Backyard Chickens Part 12

The following is the letter that I sent to the Board of Health on April 9:

"Dear President Slavin,

It has been one month since I spoke to you and the Board of Health. In that time I went in front of the Mayor and Council twice, was fined $539, and removed my chickens as ordered. I would like to tell you that I did not keep the chickens after receiving a summons as an act of contempt for you or the Board. I kept them to show you how passionate I am about raising chickens even to the point of incurring a significant monetary penalty.

It is my understanding that the Board is actively discussing the subject of changing the ordinance that currently prohibits the keeping of chickens. I also understand that several people have called, written, and e mailed the Borough and the Health Department in support of changing the ordinance. I recently spoke to some parents at one of my son’s soccer practices. Three of the four families said they would be interested in raising chickens themselves if the ordinance is changed. I hope you have been reading the various articles I have been posting on Facebook regarding the keeping of backyard chickens in communities across the country. If you have, you certainly have seen how popular this issue is and how these communities are embracing it. After the initial setup costs, which I believe are high enough to keep away all but the most serious families, the availability of “free” eggs will be very helpful to these families that are surely feeling the effects of the current recession.  Another benefit of raising chickens at home, one that I am more aware of now that the chickens are no longer here, is the reduction of household trash that ultimately ends up in landfills and costs the taxpayers in the form of disposal fees. It turns out chickens eat a lot of kitchen scraps that are not compostable and, as such, must be thrown away.

I implore you to agree to change the ordinance and allow me and other eager residents to raise chickens to provide healthy, nutritious eggs for our families. My five year old son Benjamin constantly asks me when the chickens are coming home.  Please allow me to tell him they will be back soon. I realize your next meeting is not until June but I would appreciate an answer before that so I can put his mind at ease.

As I told you in March, I am willing to help educate the public on the proper care and maintenance of backyard chickens to help reduce the chances of any potential health problems for both the chickens and the public. I am attaching a sample ordinance that I put together based on those of other communities. As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me."

Once again, this is my page on Facebook where I have posted many links to articles about backyard chickens, gardening, sustainability, etc. Please check it out by clicking on New Milford Sustainability.