Utah!

[kimbobim]

Quote:
Welcome to Utah! I hope you find a place soon. If I hear of anything, I'll let you know (DH is in real estate, and occasionally knows of places coming available). Also, my in-laws are in the Harvard-Yale area and may hear of something. How many birds are you thinking of having?

I'm in Highland, about 30 miles south of SLC. It's a more rural community, we're able to have 12 birds on a 12,000 foot lot. We currently have 11 on our half acre, only 7 of which are laying so far. I've heard a few rumors that people are petitioning to have more, but our gals produce enough to keep us and our neighbors supplied with fresh eggs. Although I DO want to get a couple of Buff Orpingtons next Spring... hm.

There are lots of Utah folks on here that can answer questions about where to find local birds, feed, avian vets, etc. - just ask!

Again, welcome!


(edited to correct spelling. my fingers are too cold to work right this morning. darn cold snap - I'm not ready for winter!)

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
Welcome! Glad you found us! I'm a little south in Sandy, but if I hear of anything I'll let you know.

 

[PacsMan]

Hey all,
Got this in my email box today. It would be good to comment to them.

=-=-=-

Citizens,

Do you keep chickens, think you might in the future, just like the idea of producing your own food, or know someone who does? A new ordinance regarding keeping of chickens for egg production by Salt Lake City residents has been proposed. Even if you are not a Salt Lake City resident, the County and other cities including West Valley and Ogden are looking at SLC for guidance on this.

The Salt Lake City Council is currently accepting any and all comments on the issue by phone, fax, e-mail, and in person. In addition, there will be a formal Council public hearing on the ordinance on Nov. 5, at the City and County Building, 451 S. State Street, Room 315, at 7 p.m. Any person can provide comments before that meeting, and all comments will be shared with the Council. The more comments the better. The proposed ordinance is available for review and comment on the City Council website at http://www.slcgov.com/council/ .

We are grateful to the City Council for their support of urban chickens, though there are concerns:

-Policy Issue #3 on the Council Memo indicates that any distance between the coop and dwelling is not scientifically validated to deter rodents. Rodents have a greater range of travel than the 25 or 50 feet that the proposed ordinance imposes. With the cleaning, sanitation, and rodent-proof standards in place, any distance requirement between the dwelling on the property and the coop serves no purpose and creates an unnecessary burden.

-Further, an allowance for the keeping of coops against living structures would require less energy to keep the birds warm in winter, ensuring better health for the birds and their caretakers.

-The current proposal of a 50 foot distance from coop to the dwellings of neighbors would not allow coops on a property with a typical 25 foot backyard, adjoining a neighbor to the back with the same yard size (i.e. 50 feet between houses). A distance requirement from the living structures of neighbors of 20 feet is sufficient to alleviate nuisance issues and to allow coops in 25 foot backyards.

-The ordinance as currently drafted would not permit chickens to be on a lot smaller than 5,000 square feet (.11 acres) in size. This relationship to land size discourages the keeping of chickens by lower-income families (who need inexpensive and healthy eggs the most). The new ordinance requires a coop size of 2 to 6 square feet per bird and has distance requirements from living structures of neighbors, so lot size should not even be a consideration.

-The ordinance significantly decreases the current limit of 25 hens, again based arbitrarily on lot size.

-Roosters currently cared for by residents will be outlawed, and likely destroyed. Roosters should be allowed in some cases, and certainly for those younger than 4 months, which are hard to distinguish from hens. We should allow one per household subject to nuisance regulations, or mandate a distance of 100 feet from any neighbors house. If these suggestions aren't sufficient, a separate breeding ordinance should be passed, and current roosters should be protected.

-Slaughtering will continue to be prohibited. Those who raise chickens for egg production should have the option to bear this responsibility. The raising of chickens for meat sales should be discouraged.

-Many cities allow the keeping of hens without a permit. The City should assess whether the revenue generated from current permits justifies the permitting process. It may be far more beneficial to inspect coops than to license chickens.

It's helpful to provide your comment in written form with bullet points for each separate concern. Here are some links to more info:
http://wasatchgardens.wordpress.com/
http://madcitychickens.com/faq.html
http://www.catalystmagazine.net/com...7-/549-salt-lake-county-vs-the-little-red-hen

Thank you for taking the time to comment on this issue and be sure to attend the Public Hearing on November 5th!


The Citizens for Sustainability Board
[email protected]
www.manyone.net/cfs

 

[vermontgal]

I am working on a letter with written comment and will post it here.
I agree with most of the points in the post and am really glad that people are organizing . I think the intent is good but the devil is in the details and that ordinance as written should NOT pass. The council staff that worked it need to go back to the drafting table but they will only so this I'd there is significant public comment. pleAse do write and go to the hearing!

Thank you for posting that pacsman!

 

[Little Crooked Beak]

Hi Salt Lake City,

Just as a friendly reminder, the Salt Lake City chicken ordinance hearing is this upcoming Thursday (November 5th) at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 451 S. State Street, Room 315.

PLEASE GO and help these City Council members understand they know nothing about owing chickens!!!! The number of chicken they are proposing per lot is WAY TO SMALL!

I will be there -- and I hope a few of my BYC friends will be too.

 

[Little Crooked Beak]

Hi Salt Lake City,

Just as a friendly reminder, the Salt Lake City chicken ordinance hearing is this upcoming Thursday (November 5th) at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 451 S. State Street, Room 315.

PLEASE GO and help these City Council members understand that they know nothing about owing chickens!!!! The number of chickens they are proposing per lot is WAY TO SMALL!

I will be there -- and I hope a few of my BYC friends will be too.

 

[Little Crooked Beak]

Organic Chicken Feed?

Does anyone know where to buy organic chicken feed near SLC? Or would anyone be interested in going in on an order together to save money? Please let me know.

See you all tonight at the SLC city council meeting:

Salt Lake City Council Public Hearings
Thursday: November 5, 2009
City & County Building
451 S. State Street, Room 315

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
I swear I remember reading that there was a vendor who sold eggs at the Farmer's Market that also sold organic feed. Of course, now I can't find the info.

I thought it was these guys. Maybe shoot them an email?
Clifford Family Farms
Richard Clifford (801) 368-7250
1461 North 2100 West Provo, Utah 84604-2206
[email protected]

I'm pretty sure that PacsMan mixes his own, but I don't know if it's organic.

Depending on the price, we might consider going in with people for organic feed, but since our ladies free-range we can't sell our eggs as organic. Good luck tonight!

 

[kimbobim]

Quote:
Please let us know how the meeting went! I'm stuck in home-isolation with feverish sick kids and won't be able to make it.

 

[Daysiechicks]

I was able to attend the meeting. It seemed to go well. If I remember correctly, there were 9 people who stood up to express their concerns. Some good points were made and the council seemed very interested in everyone's comments and stated they wanted to definitely do more research about our concerns before making any decisions.

I would like to know if any of you wonderful BYC people were any of the speakers tonight.