New Hampshire - LIVE FREE or DIE

[Cakela]

Quote:

I have a picture thread going already, so I just put them there.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7388559#p7388559

 

[jmtcmkb]

Does this law mean the chicks I ordered from MPC ( 5) will not be shipped to me because I live in NH?

 

[ezekielSM]

There's ways around everything; I received my chicks as pairs or trios from private breeders who don't give a whit about the state law. That said though - there were some AWESOME Silver-Laced Wyandottes I'd have loved to adopt but state law prevented me from buying them (even requesting a few 'on top of' someone else's order of a dozen, whenever that could be).

I'd love to see this law changed.

 

[aceschix]

The law has been changed!! Whoo hoo!!

 

[Derry Chooks]

We worked closely with State Representative Andrew Manuse (R - Derry) to get this law changed. Jim from Dodge Grain in Salem, NH was also instrumental in the process. It was a roughly year long process, and we are happy to say that as of last Sunday people in NH can buy as many (or as few) chicks, gosslings or duckings as their local store is willing to sell them.

The process included introducing the bill, testifying to the House committee in order to get it passed along to a vote in the full House, testifying in the Senate committee in order to bring it to a full vote, and then having it pass through the Governor without a veto.

There was already a law on the books preventing stores from giving away chicks as promotional items, or selling/giving dyed chicks, and those laws still stand. Further, with the amount of uproar we saw over the 300+ chicks which died in transport with the USPS this spring I doubt that any business owner would dare attempt a chick give-away like was done in decades past. It also drove home the fact that a flock of 12 chicks is not enough to stay warm in NH springs, and that no matter the size of the flock heating is required (unless there is an adoptive broody, of course).

We had to leave the restriction on the sale of baby rabbits in place, and it was strengthened to no sale under 4 weeks. This makes biologic sense, and while it is much like having a law saying that you need water to raise fish it made the most sense to leave this in.

The process was very informative, and we had very good discussions with both the House and Senate committees. There was a lot of support for backyard chickens on both committees, with a handful of these legislators having their own flock and numerous others regularly purchasing eggs from backyard chicken owners. There was no opposition from animal rights groups, and the farm bureau supported the bill.

We started a thread earlier this year looking for supportive testimony for the bill, and wish we had found this busy thread so that we could have reached out to the people who were already discussing this issue so that there could have been more support shown for the bill in the House and Senate. As I'm sure you're all aware, searches for New Hampshire are overwhelmed by the breed vs the state!

We are planning to submit a letter to the editor of a local paper about this bill. Please let us know if any of you want to add your insight!

 

[Narragansett]

This has all been muchado about nothing. Serious breeders or producers always need more than 12 chicks anyway. Exhibition breeders rarely start with chicks, or if they do, they want as many as possible from which to choose their initial breeders, culling as they grow, and they're usually prepared for keeping many more than 12 at a time, as they will need to going forward if they are to be successful in creating a good line. Meat bird growers seldom find it worth the effort to raise 12 or fewer at once. The change in the law was really pushed by and for the casual swap meet folks, those who wheel and deal, trading birds back and forth like so many shiney coins or beanie babies. The 12 rule really put a damper on their collecting forays, making it tough to build up collections containing one of everything that came along. Now it's open season for them to amass their collections, liquidating them when they tired of the current breeds, only to start again with the newest thing. I'd like to see a study done about how long a local swap meet chick stays in one home before being shipped off to the next sale. I'm guessing 3 months or so. Sure, there are some people who only want a few hens for their family's personal consumption. It's not that difficult to find a few started or adult layers, but if they wanted to start with chicks, the 12 rule isn't too much of a burden anyway. By the time they are grown, one or two will die, half will be cockerels which can be processed or given away at the swaps, as well as a few extra pullets if they did end up with too many. That is the original intent of poultry sales. The way they are doing it now, enabled all the more by the change in the law, it's just a convenient venue for them to practice their hoarding activities.

 

[geoff40]

Well, thats a rather unfounded and demeaning reply. I guess people who want just a few layers for a good source of eggs are all just simpleton wannabees, huh?

 

[Narragansett]

Well, thats a rather unfounded and demeaning reply. I guess people who want just a few layers for a good source of eggs are all just simpleton wannabees, huh?

I don't know how you read that into what I wrote. Those who do want a few layers ARE the sensible folks, for the most part, as I implied. Interesting that you would use the term simpleton wannabees. I don't know who else that refers to, but by and large the chatter on any number of forums, and at the swaps themselves is of the mentality that I complained about: buy, sell, hatch, swap, collect, trade, hatch some more, hoard, hoard, hoard, oh something's new, gotta have one. Someone came up with a happy sounding name for a variety that's existed for decades. I never wanted it before, but must have one now because it sounds so "pretty". If people had this mentality toward dogs and cats, everyone would be up in arms about how it does not take into account the best interests of the animals. Somehow it's tolerated and encouraged because it's "only" poultry. IMO it's irresponsible in the extreme. The rule of 12 was not too much of a burden for sensible poultry keepers. It was reasonable, and it did take into account the welfare of the animals. I will admit that it did inconvenience some responsible poultry keepers on occasion, myself included, but those are not the people who pushed for the law to be changed, and not for our purposes. The push came from folks who simply want to be able to deal chicks back and forth more easily at swaps.

 

[geoff40]

It came from your use of the term "serious breeders" and the sentence you used it in, which seems to imply that those of us with a dozen birds or less don't count. Sorry, but it sounds rather condescending toward those who just want a few layers for their eggs. Like myself. I've had birds on and off for 35 years, medium sized flocks at times, and I think I'm pretty serious, even though I currently have less than a dozen hatchery birds. Thats all I need these days. All I care about is having a constant supply of good quality eggs, and for that I don't really have to care that much about the genetics of my birds. This fact does not make me less serious compared someone who chooses to. I don't go to swap meets, and I don't hoard birds, or trade them like beanie babies. In fact my hens are now older than what is considered their best production age, but they still produce eggs perfectly well. A lot more than I can eat myself, and they supply a handful of households with eggs. My point being, I think a lot of more serious keepers would have culled them by now and replaced them with a younger bunch, even though there isn't anything wrong with them.