How to handle reserved park pavilion & bringing chickens...

[Wynette]

Okay, so I'm organizing a meet/greet/swap/potluck.

There's a nice park in my town; I called the township to talk with them about renting a pavilion, and I most definitley want to be honest so we don't get in trouble. I told the woman that several friends would be meeting for a potluck get-together, and that some of us will be bringing chickens that we will be trading in cages or dog kennels. The lady got all upset and said, "WELL! I don't think you can DO that!" I told her I read the rules, and there was nothing in them about not bringing a caged pet...she said she had to check with the supervisor and would call me back.

I'm not going to lie about bringing chickens to the meet-up...but should I have phrased it differently?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

I think you did fine. Make sure to get in touch with her supervisor. Sometimes it pays to go up a rung on the ladder with special requests.

 

[purr]

we do our swaps at the TSC and they gave us a bag of feed for a penny and they love it cause they get alot of sales that day.

 

[Wynette]

Purr, I guess that'd be doable, but we were going to have a cookout, too...my local TSC doens't have any grass area, nor do they have picnic tables, so it wouldn't be near as relaxing and fun, I don't think. But, if that's what we end up doing, then so be it.

I got a voicemail message back from the city office supervisor early this morning. He stated, "Got a message that you're looking to do some sort of chicken swap or something down at the pak. That's one of those gray shaded areas of our ordinance right now....we get a lot of complaints about those, and we are in the process of drafting some laws to probably prohibit chickens in the city, I know some place allow it, some places don't, like I said it's kind of one of those things regulated under nuisance law, so it's not strictly prohibited or allowed either way, but I wouldn't recommend that down there at all, and in fact, like I said we're in the process of drafting some local law to probably regulate those out...." and asked me to give him a call back.

I guess I'm totally naive, because I just cannot for the life of me imagine what sort of comlaints they get about "those." I wonder what the woman I spoke with yesterday afternoon told this guy?

I'm going to call him back...suggestions on what to say or stress? I will most definitely tell him that ALL poultry will be caged, and if I have to, I guess I can say none of the birds will be removed from their cages...which isn't actually true, since those who are swapping are obviously going to be taking them from one cage and putting them in another. I just don't know how to proceed. Suggestions appreciated!

Also - what the heck - "nuisance law"? How in the world could our feathered friends be considered nuisances? Sheesh.

 

[HennysMom]

Well... he states its a "grey shaded area" right? Until its cast in stone and firmly a law - too bad on if he doenst "like it" - he said it "isnt strictly prohibited but its not allowed either?" Excuse me but which is it then? Show me the law that says its not allowed... until then..

carry on... and as you were!

I get tired of people thinking they can just do as they please because they are in position to or feel they can enforce certain laws because they are "considering writing a new one" -

Until its a law - you arent breaking any!

 

[patandchickens]

I dunno, it depends where you live I suppose, but I think that in a lot of places, bringing a buncha poultry to a public park in little cages and carriers is going to get people complaining about being mean to animals (and after all, they have no way of knowing you *don't* keep your chickens in little wire cages at *home* too) and dirty-filthy-poultry-carrying-disease-near-picnic-tables (a common and not completely irrational idea, even though on the whole *I* sure don't have a problem with it).

It sounds to me like the parks guy just doesn't want to deal with that sort of thing and is hoping to gently dissuade you so that he won't have to. You have to think about whether YOU want to deal with that sort of thing EITHER.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[miss_jayne]

Quote:
they totally could be seen that way. the park is a public place. noises, poop, allergies to chickens for people in park...the list could go on and on.

if any chicken poop from one sick chicken is there, the wild birds in the area could get sick...yadda yadda. i'm not saying i would freak out, but there is always someone who will have an issue with things like this.

if the outing is at something like a TSC, that is private property, the nuisance argument does not apply. the regulator allowed it.

 

[miss_jayne]

also, a swap could actually bring some legal issues up for the park.

if a passer by's kid comes up and tries to touch a chicken, (there's always one!) and gets bitten, the parents can try to sue:

A. the owner of said chicken
B. the city/township for allowing said chicken

also, there may be rules in the insurance policy for the city that disallow such things.

 

[Wynette]

Yikes. Guess I'll go back to the drawing board on where to have this thing. Thanks for your feedback, guys...though it makes me sad.

 

[HennysMom]

I see where ya'll are coming from in that aspect..but if the birds are in cages... and wont be let out - cant they keep the cages on a tarp or something so "park guy" wont have to clean up after them?

As far as swapping goes - bring said birds to each others vehicles and swap out that way.

I dont know - I just get really upset that more and more people are just saying "Oh yeah, there's really no real law about it, but we'd like for you not to, personally." It's okay to bring dogs and let them poop all over god and country but not a chicken?? Whens the last time ya ever heard of a chicken pecking a kid to death?

Dogs on the other hand...

Well I'm sorry that you "dont like it personally" but I'm paying for renting out said spot and until you foot the bill and there is an actual law passed - not just what you "feel on the subject" do your job and keep quiet.

I dont know, maybe I'm just mean LOL