Illinois...

[AuntGEMs4Sicin]

tonight our zoning officer asked if there were any laws in Illinois requiring backyard flock /small flocks (6 or less) of chickens to be vaccinated for Marek's or coccodiosis. Can any one tell me where he can look or if there are any laws pertaining to backyard flocks and these vaccinations ?

It seams we may be in violation of an ordnance in town because are property isn't quite big enough for 4 chickens. Our zoning officer is helping us work toward obtaining a variance and he wants to be sure all other possible barriers and questions that may be an issue with some on the board have answers.

i have found the answer to weather or not it is legal to let them feed form tables scraps or compost
answer: http://legiscan.com/IL/text/HB2582/id/662481 (720 ILCS 5/48-7 new)
Sec. 48-7. Feeding garbage to animals.

Neither he nor we know exactly where to look for any possible law pertaining to required vaccinations for poultry. ( he has barely had the job a few weeks now.)

thank you for any help or direction you can provide

 

[misbhaven]

not that I am aware of never heard that before....BTW the Mereks vaccine only stops the tumor form there is many strains and birds can still get it..I am pretty sure there is no required vaccines at all..now you might want to contact your counties NPIP person ..maybe if you stipulated that only chickens that came from a NPIP certified source (all hatcheries are and many individual people)..that would ease the boards minds as the worst chicken diseases more than likely would not pop up..here is our state site you can look up your county.https://www.agr.state.il.us/AnimalHW/npip.html

 

[MeepBeep]

i have found the answer to weather or not it is legal to let them feed form tables scraps or compost
answer:  http://legiscan.com/IL/text/HB2582/id/662481 (720 ILCS 5/48-7 new)

Sec. 48-7. Feeding garbage to animals.

Your own table scraps and compost are not 'garbage' under said definition, and that law only applies if you have swine on the premises, no pigs around means law doesn't apply... This law applies more so to the older practice of literally feeding 'garbage' that was obtained from dumpsters and garbage cans out behind meat packing facilities, food packing facilities, schools, restaurants or what not... It was put in place to prevent the spread of disease... Note that it is still a common practice in most of the world to feed 'garbage' to swine, it's just been mostly made illegal (or too much trouble) in the US... But, there are still 1000s of USDA licensed 'garbage' feeding swine producers in the US (in states that still allow it) they are just required to cook the 'garbage' before they feed it to the swine to kill off any potential disease in the garbage...

The short of it is that food scraps and even food waste does not necessarily equate to 'garbage'...

As for vaccinations, at the State level I do not believe that there is any mandate for poultry but there very well might be local county or municipal laws depending upon your location...

 

[AuntGEMs4Sicin]

not that I am aware of never heard that before....BTW the Mereks vaccine only stops the tumor form there is many strains and birds can still get it..I am pretty sure there is no required vaccines at all..now you might want to contact your counties NPIP person ..maybe if you stipulated that only chickens that came from a NPIP certified source (all hatcheries are and many individual people)..that would ease the boards minds as the worst chicken diseases more than likely would not pop up..here is our state site you can look up your county.https://www.agr.state.il.us/AnimalHW/npip.html

Thank you so much for this link. my husband and i have been all over it and have contacted our local NPIP and left a mess . We are waiting to hear back from them now. My husband and I may both be taking the classes in April as well.

 

[AuntGEMs4Sicin]

Your own table scraps and compost are not 'garbage' under said definition, and that law only applies if you have swine on the premises, no pigs around means law doesn't apply... This law applies more so to the older practice of literally feeding 'garbage' that was obtained from dumpsters and garbage cans out behind meat packing facilities, food packing facilities, schools, restaurants or what not... It was put in place to prevent the spread of disease... Note that it is still a common practice in most of the world to feed 'garbage' to swine, it's just been mostly made illegal (or too much trouble) in the US... But, there are still 1000s of USDA licensed 'garbage' feeding swine producers in the US (in states that still allow it) they are just required to cook the 'garbage' before they feed it to the swine to kill off any potential disease in the garbage...

The short of it is that food scraps and even food waste does not necessarily equate to 'garbage'...

As for vaccinations, at the State level I do not believe that there is any mandate for poultry but there very well might be local county or municipal laws depending upon your location...

Thank you! That is how we interpreted the law as well. And since what I plan to feed the chickens for treats doesn't leave the refrigerator/freezer or the "pantry Bin" and stays in a condition that is "safe for human consumption" until I take it to their coop, our local health officer says it is as though I am preparing a separate meal for them so we are covered there . we have one lady on the committee/board who is being very resistant and is pulling these questions from heaven knows where.
So far we have not found any law state or local that says we must vaccinate them . This has come into question and I have produced countless pages from my doctors and the local hospital proving that I can not be subject to even trace residue of cretin antibiotics with out a shot from an EpiPin and a trip to the hospital. Even our veterinarian has helped us produce evidence that antibiotics used in poultry and other meat are the same as what is used in humans and that even at what the government says is safe residue amounts it can be and is dangerous for me to ingest these. We arn't trying to change the laws for the whole village ( wish we could) but she is just being silly with some of these questions. example: Her first fear that we had to have a DNR officer come in and address was , that 4 hens would bring raccoons, mice and snakes into our rural, agricultural community which is surrounded on all sides by corn fields, wheat fields and soybean fields.

. But the more she asks the more people on the comity and board we sway to our side so I'm grateful for her questions. We are literally just feet under an acre here, and in our community you can have 4 poultry of any type if you have 1 acre or more and so she is using this to try to force us to get rid of our 4 hens.

 

[misbhaven]

I would threaten to get 4 emu's or ostriches if chickens are such an issue they are poultry

Chickens eat mice..and well those animals are there regardless of your chickens..then every trash can should be locking as not to feed raccoons, no piled up anything as snakes like to live there.. get a decibel meter record the loudest dog in the neighborhood chickens are no louder even a roo..and then threaten to get rabbits they are a good fast meat source and a true prey animal everything wants to eat them..a smell much worse i have chickens and rabbit only about an acre and way more than 4...

 

[JustHenny]

keep up the good fight! can you bribe your negative-nelly with farm fresh eggs?

 

[MeepBeep]

keep up the good fight! can you bribe your negative-nelly with farm fresh eggs? 

Sadly from my experience most Negative Nelly's that grasp for every straw they can to deny you owning chickens, would consider 'backyard eggs' unclean and unsafe and thus refuse the offer...

 

[JustHenny]

 

[Faraday40]

Sadly from my experience most Negative Nelly's that grasp for every straw they can to deny you owning chickens, they would consider 'backyard eggs' unclean and unsafe and thus refuse the offer...

It's strange, but I know what you mean. Our neighbors & my side of the family fight over our extra eggs. Most visitors pay us for fresh eggs. However, my husband's side of the family thinks any color but white is unclean. They have yet to even taste our eggs. We don't push it. They don't take the garden tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, etc. either.