Michigan

[vicki2x2]

They are running you around the bush, doesn't matter how long you lived there. You could start up today, the MRTFA still applies. Also, in Michigan, I believe you can sell eggs, or "try" i.e. put a sign out in your yard, without a license, as long as you aren't doing it commercially. I am sure they know all this, but are hoping you don't. Keep digging, you are totally in the right here.

 

[Ooopsy_daisy]

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A DBA license (doing business as) is only a few dollars here in my county. Call your country clerk and inquire about it. Myself I dont know if I would move my flock at all. Then they would say you dont have any there so what are you crab'n about? And what in the world do they want a cinder block bunker for? My lord. Actually tho it wouldnt be hard to put up, freecycle and craigslist have them constantly free for you picking them up. I have at least 20 or more here I could donate. Did they show you the law?

When I contacted DTE about them charging me business rates for my barns they ask me for farm use if I sold more than $5,000 worth of farm goods a year, I said no, I barely break even. They then changed it to residential service at a lower cost. So I dont know you have to have a business license for farming if you dont make that a year. Think of it this way, at TSC , grain elevators etc if you says "FARM USE" you are charged no tax. So that might be one other thing for you to do research on.

Good Luck!!!

 

[YakLady]

Ooopsy, your geese are beautiful! Thanks for the tip on Wilcox. I called another place today, and they charge $8 per duck. I'll call Wilcox to see what their rates are. If it's a savings of several bux per bird, it would be worth the drive for sure. DH is also looking at stainless steel tables and playing around with the idea of doing it ourselves. Yuck.

 

[Ooopsy_daisy]

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YUCK IS RIGHT..ewwwwwwww for $1.30 per chicken and $1.50 per duck you can have all that blood and plucking on your tables not mine. When the kids were little I use to do all the processing myself. NEVER again. The smell of the blood I could smell for days and I would not eat what we butchered for a while after. So word of advice, have them done. LOL


You know I love my waterfowl so much, I think I will stay with LF Cochins and LF Brahmas and get more into the Sebastopols and meat ducks. I sat at my pond yesterday for over 2 hours just watching them swim. Its great therapy for me. I wouldnt change my world in the least right now. I think Ive found my nitch

 

[FlyingFChick]

Ok, here is a silly question (well it will be for most of you) This year, we started our first laying flock (pets). My husband has been toying around with the idea of maybe starting a meat flock next year. I know we don't want to process them ourselves (seems like a lot of work for an amateur) and have checked the web for processors and have found a couple that are not so far away. My question is, say we decided to have Fowlerville poultry do it for us, how do you transport your chickens to them? I mean, do they have to be in cages or do they have pens you put them into when you get there? We have access to a nice covered trailer, would that work! Btw, I am thinking of 20 to 25 at a time.

Sorry if it sounds dumb, but I we are just in the planning stages and I want to make sure I have all the info I need!

 

[Ooopsy_daisy]

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No question ever ask is dumb. Its the ones that are not ask, that are.

You would be surprised how many birds you can fit into a large dog cage/kennel. I have and extra large one and put 23 birds into it. They are not packed in so tight they couldnt move, but they gathered around each other while driving down the road. Laying down I guess to stay out of the wind in the back of my truck? Anytime Ive hauled birds back there, either in airline crates or wire dog cages, they lay down as soon as you start moving.

At Wilcox they have to pull your truck/trailer up to the butcher door , they take the birds and put them right into the butcher cones to be processed. He took half of mine at a time shut the door started on them then came for the other half. All and all it took them about 35 mins to butcher 23-25 at a time. Word of advice tho, they do poop a lot while driving so Ive learned to put straw or shredded paper in the crates as my hands were a mess by the time we got all the birds out.

 

[Chickenmaven]

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Not entirely true. I WISH we could just put a sign in our yards & call it good. I WISH that we could hum a collective mantra of 'Right to Farm' & have things our way. The legislation that was passed in 1999 calls for the establishment of GAAMP (ag management policies) by 2000. Among these are site selection. Also: waste management plans & other scrutiny. What I believe this means is that "farms" established prior to 1999 are fine and do not have to comply with local ordinances. I have not seen that any of the Right to Farm victory cases involve newbies or suburbanites. This should alarm a great many of us.

As of last year (2009), the State has held farmers to site selection rules. Acccording to the State of MI website:

The Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices for Site Selection and Odor Control for New and Expanding Livestock Production Facilities (Site Selection GAAMPs) were first adopted in June of 2000. The development of Site Selection GAAMPs and the preemption of local ordinances that extend or conflict with GAAMPs were two major changes to the Michigan Right to Farm Act when it was amended in 1999. Since June 2000, the Site Selection GAAMPs have been utilized by over 250 producers in selecting the best site to construct a new facility or expand their existing facility. In fiscal year 2009, over $43.5 million was invested in the construction of new and expanding facilities at livestock and poultry farms across Michigan. The Site Selection GAAMPs verification process begins with a livestock producer submitting a verification request to MDA to construct a new or expand an existing livestock facility. The verification request consists of a detailed site plan, a Manure Management System Plan (MMSP), construction drawings and specifications, a subsurface soils investigation, and an Odor Management Plan that includes the results of the Michigan OFFSET Model for the proposed facility.

I think that municipalities MIGHT back down when we talk about RTFA, but I don't think they have to. That is why we need tp organize!!!

 

[tiffinimarie]

Quote:
Hi Neighbor! I'm in Davison.

I don't know your laws there. How many chickens do you have? Hope you can come to chickenstock. You'll have loads of fun and meet lots of people.

We currently have 17 chicks chickens. 11 RIR's which are 6 weeks old, 4 EE's, and 2 Black Australorps, which are all 2 weeks old. My neighbors are all cool with us having them, but I just can't find anything in the laws!

Tiffini

 

[YakLady]

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The last time I took my ducks to Fowlerville, my husband just dropped them off in a dog crate. They tagged it and my husband stopped back after work to pick up the processed birds and the crate. You will definitely want them in crates or boxes of some sort. Like Oopsy said, though, they do poop a lot in transport.

Oopsy, so glad you've found something that relaxes you. I love to watch mine swim in the creek, too. It's precious the way they play, then peacefully swim, then lay out on the grass in the sun for awhile.

 

[wyliefarms]

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The last time I took my ducks to Fowlerville, my husband just dropped them off in a dog crate. They tagged it and my husband stopped back after work to pick up the processed birds and the crate. You will definitely want them in crates or boxes of some sort. Like Oopsy said, though, they do poop a lot in transport.

Oopsy, so glad you've found something that relaxes you. I love to watch mine swim in the creek, too. It's precious the way they play, then peacefully swim, then lay out on the grass in the sun for awhile.

Yup, that is how Fowlerville works. They have a limited number of cages to put birds in, and they alway seem to be full when we get there in the morning. Label all of your cages and remember to drive around back (where the drop off is) and get the cages when you go to pick up the processed birds (up front). We forgot once and lost our cages, then the following year they were sitting there when we dropped off our batch so my hubby grabbed them! Fowlerville Poultry is located at an old dairy farm

It is same day processing too. Bring garbage bags to put the meat in, with them not being frozen, juices can be messy. I put them in the freezer in the bags so I don't have a mess in the bottom of the freezer too.

Call and schedule when you get your chicks. They fill up fast as they aren't processing everyday. I have my end of May date and my July date already!

Sarah

You won't be far from me when you go to Fowlerville....stop by if you'd like