Denver City Council Hearing June 13 — your input needed / Protecting Backyard Chickens, Ducks, and Goats
The main issue which both sides on the debate over the proposed Denver Food Producing Animals ordinance underestimate is the welfare issue. Simply put, how do we protect backyard chickens, ducks, and goats?
If you live in Denver, please come to the City Council meeting this coming Monday (June 13) to speak out for more protection for backyard livestock. The City Council meeting will be held at 5:30 p. m. on June 13, fourth floor of the City and County Building. Or write to your City Council representative, but do it NOW (the vote is less than a week away). You can find your City Council representative by going to , scrolling down to the “Neighborhood maps” on the bottom right, and entering your address. The resulting report will tell you what district you are in (and a bunch of other things also).
Why should we care about backyard chickens, ducks, and goats? It’s true that conditions for livestock will usually (but not always!) be better in backyards than on factory farms. But such animals still need protection, and the inevitable cruelties that will result will be just as real, and much more visible. Since it will happen right in people’s backyards, we will be teaching our neighbors and children that cruelty to animals is acceptable.
Specifically, I would urge the following steps to modify the current proposal:
1. Allow keeping of chickens and ducks as pets only (as is done in other cities such as Chicago and Portland, Maine).
2. Mandate minimum standards for coop space for chickens and ducks of at least 4 square feet per animal. The current draft has NO minimum space requirement for coops at all, and one prominent Denver advocate of backyard chickens (essentially a backyard factory farm)!
3. There is no reasonable way that goats can be humanely kept in the city; urge that goats be eliminated from the ordinance.
Many inexperienced backyard livestock owners get into this with the deluded notion that they are going to get better animal produce at a reasonable price. This just isn’t going to be possible once you add the cost of an adequate coop or shelter, vet bills, feed, and so forth. They will face a dilemma when any one of these things happens:
(a) The animal gets sick. If the owner takes it to the vet (as one would do with a pet), that will greatly increase the cost for those eggs! Many owners will opt for seeing whether the animal will recover on their own, and the animal will suffer terribly or die.
(b) The owner realizes that a decent chicken coop costs a lot of money, so they try to build one “on the cheap,” don’t do a good job, and leave the animals helpless against predators. Or they build one so small (like the 1 square foot per bird advocated by Sundari Kraft!) that the conditions in the coop could be little better than a factory farm.
(c) They get a rooster from the hatchery instead of a hen (roosters would be illegal under the ordinance). Or if they get dwarf goats for milk, the mother gives birth to male goats.
Dwarf goats will suffer even more under the ordinance. One person I talked to at an eastern farm sanctuary said that she would suggest 1/4 of an acre as an adequate space for a pair of dwarf goats. Even 1/16 of an acre would be 2700 square feet. The current ordinance allows a pair of goats to be kept on 260 square feet. I just don’t think that a pair of goats will be happy with 260 square feet. And a single goat in 130 square feet will be in goat hell (goats are very social animals). It may be better than a factory farm, but not by that much.
Moreover, keeping goats for milk implies baby goats — the mother goat will not give milk unless she gets pregnant. The ordinance guarantees an automatic goat overpopulation problem. Our clueless director of Denver Animal Care and Control, Doug Kelley, stated publicly that animal sanctuaries will be happy to take on surplus animals. This shows the mentality of the City and their complete ignorance of animal issues. It is precisely the animal sanctuaries (like ) who are most concerned about the proliferation of livestock in urban areas.
So please, if you care about animals, do one of two things. Write to your City Council person NOW (the vote is less than a week away); see sample letter below. Or better yet, come to the City Council meeting on Monday, June 13, at 5:30 p. m. It will be in the City and County Building, fourth floor. Speak out to ensure that this ordinance protects the animals.
– – – – – – –
Dear City Council Representative,
I urge rejection of the proposed “Food Producing Animals” ordinance unless it is modified to protect the animals. Please change the proposal so that chickens and ducks are only allowed as pets and so that there is a minimum space of 4 square feet per chicken or duck in their coop, in addition to the pen space.
I do not believe that dwarf goats will be happy in the city at all. A single goat confined to 130 square feet of space will not be a happy goat. They need a lot more space and a companion goat. Goats cannot give milk unless they become pregnant, so if a lot of people start keeping goats, Denver could easily have a goat overpopulation problem.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Animal Lover
(slightly modified June 11)
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Pagosa Springs Colorado,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Pagosa Springs
Colorado also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Pagosa Springs Colorado, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Pagosa Springs CO.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Pagosa Springs Colorado
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Pagosa Springs Colorado * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Pagosa Springs
Colorado * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Pagosa Springs Colorado is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Pagosa Springs,
Colorado Baby chicks are extremely
charming as well as
tough to resist,
but it's finest to plan for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
proper products, yet
additionally the correct
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
easy, you merely have to supply them with the following: A tidy as well as warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food and also water Focus and also
love Habitat Your habitat can be a straightforward box, fish tank,
cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just
paper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You also need
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Also, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
into the habitat to get them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you should
provide them with a heat source.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also work very
well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can occupy to two months). The recently
hatched require a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and weekly this could
be reduced by
around 5 levels approximately. The warmth source need to get on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you should
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you should include some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is key and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to transform
the bedding
commonly and also
constantly supply tidy
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand extremely quick
which needs a lot of tidy
food as well as water. Provide
sufficient whatsoever times and inspect
commonly to prevent thirsty and also
starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, and also it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
and after that to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want
to obtain a head start on taking
dirt baths, while others will not take
up that task till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to shower in.
Focus and also love There are a
few advantages to hanging
out with your chicks. First off, they will more than likely bond with you as well as
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
view their habits, you can
catch illness or various
other issues previously. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
indications. Be sure to
likewise take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted plumes and also clogged cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social concerns, such as the
littlest chick getting badgered. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently fully feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
and relocate outside right into a
coop. Take a look at our
section on chicken coops to read more
regarding coops as well as
correct coop habitats.