Right to Farm in Michigan

[Brandi Leigh]

I live in Marquette Michigan and have been thinking about getting chickens, but I have heard that you cannot have chickens in town. But I have also heard about Michigan having something called the 'Right to Farm Act'. I can understand why they would not want roosters in town but I don't see any harm in keeping 2-4 hens. As long as they are well cared for and cleaned up after. Anyways, I was just curious if anyone knows what the the law really is and if I could legally keep a few hens. Thanx!

 

[americana-lover]

I live in MI too, but the lower end of the mitten, and I have 5 Americans. The law says that we can have chickens, but we just can't start to raise and sell the chickens themselves, so we can't start out own hatchery. I do not remember the rule about roosters, but I wouldn't get one, just because your neighbors might complain about the noise, they're very mean, and if you cant start a farm you don't really need them. Hope I helped!

 

[wingless]

Yes, an important Right to Farm case was just won in Forsyth Township (very near Marquette). If you PM me with your email address, I am glad to send you a copy of the decision.

There is also an extensive Right to Farm thread here on BYC; if you have time I recommend starting with the first post in 2012 and reading through what happened in the last year: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...farm-law-what-does-it-mean/1070#post_10142520

Also, this website has many original documents around Right to Farm in Michigan: http://sustainablefarmpolicy.org

 

[MIgardengal]

This is a very old thread, but I’m curious what ever happened with it? I live about a hr away from marquette