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 Petersburg West 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. Petersburg
West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Petersburg West 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 Petersburg WV.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Petersburg West 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
Petersburg West 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 Petersburg
West 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
Petersburg West 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 Petersburg,
West Virginia Baby chicks are extremely
charming as well as
difficult to resist,
however it's ideal to plan for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not only the
correct products, however
likewise the appropriate
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
straightforward, you simply should offer them with the following: A
clean and cozy
habitat Plenty of food as well
as water Attention as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be a basic box, aquarium,
feline service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (with no loosened
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
paper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You also need
something to dish out food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from a pet store. Likewise, as the chicks age you could present a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
give them with a heat resource.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb also function extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can take up to two months). The newly
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 and also 100 degrees,
and also every week this can
be decreased by
about 5 degrees or
so. The heat source must be on simply one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you should
minimize the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just cuddling),
you have to include some heat.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is key and it keeps your chicks healthy. Make sure to change
the bed linens
typically and
constantly give clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks grow quite quick
which requires lots of clean
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient whatsoever times and also check
usually to
stop thirsty as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a slightly
lower protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't take
up that activity until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Focus and also love There are a couple of advantages to hanging
out with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and also
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
see their habits, you can
catch disease or other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other undesirable
indications. Be sure to
additionally look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted plumes and also stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is necessary to watch out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently completely feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and also move outside into a
coop. Have a look at our
area on chicken coops for more information
concerning cages as well as
correct cage habitats.