Leeloo Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I'm involved with a group which is trying to loosen the restrictions in our community in a Florida county. The largest city in the county revised their chicken ordinance last year to make it easier for chickens to be owned in residential areas so we campaigned the county to follow their example. We went to a meeting and the commissioners were respectful and some assured us that they were in favor and only wanted to wait a while to see what kind of problems the city had. We became complacent only to find that they are preparing to vote against it! Their main point is that it would cost animal control too much to round up all the stray chickens that got away or were released by irresponsible owners. Now their numbers were greatly inflated and laughable, totaling over $400,000 they claim are needed for increased staff and equipment, but I can't deny that the issue is a concern. I've read stories of "chickens of fate" on here which were handled by chicken owners in the community. Is that how it usually works or does your animal control department have to round up and house stray chickens? I watched the video of the meeting and these men who were courteous and understanding to our face when we went to a meeting and approached them with our requests were ridiculing us for wanting to have chickens so I am angry and ready to fight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I've never seen or experienced a 'chicken of fate' in 5 years. One of my chooks hopped the fence to next door then hopped back again... that's the extent of the wandering. I'm not aware, either, of the local RSPCA having to rescue many chickens. I know that Boston campaigners are trying to achieve the same entitlement to keep garden chooks that you are striving to; maybe they can give you some hints with a more 'American flavour'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egghead68 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 (edited) I don't think it's an issue here. Chickens know where they live and don't really wander. There was a place in one town called "chicken roundabout" where I think people dumped unwanted chickens but that's very unusual. Good luck. Edited February 20, 2013 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeloo Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 Thanks for the responses! I know my two hens have made no attempt to escape in the year and a half that I've had them! There are usually plenty of people willing to take extra hens. It is the cockerels that could be an issue! A county in central Florida changed their ordinances to allow urban hen keeping over a year ago so I was thinking about calling their animal control office this week to ask if it has caused them a lot of problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I am not living in the UK anymore, but my understanding is that the RSPCA (or other authority) will get involved with a chicken if it is perceived to be a hazard to traffic on a main road, which is true of any 'escapee', and usually more often than not a dog) In Ireland, I would be surprised if anyone took responsibility for a chicken, as I have myself been known to meet a stray cow in the middle of a road, with some poor woman running after it. My own opinion of chickens is that if a chicken can stray to a main road, then it is rather less than a 'chicken of fate' and more a 'chicken of suicidal tendencies'. I don't think they stray from their homes too much, and rarely if at all onto infertile ground. My own used to wander closer to the road, stare at it for a while then get distracted by the garden again. Nothing moves much on a road. My own opinion of Councillors is probably significantly less than suicidal chickens**. They say whatever they need to to get through a working day, and I would be suspicious that there are other hidden reasons why they resist the keeping of chickens. Is it possible to ask them for formal written reasons, so that you at least have the opportunity to take this and counter their claims? **That said, I do know some very good, moral and useful Councillors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I dont think chickens wander far and not on to a road. I have seen quite a few around Lincolnshire that are just scratching around at the edge of main roads near their home without wanting to get in the way of traffic. As far as strays, I would think a stray would be taken by a dog or fox very soon after straying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I've only once seen stray chooks around here, they had clearly escaped from the free range farm across the field from where they were scratching about by the road. Had I not been on my way to work, I would have scooped them up and taken them home with me as a couple of freebies! (Apparently the farms won't take them back once they get out due to biosecurity?) Sadly they were not there on my way home, I guess they had either made their way back, been squashed on the road or perhaps been picked up by someone else. I don't think that really answers your question though as these had hopped out of commercial premises not someone's back garden! I had one hopped over the fence into a neighbour's garden once. Clipping her wing put a stop to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eve Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 If your hens lay in the same place everyday then they don't go far. One of mine flow 5 doors away I couldn't catch her and 3pm that day she was back laid in the nest box!! That night wing clipped no more escaping hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeloo Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 I agree that chickens aren't going to go far if they have food and shelter! The county planner was trying to claim that people are going to jump into it because it's trendy, get fed up with taking care of them, and release them. I plan to make the case that people are already doing it and having code enforcement show up and threaten you with a big fine if you don't get rid of them immediately is more likely to result in irresponsible disposal of chickens. One of the newly elected commissioners advised our group leader that we can request, and will probably get, a three month extension to delay the final vote so we have more time to rally support and provide a rebuttal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeloo Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 An update to this story- my chicken keeping group has been around and around with the planning office and animal control to obtain information used against us in our efforts to make backyard chickens legal in residential zones of our county in NW Florida! Last year, they were ordered by the county commissioners to monitor complaints in the city limits where chickens are legal (I know that makes no sense!) and come back with the results in 6-12 months. They came back in 5 1/2 months and tried to make it sound like there had been a lot of complaints. We checked with the city and they only had two violations which were quickly corrected. The issue went before the planning board which is made of citizens who serve part-time. We were extremely nervous only to find out that the vice chair of the planning board is a fellow illegal chicken keeper!! That was beyond our wildest dreams! He really gave the planning office and animal control a stern lecture for the tactics they had used to obstruct us and recommended the new ordinance contain more lenient rules for the county than the city! They had proposed more strict rules. The battle isn't over, but it seems to be turning! Once the ordinance is drafted, it will go before the county commissioners for voting and we think 3 of the 5 are on our side. I hope that by this summer my chickens will be legal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superkitty Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Yay Fingers are crossed for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Yay from me too! Good luck with the future fight! I'm really intrigued to know what the two chicken related violations were?? (being silly I am thinking it involves crossing roads ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeloo Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 Yay from me too! Good luck with the future fight! I'm really intrigued to know what the two chicken related violations were?? (being silly I am thinking it involves crossing roads ) Thank you! I sometimes wonder why I'm spending so much time and energy on this when my immediate neighbors know and don't care, but the way the government treated us angered me so I jumped into the fight with both feet! It will be nice not to be nervous that I could be reported in the future. I'm guessing the violations were renegade roosters. Cockerels aren't allowed in the city, but people buy unsexed chicks, get attached and don't want to part with them. Nothing irritates neighbors more than being awakened before the crack of dawn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
