Very strange circumstance I need EVERY1

[angierfind]

So. This is an odd circumstance for me to post about, but I need some help.
All kinds of fowl (including ducks) are not allowed in my neighborhood and in order to change the rule I need to take it to the community board.
Can anyone give me some tips on what I should say to them? Maybe some positives if there are any? I will be devastated if I have to give my duckies away

Thanks guys in advance

 

[ChickenGrass]

Hi there
I have never been in the situation
But here are a few reasons
1.Table scraps, unwanted weeds, and garden clippings can all be cleaned up and broken down into soil nutrients by your chickens. While you can’t feed them everything (coffee grounds, avocado, raw potato, and onions are on the “no” list), you can give your chickens most of your table scraps to supplement their food every day and keep that waste out of the landfill. Whatever scraps you can’t feed your chickens still make a great addition to the compost pile. Chickens are master recyclers because the nutrients in whatever scraps and weeds the chickens eat end up being recycled into an extremely valuable substance for the garden… manure!
ITS LESS WASTE

2.Watching chickens lowers stress levels. Studies have shown that tending chickens releases oxytocin, a stress lowering hormone. Not only that, it reduces blood pressure and decreases feelings of loneliness, which further contribute to decreased stress. There is an excellent book by Clea Danaan, Zen and the Art of Raising Chickens: The Way of the Hen, that delves into the backyard chicken movement and the simple, Zen nature of chickens’ existence. Her book discusses how chicken watching increases our mindfulness skills. Caring for chickens gets us outside regularly, and watching their methodical scratching and foraging around the yard slows us down and grounds us in the present, providing a meditative experience that can be difficult to achieve in our busy day-to-day lives, particularly in urban settings.

3.They are cheaper to keep than a dog
If you are aloud to get chickens people might not have as much dogs
Which means less dogs in the animal shelter and not as many stray dogs.
This means the dog shelter as more money and more room
So they won't have to euthanise as much dogs as they have the space

Goodluck with this

 

[angierfind]

Hi there
I have never been in the situation
But here are a few reasons
1.Table scraps, unwanted weeds, and garden clippings can all be cleaned up and broken down into soil nutrients by your chickens. While you can’t feed them everything (coffee grounds, avocado, raw potato, and onions are on the “no” list), you can give your chickens most of your table scraps to supplement their food every day and keep that waste out of the landfill. Whatever scraps you can’t feed your chickens still make a great addition to the compost pile. Chickens are master recyclers because the nutrients in whatever scraps and weeds the chickens eat end up being recycled into an extremely valuable substance for the garden… manure!
ITS LESS WASTE

2.Watching chickens lowers stress levels. Studies have shown that tending chickens releases oxytocin, a stress lowering hormone. Not only that, it reduces blood pressure and decreases feelings of loneliness, which further contribute to decreased stress. There is an excellent book by Clea Danaan, Zen and the Art of Raising Chickens: The Way of the Hen, that delves into the backyard chicken movement and the simple, Zen nature of chickens’ existence. Her book discusses how chicken watching increases our mindfulness skills. Caring for chickens gets us outside regularly, and watching their methodical scratching and foraging around the yard slows us down and grounds us in the present, providing a meditative experience that can be difficult to achieve in our busy day-to-day lives, particularly in urban settings.

3.They are cheaper to keep than a dog
If you are aloud to get chickens people might not have as much dogs
Which means less dogs in the animal shelter and not as many stray dogs.
This means the dog shelter as more money and more room
So they won't have to euthanise as much dogs as they have the space

Goodluck with this

Thank you so much that was very helpful!!! It's a long shot but I'm going to fight it as best as I can I'll update you next Wednesday that is when the board has its hearing

 

[ChickenGrass]

Maybe you could get afew neigbours together to help you
Or collect money maybe $10 per person
And give it to the community board
Goodluck

 

[TLWR]

Pros:
Fresh eggs
Nonchemical way to help reduce bug population
Free fertilizer
Free garden soil turning
Chicken tv

Cons:
They can be loud, but no more than a dog
They can smell if cleaning is lax
Flies love chicken poop
They can keep predators in the area once the predators find them

 

[angierfind]

I just wanted to thank everyone that commented on this all of you have really helped. My meeting with my community board is this Wednesday so wish me luck! I'll update you guys afterwards

 

[ChickenGrass]

Goodluck
I hope it goes your way

 

[seasprite]

Just curious - is it a zoning problem, or a homeowners' association?

