Chickens!Return to sustainability. menu
October 1, 2008 Wednesday. I phoned Paul on Monday twice I was told that he was busy and I could hold. I help for a long time and eventually decided to leave a message to call me. After a few hours I got no call back and was able to call again and get Paul. I asked him if there was any progress on the chickens, and his reply was that he was having a lawyer look at the bylaw. I again asked him what exactly was the complaint against the chickens and again he did not have anything.
Is this is the bureaucracy I have to fight? I actually thought they were there to help us and if any employee has to enforce a bylaw I would hope that they had a good idea why the bylaw was being enforced. And that it takes a lawyer to interpret a law is absurd! Any good employee should question an enforcement and actually look for good reasons as to why the law is there. Just because Paul thinks that chickens are not allowed, has no copy of the law to give me, does not know the law, and has no real reason for enforcing the bylaw is absurd to me.
Sept. 15, 2008. Paul came by today from the Bayham municipality to inform me that I could not have chickens in Port Burwell. I asked him the reason why and he said because "the law said so". But surely if there is a law there must be a good reason for not allowing chicken. They are quieter than a dog are very friendly to everyone, eat all kinds of insects and kitchen scraps so they do not go into the land fill.
Here is the bylaw sent to me...
2.124 Livestock shall mean farm animals, kept for use, for propagation, or intended for profit and includes dairy and beef cattle, horses, swine, laying hens, Chicken and turkey broilers, Turkeys, goats, geese, ducks, Mink and Rabbit but excluding animals such as pets raised or housed for recreational or hobby purposes.
My reading of the above says that chickens kept as pets as a hobby is fine. But if this is not the interpretation then anyone having a rabbit as a pet is now breaking the law.
Read my reply to Paul Groeneveld's visit:
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And Paul Groeneveld wants to take my pet away! Could you please tell me personally what you object to in my having a pet chicken???? She is cuddly really! Paul if you are afraid of chickens I can help you because that how I felt before I got to know about chickens. |
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The Gang making apple cider -Gynne, Stephan, Jazmin and Serena. .......Oppps and ofcourse Ginger the chicken! |
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Sept. 15, 2008 . Paul came by today from the Bayham municipality to inform me that I could not have chickens in Port Burwell. The kids where outraged at the thought of not being able to visit with the chickens anymore. Thats Jazmin in the chicken coop holding Ginger. She is wildly excited about the chickens and comes almost everyday to see them and play with them. |
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After school a number of kids come over to play with the chickens. They are real pets and allow themselves to be picked up. The kids felt at first more comfortable picking up the chickens with Gloves but they soon came off so they felt the very soft feel of the feathers. |
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Sept. 12 2008 This is Jazmin who has finally mustered enough courage to hold Ginger. I feel it is very important to educate children in the care of chickens. It is new to me as well so we all have a lot to discover. While at the moment keeping chickens is not a pressing need for most I feel that to be prepared and have the experience of keeping chickens is most vital and will be a necessary part of our future. |
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More neighbourhood kids feeding the chickens. The children are very curious as to what to feed them.... they gladly gather up bugs, tomatoes and whatever else to feed them. The chickens now have names.. ginger and Stripes as named by Jazzman and Stephan. |
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If you want happy chickens you have to write things on the walls! |
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Mother hen in the coop? |
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Mary and Rosella painting in the nesting box area. |
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Sept. 4, 2008 Wheels at rest after moving the chicken tractor |
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This is with the wheels engaged so that the chicken coop moves like a wheel barrow. |
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Wheels at rest position. |
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Sept. 3, 2008. Neighbourhood kids visiting the chickens. Now they know that the chickens like all kinds of bugs and feed the chickens those tid bits! Now why don't adults visit the chickens??? Sorry I forgot that eggs come from grocery stores from chickens that are fed all manner of chemicals and do not get to see sunshine outside their confined cages...... so thats why we cannot have chickens in our back yards!!! |
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And despite the rough time I gave the gals we parted friends and one day one of them will remember giving mat a very sore red nose! |
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Yes even a little time for having fun when Mat wasn't being his typical slave driver self!!! Brittany with her feet out the chicken door! |
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Chicks in the coop! |
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The gals helping one another! |
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Sept. 1, 2008. Thats the gal who started it all... Rosella. Here she is sawing the 2x2 fro the roof. Yes it was hard to learn how to saw but a skill worth having. |
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Sept 1, 2008. Rosella brought her friend Brittany along to help build her hen house. those gals really did do a lot of sawing and screwing the structure together. |
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These are the chickens that Sean loaned me.... I'm getting one egg a day which is just enough for the moment. Any more and I'll haveto start pickling them. they do not like fresh squash but will eat zucchini and really like fresh corn! I have a lot to learn. |
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View from above! |
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The other side of the coop. |
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A finished Chicken tractor... and yes Dusky the cat was interested in the new birds |
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More detail of the nesting box. |
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August 16, 2008 -Progress on the chicken pen |
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Now how is that for a colourful bird!!! yes a bantam! |
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Most of the birds where roosters but we did find egg layers too and people contacts for more information and help in getting birds. |
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This is Rosella at the Aylmer Fair where we went to investigate chickens! Rosella does the academic stuff... I'm in charge of the building project! |
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This is the start of my Nesting box which will sir on top of the chicken tractor. |