I'm scheduled to go in front of our city council in 2 weeks. Any guideline/advice?

[MikeWu]

I'm scheduled to go in front of our city council to make a proposal to change our city ordinance to allow backyard chickens. Any advice/guidance from experienced members can share with me? I had 8 hens, raised them from baby chicks with my kids this spring. They just started to produce eggs and our whole family is full of joy. Just found out one day one of our neighbors called animal service and they came to told us we could not have chickens in the city. We got a rooster to fertilize eggs so our kids can watch them hatch, and we got rid of the rooster right away so neighbors won't complain about the noise. They still called. I'm in Fresno, CA and I checked many cities in California: San Francisco, Oakland, L.A., Sacramento, all with denser populations than Fresno, allow chickens in their cities. Now I put my chickens in a confined space at a friend's county property. The condition is much less comfortable and they produce a lot less eggs.

I am scheduled to go to present the case to the city council in hope of changing the ordinance. Any advice/suggestions are appreciated!

Mike

 

[chfite]

Be knowledgeable, professionally dressed, and prepared to hear strange objections to chickens.

Chris

 

[MikeWu]

Thanks Chris! I prepared to answering the following objections:

1. Noise from hens after they lay eggs. My answer: the noise is not louder than dog barking, or wild birds in our trees, or frogs in our backyard fountains, all of which are welcome by residents.

2. Potential disease such as avian flu. My answer: raising backyard chickens actually reduces the spread of avian flu as it occurs mostly in large commercial chicken farms where large numbers of chickens are packed in poorly ventilated areas, just like people contract virus easily in doors than outdoors. More people raising backyard chickens will reduce demand for commercial eggs, reducing commercial chicken population, and hence reduce occurrence of diseases such as avian flu.

3. Surge of neighborhood calls to the animal services will overwhelm already burdened city employees. My answer: encourage the callers to talk to their chicken neighbors first to manage the situation (if chickens fly over the fence, chicken wing feathers can be trimmed. If noise is too loud, fence can be built inside to limit how close chickens can get to neighbor's property. Noise level drops 4 folds when distance doubles. Or chickens be kept inside at night and releases out only after 8). Most time the conflict can be resolved between neighbors and that actually enhances the relationship within the community. And, we can learn from San Francisco and L.A., cities with denser population. If they can manage it, so can we.

Those are all I can think of. Anyone can think of any other objections that might rise, please post here so I can get prepared.

Appreciate all the inputs!

Mike

 

[Pullet Surprise]

About hens singing after they lay, not all do. I have a silent one and one that just clucks a little louder than usual and one that lets the world know she did it. I can't hear even her in the house.

 

[MikeWu]

I went to the city council meeting this Monday and spoke in front of them. I got some support from the audience too. A lady said she agreed that our city should allow at least hens. Anything we need to prohibit is only roosters. The mayor said they can't take any action and referred me to the staff, which is city animal service department. I then talked to its chief, and sent her an article of a study done by University of New Mexico on 25 cities code on chickens. She said she and her staff are now researching other cities ordinances and get back to me soon.

I live in Fresno area, a farming town that does not allow chickens while bigger cities in California: L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, all allow chickens. Fresno allowed chickens before, but just changed its ordinance in 2001 to prohibit chickens due to rising number of people from opposite side.

From what I gather, many people in Fresno are most likely to be red necks and have way backward mentality. They do not care about the environment or any sustainability of lifestyle. They want bigger houses, cooler AC in the summer (e.g. turning on AC at night, instead of opening windows. Our electric bill is under $80 in summer while most neighbors pay $300-400 for same or smaller houses), bigger SUVs, big lush lawns consuming lots of precious water, etc. And they want total quietness, so they don't want neighbors to have chickens.

 

[WillsC]

From what I gather, many people in Fresno are most likely to be red necks and have way backward mentality. They do not care about the environment or any sustainability of lifestyle. They want bigger houses, cooler AC in the summer (e.g. turning on AC at night, instead of opening windows. Our electric bill is under $80 in summer while most neighbors pay $300-400 for same or smaller houses), bigger SUVs, big lush lawns consuming lots of precious water, etc. And they want total quietness, so they don't want neighbors to have chickens.

Sorry Mike but what you just wrote is ridiculous. Have always found city people to be more opposed to poultry and further from the earth than those as you put it "red necks".

 

[Zatoichi]

I live in Fresno too and would like to have one or two chickens. But of course anything like that is frowned upon.

Your description of Fresno's backward mentality is apt! But I wouldn't blacken the term of redneck by confusing the two. Most of the real rednecks stay out of the city because of the backward mentality! All around the city are rural lands where people are raising goats, chickens, pigs, you name it! Where I live used to be rural, and a friend of mine used to live around here and he had hogs and goats (way back around 1990-93 or so) but now there are tract homes and nothing negates the tract home experience like a barnyard animal.

No, I'd say it's the anti-rednecks here who are those who must police their neighbors for any infractions of the tract home code. Fresno is full of people with a kind of righteous ignorance who cannot tolerate or imagine that anyone would want to do anything different than what they themselves prize and value.

It is kind of depressing, isn't it?

No my friend, go to Madera county, or Prather, Aubery, Oakhurst, Coursegold, etc and you'll notice that the rednecks are far more friendly to allowing you your freedom than the folks in Fresno city proper.

Thank you for speaking at City Hall by the way. You've inspired me to make some calls to the city myself tomorrow to complain about our lack of freedom!