Chickening Out...

I suppose it was inevitable - I should have known from the moment that we got comments about our girls - "Will they make a lot of noise?" "When they get stinky move them up-wind." or even "Why don't you move them to the other side of the house." But I didn't get it. My naivete that neighbors would WANT fresh eggs, or that if they had a problem they would come speak to me directly BEFORE the "girls" became pets to my children. But noooooo, that wasn't the case.

And so it is that we are giving up the fight... No more Mrs. Nice-Guy neighbor though. I won't be outwardly hostile or anything, that's not my way. I simply won't give up ANY of my summer produce no matter how much I have in abundance.

If you've read earlier posts, the Homeowners Association sent us a note, which we responded to since "caged birds" were not considered as part of the "rules" we had to live by. I'm guessing they had no leg to stand on and called the township offices. (I READ all of the ordinances about homes before getting the girls, I would never have guessed to read about "farms" in the township though.) Then late last week we received a note from the township that said we were "farming" and that farms in the Township needed to be 5 acres or more, and we couldn't have a "chicken farm".

I had a friend tell me that the township MAY have done us a favor by saying we were a "farm" since there is a law on the books (The Michigan Right to Farm Act), but I've run out of steam and am going to roll over and take it - As much as it pains us, we'll give up our girls.

OK I haven't completely exhausted myself, I just can't afford the emotional drain or legal ramifications of sticking it to the man. Maybe I DO have the right to "farm" chickens for the health of my family, however the township only gave me 6 days to remove the girls before we'd see fines. We're JUST getting back on our feet with my husband finally getting work, and I don't think legal fees and fines are the smartest thing to do right now...

Instead we have an offer of $100 to take the $325 coop & run, the chickens and their feed off our hands. So we'll take what we can get, with an awfully expensive lesson in raising backyard chickens.

It kills me though that Ann Arbor and surrounding municipalities are beginning to allow backyard birds, yet some righteous neighbor has deemed otherwise for our family. We weren't bugging her (oops I mean "whomever" since I can't officially say WHO it was that complained) or anyone else who could have possibly seen or been disrupted by 4 hens that were kept in a clean coop/run, next to our home, IN OUR YARD!

Stepping off the soapbox now. I need to console my children who have been hysterical all morning about loosing Penny, Princess, Peeps and Beakie...

If we could get just 1 $300 egg before next week... Start squeezing them out girls...


Area Municipalities that Allow Backyard Chickens:

Ann Arbor City
Milford
Saline
Ypsilanti (pending - The Council's notes have not yet been approved for publication indicating the status of the fight. The ordinance would allow for backyard chickens and bee hives though!)

I'd like to keep this list going for anyone in the Ann Arbor area who may be interested in back-yard birds. So, please send me a note or add a comment about additional Ann Arbor area city/townships that allow for backyard birds!

Update on Backyard Birds!

Since I have been asked many times over now, I thought to post an update on my girls.

They moved to our new coop this week, at just over 8-weeks of age - They've adjusted wonderfully, entering and exiting the coop into the run at will. It was only the first morning where they all wanted to exit the coop at the exact same moment that was rather comical... Imagine 4 of them getting stuck trying to exit door!

The family enjoys watching them, and as my husband says, the coop is like TV to our dog. He will sit for HOURS watching the birds! So long as he doesn't try tormenting or eating them, I'm good with that!

Hopefully we'll get some eggs sometime in mid-July, I'll keep everyone posted!

Urban Farming: Keeping Backyard Chickens

It's funny how things happen - I've been "thinking" of getting a backyard chicken for it's eggs - But I haven't gotten much past the "thinking" part. My reality is, today when my mom and I took a goat cheese making class, we saw the cutest little balls of fluff - Less than week old baby chicks! So as any GOOD Nana would do, my mom purchased 4 of the little buggers (hopefully they end up being hens otherwise back to the farm they go!) as "Easter gifts" for my kids.

My township has an ordinance where a family CAN keep backyard hens for their eggs, so it should be all fine and dandy - My husband was not amused and I received the "I-can't-believe-you-did-that" or "What-did-you-just-get-us-into" stare. But we're now the proud owners of the lil' peepers! (Note: while I got the stare, when the light we had wouldn't work, HE ran right out and got a new light to keep our little ones warm!)

I should mention that giving pets as gifts is never a good idea, however it WAS already something I was considering, and IF for some reason we can not keep them - allergies, illness, etc. They can go back to the person who sold them to us or possibly elsewhere. There are plenty of people looking for "free" chickens on Craigslist in this area...

So now I'll research what type they are (I know two of them lay the blue colored eggs) and specifics on raising chickens in small places, while we enjoy the gentle peeping noises coming from them. The kids will really get a kick out of watching them grow and change too...