Just found out someone complained, I don't want to lose my girls!

[jodief100]

Chickens are good because:

Insect control
Lay eggs
Entertaining
Taste Good (you may not want to mention that one to a room full of "city folk")

How about plain and simple because you want them and this is a free country! Why people seem to forget that is beyond me.

 

[kla37]

Quote:
I don't know you, but I sure like your style.

Ironic, isn't it. I have 2 neighbors across the street. One couple are the nicest people, very hard working types. The lady works in the medical field, not a regular 9-5, so it's not usual for her to have to do things at odd hours, too, like early morning or late evening. I've seen her out doing yardwork like raking at midnight.

The other guy is an arrogant jerk.

He had the audacity to call the cops and complain one time because the first neighbor was mowing grass at 8:30 in the evening and he was hosting a noisy loud party because Michigan was playing a football game that lovely October and the lawnmower was disturbing his drunken guests.

He also religiously chases all of the wild geese off his lawn, like a little goose poo is the end of the world

So I used to be in the habit of walking along the public sidewalk on his side of the street at 4:00 in the morning and tossing handfuls of cracked corn into his grass. Just to sweeten the pot a little.

I love your last sentence, good idea!!!

 

[missychicky]

Heres my speach for the city council meeting. Tell me if you see any way to improve it and tell me what you think.

Honorable mayor and council members,

I strongly believe that chickens are a good and profitable addition to society. Some may say that chickens are a noisy, smelly nuisance, but really chickens are no more smelly and noisy than most neighborhood dogs. Whenever I go to my backyard my neighbor’s dogs raise a terrible ruckus, but has anybody outlawed dogs because of the smell and noise? No, because dogs are our loyal, lovable pets and chickens can be too. Some may say that if we allow chickens, there will be hoards of unwanted chickens roaming the streets. But how is that any different from stray dogs and cats? If we follow that logic NO pets should be allowed, is that what we want?

Chickens are hardy and tolerant of most weather, they can subsist on table scraps and bugs, they take up little space, require the simplest of housing, and fertilize the garden while they scratch through it. And if you want local, fresh, eggs, what could be more local and fresh than an egg laid by a hen that very day in your own backyard? Studies have found that chickens that are allowed to forage for their own food lay eggs with as much as half the cholesterol of a hen fed only feed. If you are worried about bugs killing your yard, chickens are the perfect solution. A hen loves nothing more than to gobble down a juicy grub or crunchy beetle; you will never need pest control again. Chicken manure is an excellent fertilizer and you can sell extra eggs at work to earn a little pocket money. Chickens are a very good investment.

My chickens have helped me through a lot of hard times. A chicken doesn’t care what you did, what you didn’t do, or why. It just wants to be loved and fed, and whatever you do, it will still love you. I just moved here from Washington and I know NOBODY. I have no friends, no social life, and the place I am living at offers none of the activities I like to do in the summer. My chickens are my lifeline, my friends, my only happiness. My chickens are my life, and I love them dearly.

 

[carrlr]

Your speach is good. Sure wish you knew the specific complaint so you could address it accordingly. We're behind you 110% percent. Looking forward to some good news after your city council meeting. Did you get your name on the meeting agenda? Some cities/towns require an item be on the agenda before you can address the board.

 

[Settin'_Pretty]

your speech doesn't really cover the fact that you are being stripped of your freedom to decide what is best for you in your life.
If they can take that basic freedom from you, then nobody is free.

 

[DragonEggs]

I wish there was something I could do.... No one has any information for me and the code enforcement officer who served me is a royal b*tch and just insists that there is nothing I can do even after I attacked every loophole I could find.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Did they ever give you a copy of the code they claim you are violating? If not, send the code enforcement officer, with copies to the entire city counselor, mayor, town manager, and town atttorney a letter stating that you do not believe you are in violation of any code, and their refusal to provide you with a copy of the code or even a reference to the specific provision shows a lack of due process on their part, as well as violation of various open government laws and statutes, beginning with the Freedom of Information Act and also including (check various state statutes such as open meetings laws. Further state that you intend to keep your pets, and should they in any manner attempt to remove them that you intend to file suit against the city and all involved individuals.

 

[huntercf]

Quote:
You might add that chickens (hens) go to sleep just before the sun goes down and they don't make ANY noise until the sun comes up, and the noise is barely audible beyond your yard so it would be well within any decibal limits set by the city, unlike dogs that have the habit of barking at all hours. Also, a dozen hens make less waste than say 3 large dogs and their (the hens) waste can be used as fertilizer unlike dogs or cats and the smell is much more tolerable and easier to manage. As well as if hens somehow (however unlikely) were to get out they are not dangerous unlike dogs and they wouldn't be as wandering as cats, chickens can be let to forage in the backyard and will not run off unlike cats. You also may want to define 'profitable' as the city council may think you are setting up shop to house hundreds of chickens to sell eggs, even if you said only a few, it might come to mind especially if they were raised in the city all their life and don't understand raising chickens.
Also, you may suggest a nominal fee say for a business license so you can sell your eggs at work, or the very least maybe a license akin to a dog or cat license, but be clear in saying 1 license to cover all chickens
Lastly, sorry I am going on and on, you may put in your speech something about not having roosters because you want to be a good neighbor and not wake anyone up at 4am
Good Luck

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Outline:

State what you want

State why allowing chickens is a good idea

State why they are not necessarily a nuisance, and that existing nuisances already cover any situations where they might become so.

Summarize why they are good.

State again what you want (rephrased).

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
You might add that chickens (hens) go to sleep just before the sun goes down and they don't make ANY noise until the sun comes up, and the noise is barely audible beyond your yard so it would be well within any decibal limits set by the city, unlike dogs that have the habit of barking at all hours. Also, a dozen hens make less waste than say 3 large dogs and their (the hens) waste can be used as fertilizer unlike dogs or cats and the smell is much more tolerable and easier to manage. As well as if hens somehow (however unlikely) were to get out they are not dangerous unlike dogs and they wouldn't be as wandering as cats, chickens can be let to forage in the backyard and will not run off unlike cats. You also may want to define 'profitable' as the city council may think you are setting up shop to house hundreds of chickens to sell eggs, even if you said only a few, it might come to mind especially if they were raised in the city all their life and don't understand raising chickens.
Also, you may suggest a nominal fee say for a business license so you can sell your eggs at work, or the very least maybe a license akin to a dog or cat license, but be clear in saying 1 license to cover all chickens
Lastly, sorry I am going on and on, you may put in your speech something about not having roosters because you want to be a good neighbor and not wake anyone up at 4am
Good Luck

Hens are usually awake before dawn, as are roosters. However, hens usually make little noise during the evening and night hours unless reacting to a physical disturbance.