For my birthday, I think I will ask for the auto chicken door.
I know someone who can help with that! :-D
if someone wanted to write a letter and then I would sign it
I understand exactly how you feel, and I'm sure you're not the only one. Basically, you want your letter to address the points that are in debate. The old law says that farm animals are prohibited because "The keeping of the animals is hereby found and determined to be a public nuisance and a menace to the health, safety and welfare of the City of Lawrence." So, in your letter you just want to explain how your chickens are not a nuisance or a menace or a threat to other people. Something like:
Dear Council,
My name is Aaron. I live in a suburban neighborhood with 1/2 acre lots. I have a small flock of 10 chickens that I keep in my back yard. They have a coop and a fenced outdoor run with plenty of space for them to be active, clean and healthy. I check them regularly for signs of illness, and I treat them when they're sick. They are very happy and well cared-for.
I maintain my property and keep it free of insect and rodent infestations, just like any other property owner in any town should. My chickens do not create additional problems with pests. My coop has no odor from the outside that could bother my neighbors. My chickens are quiet, and my neighbors have never made any complaint about them.
I raise my chickens to provide a low-cost source of food for my family. In these very difficult times, they help me to keep my grocery bills down. They also help my children learn valuable lessons in responsibility and about how to treat livestock animals kindly.
My chickens are not a menace or a threat to anyone's safety. While I understand that it is possible for a person to create a nuisance with excessive numbers of poorly kept animals, the current law assumes that
everyone who keeps chickens
will create a nuisance. This is simply not true. My experience, and the experience of many other small flock owners, provides the proof.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Aaron Martin
Feel free to put it in your own words, or not, as you see fit. ;-)
