My big fat chicken fight

[littlegorb]

i do appreciate everybody's input, and i do go back and go over posts now and again, there is alwasys some useful advice. our NEOC had to cancel their meeting on december 18. it will be on the january 15 agenda. i still don't know the city council's business and what they discussed or decided on december 8.

although i really love my chicken's eggs, i enjoy their company even more. i miss them alot since i keep them 18 miles away. i think they miss me too because when i show up with their bag of goodies, or bucket, they tear into it now!

i would like to write a letter to the NEOC commissioners to be read at their meeting, i just don't know what to say other than what the investigation showed. i don't want to sound desperate, or crazy but i want them to know that this is an important part of my lifestyle and i don't want to go through life without comforts. chickens give me that.

any ideas for a letter to the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission would be appreciated, as far as the chickens being therapeutic. they fall into horticultural therapy as well, and i do love to garden. i have alot of information as far as other benefits of having them, just not on the therapuetic side.

 

[Slinkytoys]

I would suggest your doctor document your "decline" since you haven't had your chickens nearby. This would prove the therapuetic value of your chickens.
Slinky

 

[littlegorb]

Quote:
that's a good point. since all this has happened, sitting in jail and being discussed so many times at the city council meetings, i don't really frequent any businesses in this town. i hate to show my face. also when i feel stressed, about all i can do is just think about being with my girls, and how they make it all better. they don't have a care in the world! i'm so ready for this ordeal to be over with, one way or another.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Look in the pets section of the code book... of you can.
There are people in New York city keeping chickens so there is nothing odd about it, but they will not listen to that.
Don't try saying that it is "green" they don't care. get the laws, and look in the code book, find something that they did wrong and turn it against them.
did they have a warrant when they arrested you?
My parents have been through this fight with the city (they didn't realize that they where messing with an attorney

) they found other things that the city had done wrong (including citing us for the chickens because they are legal here)

all the best in your fight and don't forget about you civil rights

 

[littlegorb]

well hollywood, about the only thing i have to go on is a note from my doc recommending i keep my chickens as they are beneficial to me. as i mentioned before i do have over 30 signatures of people in my immediate neighborhood that support owning a few hens in the back yard. my ignorant city council won't hear it. they basically told my friend who spoke for me to shut up and sit down, they heard enough, when we attended one of their lame meetings. they did not vote on the issue, which is a violation of the open meetings act! bunch of retards if i ever saw one!

 

[littlegorb]

and no, they did not have a warrant when they arrested me. they ended up bringing me home, i did sit in jail to pay my fine though. i was not about to give them a cent for something that should be right! it was a matter of principal.
no they don't care about "green" either. i had a wonderful garden this year, and gave away alot of food, as well as putting up a ton! imagine what my girls could add to that!

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hi Littlegorb, I just read your entire thread and want to you know I am so sorry for what you are going through!

I have only had my chickens since last April and they have become a huge part of my life and the best part of my day. When I sit out back and watch them being silly or coming over to me for affection and treats, I too feel my blood pressure lowering. It really is great therapy. They make me laugh (sometimes cry when I worry about them) but provide such a source of comfort and entertainment, it's quite amazing! Good luck in your battles and know we are all on your side.

Hey, I just had a thought, what if we all signed a petition or wrote stories about our birds and how much they contribute to our lives. Also, you probably have thought of this before but I would print out copies of these threads and maybe even get written details about this site and document the rise of popularity of keeping "backyard chickens". Surely, your town will see how archaic and outdated their laws are. They are way behind the times!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[littlegorb]

thank you howlinggood for reading this entire thread! i don't have a printer hooked up but i would like to gather a few letters from people on here who have benefitted from having chickens. i know when i am with them i just forget about all my worries. when i gather eggs, one of them always has to supervise. she's a busybody. another gets "cocky" with me when i try to pet her. it's funny to me because when i grab her, i spank her and pet her then she settles down. so she knocks it off then. another one greets me at the gate, and inspects the goodies i have for all of them.

yes even talking about them helps alot. i do have lower blood pressure being around them, so no doubt they are beneficial to our well being. sounds silly but very true! and yes, i do cry sometimes thinking about them. my girly swirlies.

i love all animals but the most rewarding ones i ever had are my chickens.

any letters i can present to the commissioners are welcome, and thank you all for the input.

 

[poultrypatch]

Hi Littlegorb..........
GOOD LORD !!!! You must live in a town full of A**HOLES !!!!!
I just found this thread and sat here reading all 12 pages of your plight ! I FEEL FOR YOU !!!
I live in a small town in MA and thank goodness it's mostly aggie zoned. I know exactly how you feel about your girls. They are just sooooooo relaxing and peaceful. I had just gotten my first chickens in 30 years back in August. I spent much of my summer sitting out back on my comfy glider just watching them and listening to them. And yes, talking with them. I too have a "bossy" one...Gladys. She watches me like a hawk ! LOL Runs inside to watch me collect the few eggs I've started to get.
What I wanted to say to you is this. Boston suburbs can be very afluent. I'm sure you must have heard of our football team, the New England Patriots....owned by Robert Kraft. He lives in one of these burbs in a multi million $$$ home....gated and all. He recently, B 4 Xmas, applied for a permit to keep CHICKENS !!!! LOL Seems at his summer home on Cape Cod...not far from me.....he keeps chicks and his grandkids love and miss them !
Don't know the results yet but others in this afluent burb have permits for their chicks already so sure he will get his too !
IF I CAN WRITE ANYTHING FOR YOU....PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME !!!! You have been deprived of the relaxation and enjoyment derived from your girls. I think you need letters from all over the country to present to show them that a lot of folks are aware of what idiots you have "running", should be "ruining", your town.
Best of luck !
Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[goldeneggtees]

I concur with Little Patch, let's all write letters of the benefits of keeping chickens. Wouldn't it be really cool to get people like Reese Witherspoon who I believe has a flock of chickens, Martha Stewart and the owner of the New England Patriots to step up and write letters too!

Let us know where to send 'em Littlegorb.