Just thinking out loud here....

[ColbertChick]

OK this may be a bit of a rant here. I have been reading these forums for a while. Especially the ones where people are heartbroken because they have to get rid of their beloved roosters or people mentioning that you should check with your neighbors to see if they won't mind you having chickens. (Here comes the rant...)

Why should there be so many rules regarding chickens?? I suppose it could be a problem if you want to raise 200 meat chickens on a quarter acre but why should I have to worry about having a few hens and a rooster on my 5 acres? My neighbors' dogs bark at all hours of the night for hours on end. Their children scream bloody murder every time they come out to play. Did they have to petition the City Council to be able to have those demons? Their barking is far more annoying than a rooster crowing a few times a day. Why are people allowed to object to a rooster crowing or a hen clucking but I have to live literally surrounded by dogs barking and have no say?(I LOVE dogs BTW I am just making a point in favor of our chickens!!). Did my neighbors have to get permission from me to have their hellion children? Believe me they are far worse than any roo!!!

OK deep breath now... Thanks for listening.

 

[ChickyChickyBaby]

I have often wondered the same thing......

 

[kesali]

True enough!! I'm with you on this. it makes no sense!! This includes cats, horses, and whatever else that do not need a person to grovel in front of a town board or other committee.

 

[True Grit]

I get it. I was so worried about my neighbors I didn't even check on whether I could have a roo or not. I just didn't get one. They play the radio on their new outdoor speakers by the pool all flippin weekend. Thank-you for your consideration....

 

[zengrrl]

I feel the same way. Where I live you need 1.5 acres for one bird, and then an addl 1/2 acre for each bird. I have an acre so technically I'm out of the game. If I did have 1.5 acres, I'd def have a roo! I mean we're not talking major livestock here. I have 7 little birds, not goats or cattle. I moved from the burbs complete with small yards where chickens are allowed out to the "country" where I thought I'd have no issue only to find this rule. I love dogs too but trust me, dogs make waaay more noise than my chickens could ever hope for. So what are they afraid of? People having their own eggs? Seriously.

 

[LegginMF12]

We have neighbors who are across the street who have mules and donkeys. I live in a very rural area and across the street is more than 20 acres away. You should hear these things go off in the mornings. They didn't have to have permission. I am allowed up to 72 hens but only 2 roosters.

 

[Markp1964]

Laws usually make no sense...couple that with the fact that many people are poorly informed about animals (and their care) and you have hte inequality that we see all the time.

I think some of it has to do with what is familiar-few people are familiar with live chickens, so they are feared/regulated. Many people are familiar with dogs, so they are accepted.
Though it is my theory that if you thought about keeping a dog in an objective way, they would be illegal.
Would you want you neighbor to own an animals that:
* Can weigh up to 150 lbs.
* Makes 110+ decibels of noise (an air conditioner makes 80, a lawnmower 100, a beagle 120)
* Dispenses manure by the pound-manure that can not be composted.
*Can trasnsmit 17 diseases and parasites to human-one disease is so virulent that preventive treatment is leaglly mandated.
* Sends 800-1000 people to the ER every day-and killed 34 people in the U.S. in 2010.

Think about it, if you heard all those negatives, would you want you neighbor to have one? But there are 77 MILLION owned dogs in the U.S., many more if you count stray sand unregisterd dogs. SO obviously dogs and humans get along very well, even if there is the potential for trouble.

To me that's it in a nut shell: the potential with trouble for dogs barely registeres, because dogs are so familiar we don't think about them enough. Chickens are not familiar enough, and so people have an immeadiate fearful reaction.

And just to say it, I am not a dog hater. I just think rule makers ought to be fair and equitable when they set about their task.

 

[goldtopper]

Quote:
Ah yes, the neighborhood music director. Every neighborhood has one don't they? We used to have a guy at the end of the block that every 4th of July would have a karaoke party around his pool. By about 5 in the evening, they'd be so drunk, that they all became such amazing singers ( in their minds) that they would fight for the coveted microphone. Usually by the end of the evening, one of them would simply hoard the mic and use it for conversation, forgetting all about the music and using the "power of volume" to express their veiws on anything and everything. I used to have people over just to listen to the goings on.

I have under-eaves outdoor speakers that I use to listen to the Twins games. I keep it just loud enough for ME to hear.

 

[True Grit]

Quote:
Ah yes, the neighborhood music director. Every neighborhood has one don't they? We used to have a guy at the end of the block that every 4th of July would have a karaoke party around his pool. By about 5 in the evening, they'd be so drunk, that they all became such amazing singers ( in their minds) that they would fight for the coveted microphone. Usually by the end of the evening, one of them would simply hoard the mic and use it for conversation, forgetting all about the music and using the "power of volume" to express their veiws on anything and everything. I used to have people over just to listen to the goings on.

I have under-eaves outdoor speakers that I use to listen to the Twins games. I keep it just loud enough for ME to hear.

I love the part about hoarding the mic and using it for conversation!

 

[andalusn]

It's a double edged sword. If you want change of any kind you have to commit yourself to the cause, be well documented and educated about your case and attend zoning and committee meetings on a regular basis. If you have other community members that feel the same way they need to be as committed and attend as well. There is nothing like numbers to get attention. It takes time to get change on the books. Our city has very specific rules about barking dogs etc... the other side of the problem in enforcement. They reduced the animal control officers ( I think now down to 2) to part time. There is not enough man power to enforce stuff other than bad cases...

Now if your already zoned for a rooster that's taken care of ....