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That is why there is a section in the law that gives the local govts power to give restrictions. They can control how it looks and nuisance issues. They cannot say you cannot have them at all.
I sorta agree and disagree with the part that there should be a reasonable cap on number of animals allowed, because then it becomes a slippery slope. They'll start getting into size / design of coop, and all that, it becomes even more ridiculous.
I know that with the new proposed Dekalb County Ordinance, they require something like 2~4sqft per chicken in the coop, and also similar requirements for the run and etc.
I find that stupid and ignorant. People have different ways of raising animals. Some people keep their chicken in coops all day so they need a bigger coop, other let them free range around, my point is everbody's necessity for coops are different. Its just like dogs, some like to walk their dog, others let them roam in the yard all day.
I dont see them writing up Ordinances for sizes on dog houses or cat condos, or bird cages, why should chickens / poultry be discriminated against?
I bet if they look at all the large commercial egg farms and chicken farms they'd probably be in violation.
I'd say remove this type of discriminatory restriction and use the animal welfare ordinance instead. After all, they are still animals, no reason to isolate "livestock" as a separate subset.
Being able to keep Ostrich, emus and other birds but not one chicken or duck is ridiculous enough already.
And from my own experience, these laws should be clear cut and no gray area, or else those cop wanna-be code enforcement guys will march all over you.
I agree with you that "they" should allow us to keep animals as we see fit. The flip side to this is:
Not all people take care of their animals. The 2 sqft/ 4 sqft rule is to prevent people from creating an inhumane environment for their birds.
1) Some breeders never let their animals out of a cage. This at least allows some room for the chickens to move. I personally do not want 100 chickens in my next door neighbor's 1/8 acre back yard.
2) Many "citified" people think farm animals are dirty, smelly, and a general nuisance. Most have no clue as to what animals are really like. Though it is true that some farm animal owners do neglect their animals, most do not. That being said, we could say the same about dog and cat owners. It is all about perspective. "Citified" folk just don't understand and many don't want to. Me, I'm a "countrified" city boy.
3) I keep a printed copy of the ordinances with phone numbers on my fridge in case there are questions or problems.
4) Chickens are consedered "fowl" and are categorized with ducks, geese, turkeys, doves and pigeons. Ostriches and emus are considered livestock and follow acreage rules ( at least here)
I personally am trying to be self sufficient and want as few rules as possible.
That is why there is a section in the law that gives the local govts power to give restrictions. They can control how it looks and nuisance issues. They cannot say you cannot have them at all.
I sorta agree and disagree with the part that there should be a reasonable cap on number of animals allowed, because then it becomes a slippery slope. They'll start getting into size / design of coop, and all that, it becomes even more ridiculous.
I know that with the new proposed Dekalb County Ordinance, they require something like 2~4sqft per chicken in the coop, and also similar requirements for the run and etc.
I find that stupid and ignorant. People have different ways of raising animals. Some people keep their chicken in coops all day so they need a bigger coop, other let them free range around, my point is everbody's necessity for coops are different. Its just like dogs, some like to walk their dog, others let them roam in the yard all day.
I dont see them writing up Ordinances for sizes on dog houses or cat condos, or bird cages, why should chickens / poultry be discriminated against?
I bet if they look at all the large commercial egg farms and chicken farms they'd probably be in violation.
I'd say remove this type of discriminatory restriction and use the animal welfare ordinance instead. After all, they are still animals, no reason to isolate "livestock" as a separate subset.
Being able to keep Ostrich, emus and other birds but not one chicken or duck is ridiculous enough already.
And from my own experience, these laws should be clear cut and no gray area, or else those cop wanna-be code enforcement guys will march all over you.
I agree with you that "they" should allow us to keep animals as we see fit. The flip side to this is:
Not all people take care of their animals. The 2 sqft/ 4 sqft rule is to prevent people from creating an inhumane environment for their birds.
1) Some breeders never let their animals out of a cage. This at least allows some room for the chickens to move. I personally do not want 100 chickens in my next door neighbor's 1/8 acre back yard.
2) Many "citified" people think farm animals are dirty, smelly, and a general nuisance. Most have no clue as to what animals are really like. Though it is true that some farm animal owners do neglect their animals, most do not. That being said, we could say the same about dog and cat owners. It is all about perspective. "Citified" folk just don't understand and many don't want to. Me, I'm a "countrified" city boy.
3) I keep a printed copy of the ordinances with phone numbers on my fridge in case there are questions or problems.
4) Chickens are consedered "fowl" and are categorized with ducks, geese, turkeys, doves and pigeons. Ostriches and emus are considered livestock and follow acreage rules ( at least here)
I personally am trying to be self sufficient and want as few rules as possible.
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