Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[RaZ]

So... My brain just tied in a knot. The local ordinances have previously been under a State law?

No, local ordinance is trumped by state law, just as state law is trumped by federal law.
If the GAAMPs get changed as proposed, that means that your city or township can make you get rid of your birds if they want to. Even if you are currently allowed to have them.

If you are still confused, PM me your phone number and I can walk you though it in plain language. That may be easier than typing out the years of legalities.

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

Last weekend we went to the local petting farm and saw this guy with his ladies...

All the ladies were plucked and looked terrible! Look at those spurs!
Can spurs be trimmed?
Why would they let him do that to the flock? ULK!
I guess that is part of the "farm experience"...
We all laughed at one lady... All the feathers on her butt were gone and she insisted on sticking it up in the air for everyone to see!

Poor girl!

And this guy was so uncomfortable in the heat but he was all fluffed up just right for this picture.
All the animals had enough of the heat that weekend...

 

[RaZ]

Stepping down from the soapbox for a moment...

That is a set of spurs on that roo. Yikes!

I finally found out who has been laying the "pink" egg. One of the new BSL is laying a tan egg that is so light in colour that it seems more pink than any other colour I can describe. She was the only one in the coop while I was putzing and after a bit I found the "pink" egg, still warm and damp. Woot!

 

[ladyrsanti]

No, local ordinance is trumped by state law, just as state law is trumped by federal law.
If the GAAMPs get changed as proposed, that means that your city or township can make you get rid of your birds if they want to. Even if you are currently allowed to have them.

If you are still confused, PM me your phone number and I can walk you though it in plain language. That may be easier than typing out the years of legalities.

That's what I meant when I said "under state law". So I got it. I just didn't realize there was state law to be had where backyard chickens were concerned. I thought the local ordinances were law and the state stayed out of it. That's what it seems like everyone is dealing with and struggling with right now, their local laws. That's why I was wondering what the state has done in the past to control small flock owners that they are changing now. What laws were in place that are going away?

Shows what I know.

Squat!

 

[snowflake]

Last weekend we went to the local petting farm and saw this guy with his ladies...

All the ladies were plucked and looked terrible! Look at those spurs!
Can spurs be trimmed?
Why would they let him do that to the flock? ULK!
I guess that is part of the "farm experience"...
We all laughed at one lady... All the feathers on her butt were gone and she insisted on sticking it up in the air for everyone to see!

Poor girl!And this guy was so uncomfortable in the heat but he was all fluffed up just right for this picture.
All the animals had enough of the heat that weekend...

my roosters spurs are about 2 times longer they curl right up to his leg shanks(almost) yes the can be trimmed but it is the toe nails that do the most harm. and they also can e trimmed.... last year we had 2 roosters and the young one tore up the hens bad. this yr most of the yr only the 1 and only 1 hen needed an apron. that said it could be all the hens were in molt and that is why they looked so bad.....I think when there is rooster competition the hens get beat up more
Quote:

thank you Tap for the advice on steaming veggies,,,, in 3 min they still seem to soft so I think I will just steam till they look nice and green and then freeze. I hate mushy broccoli and cauliflower

 

[RaZ]

On the soapbox again...

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/no-ban-on-pesticides-that-threaten-bees-8114020.html

 

[taprock]

On the soapbox again...

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/no-ban-on-pesticides-that-threaten-bees-8114020.html

I think most people have no clue the huge list of foods we lose if we lose or severely damage our bee population...many many more than those pesticides are helping to grow.

 

[chicken grandma]

On the soapbox again...

Thanks for all the info RaZ. I am learning a lot and you make it easy to understand and the links are great!

 

[Opa]

So... My brain just tied in a knot. The local ordinances have previously been under a State law? That is now going to disappear in favor of ONLY the ordinances? What State laws used to apply? I thought we were all subject to the ordinances and there was no higher authority where small farms and backyard animals were concerned. I am terribly out of the legal loop and I hate that crap. So I perused those documents but was quickly lost in the legal mumbo-jumbo. It would be VERY helpful to have a simplified version that focuses on what is important to the average citizen, rather than the large commercial farms, to break it down. Who is up to that?

In other news, I took a note from someone on here a few pages back and dumped a bushel of those prolific indigo rose tomatoes into my food mill. So the sauce is evaporating in the oven as I type. Thanks to whoever's idea that was; it was brilliant! I'll go back and give props when I get a chance to sit for a while longer. I've got four roaster pans full and the house smells wonderful! It may take a while because these tomatoes are crap for sauce in terms of juice. They're all water! But they are also very tasty so I hope when all is said and done, I will have a good sauce. The next bushel will be roasted in halves and frozen.

That was me that offered my technique for tomatoes. I've been involved with canning and processing food for over 60 years so I've managed to pick up a trick or two. Also since I've been eating for more years than that so I've learned what I think tastes good.

 

[RaZ]

I suppose I grew up in a transition period.
I remember chasing headless chickens when Grandpap butchered in the fall.
I remember bringing the cows into the barn for milking at Uncle John's farm.
I remember getting yelled at for wading in the "crick" and eating the peas from the garden before they were picked by the women-folk.

Then we moved to the city, Dad got a job in the auto factory and Mom could buy peas and such at the grocery store. No more tedious canning after a summer of tending the garden. All that we needed was at the store, already put up and ready for us. All we needed was a can opener and we had one that was electric!

Over time, the garden gave way to a manicured lawn. Fresh tomatoes were replaced by pink, hard rocks from the store. Corn wasn't shucked because it came in a can. The fields I ran through were divided by fences set 50 feet apart. The "crick" was encased in a concrete tube.

Dinner started to come from a box labeled "helper". Lunch came from a yellow arch. Breakfast ceased to happen...except for a cup a coffee (before going to class in the 7th grade).

Song birds disappeared, frog ponds were paved over and we all sat by and said nothing. Life was good. (?)

Now, as I recognize the errors of our ways, I want to restore a small portion of what was lost. So I started in my own yard. I was actually making some progress. I have frogs, toads, lightning bugs and other native flora and fauna. I also have chickens for food and entertainment.

Now they tell me that because of this, I am a criminal. They tell me that I have to get rid of all this. They tell me that if I don't, I could go to jail. I can no longer grow a garden. I can no longer fish the streams because they are gone. I can't even have a couple of hens for eggs because they are "farm" animals and I live in the "city". Somehow, I became an outlaw.

Where did I go so wrong?