Michigan

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
THIS! This is exactly what I'm talking about! Let's change THIS! Let's not start calling M2EM a farmer and make her stick a sign in her yard in a half-behinded attempt at making it seem legit. Let's change this for what this is. The keeping of backyard chickens for therapy, for learning and teaching, for community enrichment, for the production of one's own sustenance, for independence. Let's not be reduced to grasping at legislative straws. Don't take the path of least resistance. Don't take the easy way out. Change this for what this is and erase the doubt and worry about backyard chicken keeping for all owners, on all scales, in all towns forever. (Or at least until some other group in the distant future changes it back.

)

M2 - I hope your new neighbors don't report you. Are any of your grape vines salvageable?

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
Believe it or not, that is exactly what my DH is doing. I'm going with it for now because his reasoning seems to make sense. However, he also envisions building us a house made of straw bales which makes me question the sanity of his reasoning.

I had the opportunity a couple years ago to visit a couple who had built themselves a straw bale home. It was BEAUTIFUL! Encourage him!

 

[uchytil]

Quote:
THIS! This is exactly what I'm talking about! Let's change THIS! Let's not start calling M2EM a farmer and make her stick a sign in her yard in a half-behinded attempt at making it seem legit. Let's change this for what this is. The keeping of backyard chickens for therapy, for learning and teaching, for community enrichment, for the production of one's own sustenance, for independence. Let's not be reduced to grasping at legislative straws. Don't take the path of least resistance. Don't take the easy way out. Change this for what this is and erase the doubt and worry about backyard chicken keeping for all owners, on all scales, in all towns forever. (Or at least until some other group in the distant future changes it back.

)

M2 - I hope your new neighbors don't report you. Are any of your grape vines salvageable?

Mom 2em All,
I have grapes. I yanked a huge mess out of a Colorado last year, about 200 feet worth. They came back with full vigor this spring. So, all you need to do is place an arbor, or something creative, on your side and they should thrive once again! I would wait a bit and maybe go over and welcome the new neighbors, maybe a jar of jam, or a plate of cookies. I know it's hard but that's the best course of action. If you have roosters (I hate to say this) but they may need to go if they crow as loud, and often, as mine. Maybe a nice little flock of girls would never be noticed? Only a thought. All for you to decide. Take care and good luck.

 

[uchytil]

If a straw coop is built I want pictures Raz!

 

[1muttsfan]

Will you be filing a Schedule F this year? How do you track your farm expenses? Can you list what expenses you've included in that? How much does each egg cost you to produce? How much do you sell each egg for? How did you arrive at that selling price? In what year of your operation will you show a gain? Do you have a business plan? Do you have a bio-hazards plan and safety analysis? How do you handle culling? At what age do you cull to keep production up? Why did you choose faverolles? What advantage do they give your farm?

Is this sort of sledgehammer approach really nescessary? Many farms do not have all of this. Doesn't mean they are not farmers. Farmers produce food or other materials. They do not have to be profitable.

I believe strongly that we should not judge one farm by another's standards. Each should stand on its own merit whether big or small. I'm very happy for all of your accomplishments and think you're right about your grandparents being both proud and amused. None of the above however, makes you a farmer. It makes you a chicken owner, it maybe makes you a bit of a homesteader. Which doesn't detract from the accomplishments at all, but we should call them what they are.

What makes her a farmer is that she has chickens and sells eggs; again, no description of farmer includes the words "must be profitable"

strong support for commercial farming in Michigan at any level.

is precisely what I believe the intent of the law to be. How do you define "commercial farming"?​

commercial - prepared, done, or acting with emphasis on salability, profit, OR success
In a derogatory sense it may mean such a preoccupation with the affairs of commerce as results in indifference to considerations other than wealth​

 

[RaZ]

THIS! This is exactly what I'm talking about! Let's change THIS! Let's not start calling M2EM a farmer and make her stick a sign in her yard in a half-behinded attempt at making it seem legit. Let's change this for what this is. The keeping of backyard chickens for therapy, for learning and teaching, for community enrichment, for the production of one's own sustenance, for independence. Let's not be reduced to grasping at legislative straws. Don't take the path of least resistance. Don't take the easy way out. Change this for what this is and erase the doubt and worry about backyard chicken keeping for all owners, on all scales, in all towns forever. (Or at least until some other group in the distant future changes it back

I agree with you on this one, OH. I grew up on a farm and what I have now is no where near what that was. I'm not kidding myself into thinking that it is, even when my neighbor snidely calls me "Farmer Brown".

Change for us backyard chicken people needs to start with the local ordinances that are antiquated or just plain wrong. Ordinances are a way for one neighbor to cause trouble for another one. They are spite driven and counter-productive to a sense of community despite what the politicians say about it.

Ironically, today is the Chamber of Commerce's "Free Day", they want all of us city "backyard farmers" to bring our goods to the Farmer's Market to sell.
Can you imagine if I took eggs or honey to the market as requested? Both are "illegal" according to local ordinance. Talk about your mixed signals.

 

[RaZ]

Quote:
I have to find a straw source first, but I'm really thinking about.

 

[dianaross77]

Where's Opa? I need coffee. The silkie house chicken woke me up at 8am. HONK, HONK, HONK, BEEP, HONK, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP... (Translation) HEY! HELLOOOOO! LADY! I'M BORED! WHERE'S MY BREAKFAST? Crate door was opened. Breakfast was served. The Silkie god has been appeased.

 

[NovaAman]

WHEW! What a morning of READING!

I think I understand where OH is originally coming from, and that is the 4H girl who was told NO CHICKENS where she lives, and trying to use MIRFTA(?) as a way around it when she is infact not raising chickens for farming, but as a 4H project. Don't get me wrong, GO KIDDO! Chickens are awesome, and now that I have them, I think everyone should be able to have chickens. If my township were to tell me I couldn't, I'd be so angry, we'd fight. But I would keep all the best, teach em to wear diapers, and bring them in the house, converting my downstairs walk out. Kid you not. I'd do it. The 4H girl should do the same, or find a friend who can have chickens and make the daily trip to take care of her birds. My neighbor is in 4H. We can not have cows where we are, so she has her steer out at a friends, and she goes there everyday to walk, feed, brush, clean... ect this guy. I think you need to know your ordinances before you start anything, get permission from neighbors if you do live in such a place that is so prejudiced against chickens... That way no one gets snarky. But go about it the right way. Even thou this is America, and we are supposed to be able to do/pursue life liberty and happiness, its not always true... Otherwise we'd have a cow too.

Actually, I think I'd convert the garage.... LOL

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
Sledgehammer approach? It would seem you're reading tone into the words that they were not written with. (S)he asked a question. I can't answer without answers to at least most of those questions. I suspect I do know the answer, but to be fair (s)he should have the opportunity to prove his/her assertion that I am wrong in stating that a few backyard chickens cannot a commercial farm/farmer make.

You're right, not all farms have ALL of those, but all commerical farms have at least some and all have a few in common. Answers to all of them together will give a pretty clear indication of where her operation falls on the spectrum.

Quote:
I didn't say it did.

I did imply that a commercial farmer must have an intent to profit.


Quote:
And the definition of success as it pertains to business? (Which is precisely what a commercial farm is; a business.)

I hope we can continue to discuss this without reading ill will into one another's words. I enjoy considering everyone's perspectives. When in doubt I always try to remember that words on a screen cannot carry the tone of the author so try to read them in a neutral or even positive tone so as to avoid taking them personally when it's likely they were not intended to be so.