To show that it doesn't make sense to ban ducks as pets, I would start by comparing them to pets that are allowed.

Dogs can be dangerous to your neighbors and cats are dangerous to wildlife, but ducks are a danger to no one.
Dog urine can damage landscaping plants and grass, but ducks eat slugs and caterpillars that are damaging to plants.
Dogs bark and howl and can be a noise nuisance, but even the loudest duck is much, much quieter than a barking dog. Ducks usually only quack when they are separated from one another. And their quack just sounds like natural wildlife. (My neighbors love hearing my ducks.)
Dog and cat feces attracts flies, stinks, and is can be a real problem for neighbors. Duck feces is small and loose and has very little odor, (as long as it isn't piling up in a coop). You could even bring in a duck poop so they can see for themselves?

The community board probably has concerns about people farming animals within the neighborhood. They can allow ducks as pets without allowing farming by limiting the number of ducks allowed to, I would suggest between 3 and 6 ducks. I live just outside of Portland, OR. The legal limit in Portland city limits, I hear, is 3, and at my house it is 6 (you can get a permit for more if your property is big enough) and that seems to be working. They can ban noisy animals like roosters.

You could also bring in articles about people keeping ducks as pets within cities.

I would focus the argument on the fact that your ducks are beloved pets, just like a cockatiel or parakeet or any other bird that they do allow, and that there is nothing about ducks that makes them any less appropriate to keep as a pet in your neighborhood than dogs or cats. If you have pictures of your ducks being held or otherwise looking pet-like rather than farm-animal-like, take that. I think I would actually avoid talking about egg production, and keep the conversation about them being pets. They care about the neighborhood - they don't care how fresh your eggs are. Suggest rules and limits they could impose to address any concerns they have about housing, odors, noise, etc., so they don't have to ban ducks altogether.

Good luck!!!

 

[angierfind]

Just curious - is it a zoning problem, or a homeowners' association?

To show that it doesn't make sense to ban ducks as pets, I would start by comparing them to pets that are allowed.

Dogs can be dangerous to your neighbors and cats are dangerous to wildlife, but ducks are a danger to no one.
Dog urine can damage landscaping plants and grass, but ducks eat slugs and caterpillars that are damaging to plants.
Dogs bark and howl and can be a noise nuisance, but even the loudest duck is much, much quieter than a barking dog. Ducks usually only quack when they are separated from one another. And their quack just sounds like natural wildlife. (My neighbors love hearing my ducks.)
Dog and cat feces attracts flies, stinks, and is can be a real problem for neighbors. Duck feces is small and loose and has very little odor, (as long as it isn't piling up in a coop). You could even bring in a duck poop so they can see for themselves?

The community board probably has concerns about people farming animals within the neighborhood. They can allow ducks as pets without allowing farming by limiting the number of ducks allowed to, I would suggest between 3 and 6 ducks. I live just outside of Portland, OR. The legal limit in Portland city limits, I hear, is 3, and at my house it is 6 (you can get a permit for more if your property is big enough) and that seems to be working. They can ban noisy animals like roosters.

You could also bring in articles about people keeping ducks as pets within cities.

I would focus the argument on the fact that your ducks are beloved pets, just like a cockatiel or parakeet or any other bird that they do allow, and that there is nothing about ducks that makes them any less appropriate to keep as a pet in your neighborhood than dogs or cats. If you have pictures of your ducks being held or otherwise looking pet-like rather than farm-animal-like, take that. I think I would actually avoid talking about egg production, and keep the conversation about them being pets. They care about the neighborhood - they don't care how fresh your eggs are. Suggest rules and limits they could impose to address any concerns they have about housing, odors, noise, etc., so they don't have to ban ducks altogether.

Good luck!!!

Will definitely be using this info!!! Thanks! It's a homeowners thing but it's being controlled by zoning.

 

[angierfind]

UPDATE: well today I went in front of the board and its sort of complicated, but they're going to think about changing the rule, they said it's basically a pain in the butt to change the CCNR like that but he's gonna do some research. BUT, in the rule it says "no fowl allowed" it technically doesn't say no waterfowl
They're 2 very different species soooo?