News filming my yard from a helicopter!

[Hollywood Chickens]

Quote:
First, I have only 12 hens and the others are chicks, I am not planning to keep them all to maturity. second that is the backyard not the front, there is no landscaping in the back and those pictures only show half of the yard.
In the picture of part of the front yard, they showed it at the worst angle possible making it look like an overgrown weed patch, which it is not at all! We do trim the garden and once a week all of us go out and pull the weeds and dead plants and trim away the messy ends for 2 hours, we spend more time maintaining our garden than all of the others on the street.

We are very careful to keep the backyard clean so that even when it does rain it doesn't smell like anything, the news had been there right after a huge rain and neither of the reporters said it smelled when asked.

All but 2 of my neighbors love the garden and the animals, several other people in the neighborhood have even copied the garden because they like it so much!

 

[imtc]

Your BYC page says 30 chickens...whether they are full grown or chicks that is still a large number and ridiculous in a small neighborhood backyard. I am all for backyard chickens but there's a huge difference between a NICE coop with say a dozen hens at most than what you have. You also stated on your BYC page that one of the goats are pregnant? So numbers are only going up from there. (whether you plan to keep them all is not the point...they are still THERE). Your family in my opinion is a bit over the line for what is appropriate in a neighborhood setting. It is YOUR kind of set up that gives cities the ammunition to oppose people's rights to have ANY chickens in the first place because YOUR set up is a prime example of what they DON'T want happening. Your FRONT yard was shown several times in the news video and NO...it wasn't the angle. It looks horribly overgrown and completely uncared for so whatever you are doing is not working. I find it really odd for anyone to turn their ENTIRE front yard into a vegetable garden when living in a neighborhood like yours (since that is what you claim on your BYC page as planted there). A suburban front yard is for "curb appeal" and very important in a neighborhood setting for EVERYONE'S property values and why there are such regulations to enforce a uniform look. When I drive out to the country I expect to find corn fields....not in someone's urban front yard. Obviously your yard and animals ARE an eyesore, smelly & a violation of what is allowed and appropriate for your area or it wouldn't be an issue. I feel you need to be more considerate of the people that have to live so close to you or move where you are free to grow and raise whatever you want. I still have more sympathy for your neighbors and agree with their opposition to it. I understand your point of view but you are still WRONG in this circumstance IMO.
Like I said before....I raise chickens, raise rabbits, have dogs, cats and 2 pet goats but live in the COUNTRY where they are not a bother to anyone.

 

[noodleroo]

imtc; I respectfully disagree.

I believe that a productive garden in the front yard is much more of a positive contribution to the neighborhood than a sterile, manicured and toxic lawn. Run off from chemical fertilizers and pesticides is a major problem for water management. I applaud the OP's family for using their heads and property to make the neighborhood a little better than when they moved there...

 

[imtc]

Quote:
Wouldn't a productive garden in the BACK yard be just as good? That's what most people do. I have seen many veggies incorporated into a nicely manicured front lawn as well that were not eye sores...theirs however is. It looked to be mostly WEEDS and nothing productive. I enjoy gardening and have a visually attractive front yard of plants and flowers and keep them trimmed and looking nice without using fertilizers (other than my animal manure) and never use pesticides. (and I live in the country) They are not making a positive contribution to the neighborhood by leaving their yard looking that way.

 

[noodleroo]

Quote:
Wouldn't a productive garden in the BACK yard be just as good? That's what most people do. I have seen many veggies incorporated into a nicely manicured front lawn as well that were not eye sores...theirs however is. It looked to be mostly WEEDS and nothing productive. I enjoy gardening and have a visually attractive front yard of plants and flowers and keep them trimmed and looking nice without using fertilizers (other than my animal manure) and never use pesticides. (and I live in the country) They are not making a positive contribution to the neighborhood by leaving their yard looking that way.

Here's the thing; their weeds may be the healthiest things they grow. I'm in the process of getting rid of my traditional lawn and opting for healthier alternatives. My medicinal garden includes Taraxacum officinalis, Stellaria media, Plantago major and Arctium lappa to name just a few. That translates to dandelions, chickweed, plantain and burdock; weeds to some - medicinal garden to me. You have to keep the animals out of this garden; they have the good sense to instinctively know what is good for them. So, animals in the back yard and garden in the front. You see, nature seems to know what plants are important for survival. They grow prolifically with little or no effort from humans. Perhaps we should all look into cultivating them instead of trying to irradicate them.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'd take the OP and family for my neighbors any day over what you apparently believe to be beautiful.

 

[Samilitant]

Add one more firm supporter in favor of the goats/chickens; from Missouri. If you already checked on the legality before even getting the animals, then they are completely in the wrong. In my city of Jennings(St. Louis county), it is illegal to have grass over 6" tall--so about 1 week of growth in the summer. There are all kinds of ridiculous laws like this and there is no way to constantly be in compliance. As far as "farm animals"--they aren't allowed aparently, even though 1/2 mile away is a livestock boarding place with horses grazing and every now and then some goats. This country is really messed up and it's going to take a major world issue to start making it any better. Maybe running out of gasoline will be a start. Off topic, sorry. So yea, KEEP THE CHICKS AND GOATS! Here's rooting for you!

 

[zippitydooda]

You have 9 siblings? Wow.