Soap Lake Municipal code forcing me to keep my chickens in their coop PERMANENTLY

[Bubblesunrise]

Hello,
City municipal code link here: https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/SoapLake/

I am a very frustrated and angry chicken owner. I am working very hard to keep my girls safe and happy. I have a neighbor who had called municipal code on my coop for being too close to my property line. So I moved it. Then I got another letter for my “chickens running at large”
The attached photo is their proof. The photos is my girls in a run I’ve been building.
I called the police department and they specified that if my chickens are not in a coop, henhouse, or tractor then they are considered at large. I don’t have money to buy anything new. Also my girls like to walk around my backyard while my wife is home but apparently that’s even more of a no now. I can’t keep them in my wooden coop!! That’s inhumane!! They need to forage.
The code officer told me if I don’t like it I need to change the municipal code by getting in contact with city council.

If dogs can be inside a fence and not be at large, my girls should too.
Also apologies on my yard, it’s a work in progress.

Please help!! I don’t know where to go from here on…

 

[Yah]

Move to the country. Or put up a fence so know one can see in on what your doing

 

[RisingPhoenixFarms]

Your neighbor sounds like someone i wouldn't like very much.

 

[Bubblesunrise]

Yep, pretty much. I don’t have a lot of money so it limits my ability to do things. Eventually I want a wooden fence so no one can look in. But for now, I think my best bet to keep my girls and not get fined is to change the code.
My neighbo Directly to the right of my house, shares a yard with me and she loves my girls, so it’s nice to have someone’s support irl but I don’t even know what kind of letter to draft to get this changed.

 

[Kimberoo]

Yep, pretty much. I don’t have a lot of money so it limits my ability to do things. Eventually I want a wooden fence so no one can look in. But for now, I think my best bet to keep my girls and not get fined is to change the code.
My neighbo Directly to the right of my house, shares a yard with me and she loves my girls, so it’s nice to have someone’s support irl but I don’t even know what kind of letter to draft to get this changed.

I would try to find other like-minded people in your area and have them attend the next city council meeting with you. Do you have a local Facebook page for chickens or homesteading? Maybe one of them has experience with this kind of local activism. If you can arrange a meeting with a city council-person before the meeting, even better. Typically council meetings have time to hear complaints/suggestions. Explain your side of things and propose a change to the ordinance to allow ranging in a run and/or in the boundaries of the owner's yard. If you have multiple people attesting that they support such a change, it's more likely to make a difference. Maybe have a vet or other specialist write/speak about the concerns of not letting backyard chickens have time out of their coop?

 

[Bubblesunrise]

I would try to find other like-minded people in your area and have them attend the next city council meeting with you. Do you have a local Facebook page for chickens or homesteading? Maybe one of them has experience with this kind of local activism. If you can arrange a meeting with a city council-person before the meeting, even better. Typically council meetings have time to hear complaints/suggestions. Explain your side of things and propose a change to the ordinance to allow ranging in a run and/or in the boundaries of the owner's yard. If you have multiple people attesting that they support such a change, it's more likely to make a difference. Maybe have a vet or other specialist write/speak about the concerns of not letting backyard chickens have time out of their coop?

Awesome idea. My town is super small so we don’t have a homesteading or chicken page. We have a Soap Lake for Locals page however. Would posting on there be a good idea?

 

[Kimberoo]

I would think any kind of local forum would be a good place to start. Maybe even a farm supply store or something similar would let you put up a flier? I grew up in a town of 600 so I probably would have put a flier at the gas station or thrift store. Lots of farm families around my town would have been happy to advocate. Now I'm in a city but luckily it's pretty chicken friendly

Proposing chickens be able to spend time in an enclosed run is such a minor change to the ordinance I hope you're successful!

Awesome idea. My town is super small so we don’t have a homesteading or chicken page. We have a Soap Lake for Locals page however. Would posting on there be a good idea?

 

[Bubblesunrise]

I would think any kind of local forum would be a good place to start. Maybe even a farm supply store or something similar would let you put up a flier? I grew up in a town of 600 so I probably would have put a flier at the gas station or thrift store. Lots of farm families around my town would have been happy to advocate. Now I'm in a city but luckily it's pretty chicken friendly

Proposing chickens be able to spend time in an enclosed run is such a minor change to the ordinance I hope you're successful!

Thank you!! I will put up fliers, and post online to get support! If there is any other advice to be given please let me know! Any links or sources I can use to back my stance would be great!

 

[Kimberoo]

Thank you!! I will put up fliers, and post online to get support! If there is any other advice to be given please let me know! Any links or sources I can use to back my stance would be great!

Try looking up the ordinances for towns near you to see how they've handled it as well.

I just found this page, might be helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-laws-and-ordinances-and-how-to-change-them.65675/

 

[FunClucks]

Go for it with the ordinance changing.

In the meantime, consider obtaining free pallets and constructing a private/fenced run. If they can't be seen, they can't be complained about. Put bird netting over the top, or a fencing panel to prevent them leaving or hawk attacks.