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 Vienna Virginia,
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. Vienna
Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Vienna Virginia, 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 Vienna VA.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Vienna Virginia
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
Vienna Virginia * 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 Vienna
Virginia * 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
Vienna Virginia 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 Vienna,
Virginia Baby chicks are extremely
charming and
hard to resist,
yet it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
correct products, but
also the correct
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
easy, you just have to give them with the following: A
clean and warm
environment Lots of food and also water Attention as well as
love Environment Your habitat could be an easy box, aquarium,
feline provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (without loosened
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid using just
paper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand
malformed. You also need
something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Likewise, as the chicks age you could present a perch
right into the habitat to get them
educated on setting down. Heat To
keep your chicks heat you have to
supply them with a warmth source.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also work effectively (my
referral). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can use
up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature
between 90 and also 100 degrees,
and also each week this can
be reduced by
about 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource need to get on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
contrary corner of your heat
lamp, you have to
minimize the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not merely cuddling),
you have to include some warmth.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is essential as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy. Make certain to alter
the bed linens
frequently as well as
always provide clean
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand extremely quick
which calls for a lot of clean
food and water. Supply
enough at all times and inspect
usually to avoid parched as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to get a running start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others won't take
up that activity until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Attention and also love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. First off, they will more than likely bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
view their behavior, you could
catch disease or various
other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
other undesirable
indicators. Make certain to
likewise check out
their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted plumes as well
as clogged cloaca.
Last but not least, it is essential to watch out for social issues, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
and also move outside right into a
coop. Have a look at our
area on chicken coops for more information
concerning cages and also
proper cage environments.