power trip.

And there seem to be many people on BYC who keep chickens as pets (definition A is really arbitrary).

 

[townchicks]

If this is the case, why not focus your efforts on getting the ordinance restricted to the real cause, and not generalised to *all* so-called 'farm animals' large and small? Whoever drafted it seems to be on a power trip.

And there seem to be many people on BYC who keep chickens as pets (definition A is really arbitrary).

Good point. All of my 5 are older, and 3 have stopped laying. If they are not laying, and you don't or won't eat them, what are they if not pets? I mean, I know and have always known mine are pets, but that is my definition. However, if you don't eat your chickens or get rid of them when they stop laying, a very good argument is that they are pets , not livestock.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I went to the town office this morning to get a copy of the articles, and they told me this will not effect me, unless, I'm somehow violating this other law and my chickens are living in unsanitary conditions, and they'll determine this based off of people's complaints. Unfortunately, as much as they try making this look like a good thing, it will eventually effect me and many others, especially because some people tend to complain just to start trouble.

If this is the case, why not focus your efforts on getting the ordinance restricted to the real cause, and not generalised to *all* so-called 'farm animals' large and small? Whoever drafted it seems to be on a power trip.

And there seem to be many people on BYC who keep chickens as pets (definition A is really arbitrary).

On focusing on the real cause, I would like to address this. My thoughts is these people who are being the trouble should get in trouble for being a hoarding situation, not a farm that'll be getting an ordinance put on all of us. What are your thoughts and do you have any other suggestions? These people with the goats live in the middle of town, have less than an acre of land (it might be a half acre), and supposedly have around 20 goats.

 

[Perris]

My thoughts is these people who are being the trouble should get in trouble for being a hoarding situation, not a farm that'll be getting an ordinance put on all of us. What are your thoughts and do you have any other suggestions? These people with the goats live in the middle of town, have less than an acre of land (it might be a half acre), and supposedly have around 20 goats.

would the humane society step in on animal welfare grounds?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

would the humane society step in on animal welfare grounds?

I don't know. I do know that all the shelters have been full, so we've been having issues with getting them to help with anything.

 

[NatJ]

I can go on and on about how bad this all is. I'm planning on going to the meeting tomorrow night, but I'm terrible at public speaking. I've been keeping chickens on this property for nearly fourteen years and I've never had a problem.

When you talk about what is wrong with it, make sure you complain about what it actually says.

Some of your points do not match anything I can find in that document.
For example:

How about the no lights in the coop after dark? We have this new store that has more light pollution than anything and some people use lights to keep their chickens laying in the winter and heat lamps to keep their chicks warm.

I see that section III part I talks about "lights used to illuminate exterior areas"
and section V part C talks about what may be used to "light the exterior of the structure."

I don't see either of those talking about what lights you can use inside the chicken house.

On the waste, I compost all of my manure and use it as fill and in my garden year after year. We have corn fields that use manure for fertilizer that stinks up our whole airport. Will the corn fields be effected?

Where does it it say no composting? I see section III part G says that waste "shall be promptly composted or tilled into cultivated earth..." (or stored or removed.)

It looks to me like composting IS allowed.

The no butchering your animals, violates our Maine Right To Farm bill. Not to mention, we have many poor people here who will not be able to pay a butcher.

Section III part K says "Outside slaughternig and processing is prohibited in all cases." That presumably means you could do it indoors.

Section X specifically addresses right to farm. I think it says that a farm doesn't actually have to follow this, if the farm is following all the rules that actually do apply to farms.

It looks like the Right to Farm rules are here:
https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/7/title7ch6sec0.html
Note, I see in the definitions that the only "farms" it protects are commercial farms (as in, ones that are selling stuff, not producing it only for their own use.)



I do think this is a bad ordinance. But you do not want people to say, "it doesn't really say that," and ignore your points. So I suggest you should double-check the points you want to make, to be sure you are addressing things it does say. And maybe be prepared to point out where it says what, in case someone questions whether it really says that.

(And if I am wrong about what it says where, please do point that out to me. I don't want to be saying wrong things either!)

 

[Zenmonkey]

Bear in mind that the meeting that I believe was tonight? Is also somewhat about the leadership gauging public reaction to the code. "Is passing this likely to cost me my seat next time around? Is not passing out likely to cost me my seat? "

How did the meeting go? It isn't too late to contact the leadership individually. And a petition for or against might help them judge how this should play out in the longterm.

Good luck!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I see that section III part I talks about "lights used to illuminate exterior areas"
and section V part C talks about what may be used to "light the exterior of the structure."

I don't see either of those talking about what lights you can use inside the chicken house.

After rereading this, I did see it say exterior lights, so that is a relief.

Where does it it say no composting? I see section III part G says that waste "shall be promptly composted or tilled into cultivated earth..." (or stored or removed.)

It looks to me like composting IS allowed.

See Section VI. Even though I'm technically on close to two acres, how my lots are set up, I'd be classified as less than an acre (though not by much).

Section III part K says "Outside slaughternig and processing is prohibited in all cases." That presumably means you could do it indoors.

This is still an issue. As people brought up in the meeting, this is also an issue for those who hunt. Not all of us have garages, and many people brought up that they'd have to do their butchering in their houses, which they said they obviously cannot do.

Section X specifically addresses right to farm. I think it says that a farm doesn't actually have to follow this, if the farm is following all the rules that actually do apply to farms.

It looks like the Right to Farm rules are here:
https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/7/title7ch6sec0.html
Note, I see in the definitions that the only "farms" it protects are commercial farms (as in, ones that are selling stuff, not producing it only for their own use.)



I do think this is a bad ordinance. But you do not want people to say, "it doesn't really say that," and ignore your points. So I suggest you should double-check the points you want to make, to be sure you are addressing things it does say. And maybe be prepared to point out where it says what, in case someone questions whether it really says that.

(And if I am wrong about what it says where, please do point that out to me. I don't want to be saying wrong things either!)

Thank you for all of your imput. A lot of people are saying this will not effect me and many others, but in the long term, I think it eventually will because I've seen how it has effected other people who have ordinances. They'll have chickens for years, then suddenly someone decides to have a problem and they now have to get rid of their flock.