By-law frustration

Don't know where this should be posted, or even if it is appropriate to post on this forum so mods move it or delete it as you see fit.

However, it really troubles me to see so much gov't interference in the day to day lives of individuals. The following link is a petition in support of Alex Loomer and family who are being fined for keeping 4 pet chickens on his 30 acre property near the village of Kingston, Nova Scotia. The thing is that Kingston is in the heart of the Annapolis Valley which is the agricultural center of Nova Scotia. He lives on a fairly large acreage so its not like his chickens are that near someone else's property. I don't usually jump aboard petitions but there comes a point when I feel gov't control has gone too far and its time for someone to speak up. Anyway, that's just my feelings/rant for the day.

Here's the link if anyone is interested in reading the info:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Signed

30 acres?? Thats rediculous! We have... somewhere around 3, with 13 chickens in residence! I absolutly agree, too many government fingers. "Growth Area" aka: we want to put up as many condos as possible and get this place developed so we can make more money off it!

Yeah, bylaws like these interfere and, as a conspiracy theorist, push me to believe goverments (local/national or otherwise) are companies, not organizations placed to assist a majority.

My old town (the one my house is sitting empty in) had a ban against everything from chickens to cows and everything in between (and I do mean everything). Their bylaw included any animal which could be considered barn yard, including rabbits; however interestingly, there was no bylaw against beekeeping. I enquired as to whether it was a seperate entity, only to find there, indeed, was no bylaw, however for the safety of the towns folk, I was not allowed to have them. How that worked, I wondered, in a place where I had only seen 2 bees that entire spring/summer/fall. A small, rural farming town of just over 600 people... I found it so strange.

Sweetened wrote:Signed

thanks

Swamp Hen wrote:"Growth Area" aka: we want to put up as many condos as possible and get this place developed so we can make more money off it!

Yup, I think you're absolutely right!

signed with a message

It sounds like that little girl was given straight-run chicks and ended up with 4 roosters and 1 hen. What a shame. The parents should have done a bit more research before buying these as an Easter gift for their daughter. They must have realized that these chicks would one day grow up...they really should have made sure they were buying only female chicks. Chances are no one would ever have noticed they had a little group of hens in their backyard and there would have been no need for a petition.
I'm a huge fan of urban chicken keeping, but I can understand neighbours being less than enthusiastic about 4 roosters located "a stone's throw" from the town.
Sorry I'm not more supportive of this. I just have a problem with people who buy Easter chicks or bunnies without enough planning or thought...just my 2 cents.

Something about this seems odd. I would assume a 30 acre parcel would not come under the same zoning bylaws as 5 acre and smaller. Or even if for some weird reason it did, but was undivided, wouldn't there be a Grandfather clause in there somewhere? I have not looked into this, but something here doesn't smell right.

KathyS wrote:It sounds like that little girl was given straight-run chicks and ended up with 4 roosters and 1 hen. What a shame. The parents should have done a bit more research before buying these as an Easter gift for their daughter. They must have realized that these chicks would one day grow up...they really should have made sure they were buying only female chicks. Chances are no one would ever have noticed they had a little group of hens in their backyard and there would have been no need for a petition.
I'm a huge fan of urban chicken keeping, but I can understand neighbours being less than enthusiastic about 4 roosters located "a stone's throw" from the town.
Sorry I'm not more supportive of this. I just have a problem with people who buy Easter chicks or bunnies without enough planning or thought...just my 2 cents.

But they live on 12 Hectares!!! They are taking great care of their chickens! The girl was given these chicks and she raised them well, it's not like they were neglected in any kind of way because they were Easter chicks bought on impulse. Bylaws are becoming more stupid in many parts of the country and also the states (probably worse) and our hobby is at risk because of it!!

I signed immediately and spoke these words,

Unbelievable! 12 ha property and cannot keep a few chickens? What about a goat to keep the grass in check? Someone 300 yards away might hear a distant rooster crow and find it annoying? I have tons of roosters and they crow all the time, the more the better, it definitely sound better then the sound of cars and trucks driving by. I was asked at work by a 22 year old if baby chickens come from chicken eggs or were the eggs just for people to eat? I am thinking that guy was raised in your town..

Yes I agree the sounds of roosters crowing can be a bit much for some people! However, dogs continuously barking, in my opinion, are just as bad if not worse!!! And then there is the smells that woft out of some people's back yards in the spring when the doggy land mines start to thaw. That is way nastier than the smell that four chickens could produce!

Piet wrote:

KathyS wrote:It sounds like that little girl was given straight-run chicks and ended up with 4 roosters and 1 hen. What a shame. The parents should have done a bit more research before buying these as an Easter gift for their daughter. They must have realized that these chicks would one day grow up...they really should have made sure they were buying only female chicks. Chances are no one would ever have noticed they had a little group of hens in their backyard and there would have been no need for a petition.
I'm a huge fan of urban chicken keeping, but I can understand neighbours being less than enthusiastic about 4 roosters located "a stone's throw" from the town.
Sorry I'm not more supportive of this. I just have a problem with people who buy Easter chicks or bunnies without enough planning or thought...just my 2 cents.

But they live on 12 Hectares!!! They are taking great care of their chickens! The girl was given these chicks and she raised them well, it's not like they were neglected in any kind of way because they were Easter chicks bought on impulse. Bylaws are becoming more stupid in many parts of the country and also the states (probably worse) and our hobby is at risk because of it!!

I signed immediately and spoke these words,

Unbelievable! 12 ha property and cannot keep a few chickens? What about a goat to keep the grass in check? Someone 300 yards away might hear a distant rooster crow and find it annoying? I have tons of roosters and they crow all the time, the more the better, it definitely sound better then the sound of cars and trucks driving by. I was asked at work by a 22 year old if baby chickens come from chicken eggs or were the eggs just for people to eat? I am thinking that guy was raised in your town..

Hmm..good point Piet. The picture I had in my mind of these people's situation didn't include the 12 hectares of land...I guess I missed that when I first read it over.
I really like the comment you sent in...someone really asked you that!??

Happychicks, I went to sign the petition in support and the issue that came up for me is concern for the poor hen with three roosters........? What kind of shape is she in? If you have any more info on this please let me know.

I’ll Give Up My Chicken When They Pry It From My Cold Dead Hands!!!!!!

[/quote]

I really like the comment you sent in...someone really asked you that!?? [/quote]

He was not the sharpest knife in the drawer to begin with, but yes he was serious. I told him that chickens give live birth to litters of chicks just like dogs and cats, the eggs they lay are just to please us humans

Fowler wrote:I’ll Give Up My Chicken When They Pry It From My Cold Dead Hands!!!!!!

NOOO to chicken control!!!

ChicoryFarm wrote:Happychicks, I went to sign the petition in support and the issue that came up for me is concern for the poor hen with three roosters........? What kind of shape is she in? If you have any more info on this please let me know.

I know what you're saying. Four rooster and one hen is not a great combination. I cannot find any info concerning this aspect. The reason I signed the petition is that the whole government control thing really bothers me. If someone had serious concern about the condition of the birds, that would be a different matter, in my mind. But this seems to be just because they are in a designated "growth area" even though Loomer owns 30 acreas of land. If I hear anything more about this concern, I will let you know.

After I hit 'send' I realized that as well, that this is about government control and not animal cruelty. I'm on your side with this but can't imagine that hen is having a very good time even if it was just one rooster to one hen. Thanks happy!

In the newspaper today - due to online support for Loomer, the charge has been stayed for now while the town reviews the bylaw.

Well isn't that cool! Score one for the chicken people, at least for now