Chickens

[dg]

As previously warned, here come the baby pictures! The first is a photo of my newly acquired four rhode island reds (D, E, F & G). I have had them for less than 1 day. The second is a followup photo of my three barred rocks (Alice, Bertha and Cathy) which I have had for 2 weeks.

[dg]

bankedout:

I like potatoes and scrambled eggs cooked together when I eat breakfast. I use an iron skillet with just a tad of olive oil to brown the partially cooked potatoes prior to mixing in the scrambled eggs. The secret is to use high heat and to keep drawing the mixture to the center with a fork to get what's wet cooked while keeping the rest tender and free from browning (of the egg). It's also a good idea to use that skillet just for cooking eggs. Other things I like cooked with scrambled eggs are sauteed mushrooms and/or stir fried broccoli.

As to hard boiled eggs, I like to start cold in plenty of water and time them for 12 minutes after the water begins to boil. After that I put them in cold water and break the shells all over. In this state they peel very easy. Any I keep for later get stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator (peeled .. or you will be sorry).

Those are the only ways I like eggs. I detest them fried; and I refuse to have them raw in anything.

[bankedout]

Wow, they are cute!

The Village informed me that I have to either keep my chickens indoors or get rid of them. So I'm going to get rid of them. They would not be happy living their entire lives indoors.

If you lived closer I would give you my chicken supplies.

[dg]

What a bummer! I guess that goes to show that one needs to learn the local ordinances prior to getting animals.

In my community, no roosters are permitted; but one can have hens as long as their coop contains them (top and sides) and their waste is kept more than 50 ft from property borders. By comparison with my suburban community, located within 15 miles of three good sized cities (Manchester, Salem and Nashua) you live in the sticks. So your village regulation surprises me.

I assume that when you say "indoors" you are not talking about a wire mesh coop such as I plan to attach to my hen house? Nonetheless, if I were you, I'd pursue the exact technical definition of what the village means by their definition of "indoors." It could be as loosely defined as a wire mesh coop with a tarp roof. Worth checking out IMHO.

I just read the ordinances for Madison WI, and they permit up to 4 hens contained by a coop. I find it hard to understand why your rural village would be more demanding than Madison. Your village is practically surrounded by farms!

www.backyardchickens.com/laws/display.php?State=WI&City=Madison&actions=search

www.backyardchickens.com/laws/search.php?State=WI

[bankedout]

My house butts up to a farm field. My house was a farm house at one time.

I have requested a copy of the book of Village ordinances. They are charging me for it, but I think it is worth it. I'll go through it with a fine tooth comb.

If there is a law that I can't find a loophole for I might let myself get a citation and see what happens in court. I think raising our own food should be a right.

If I make no progress I will consider moving from here.

I'll let you know what happens. For now they are cooped up and very upset with me. I plan to let them out this weekend since it is supposed to be really warm. If I get a citation, so be it.

[dg]

I'm glad you decided to fight. That's the Jim I thought I knew.

People around here are kind of disobedient in regard to chickens roaming the yards. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the lady at animal control has 24 hens of her own? My only real concern is foxes and raccoons (which is why I'm building a coop to go with the chicken house). On the subject of coops, you can buy a large dog kennel at home depot for a little over $200. All you would need do to it is add a mesh roof. It slides easy on grass too. I might end up buying one for myself.

BTW, earlier today I sent an email to your village community requesting a listing of any ordinances regarding residents raising egg laying hens there. (You don't need the whole list just to read the one or two paragraphs dealing with livestock). I'll post the reply here when I get it.

[dg]

bankedout:

Here's what the arena pd emailed back:

"Dear Darrell,

Your email reference the keeping of chickens in village of Arena was forward to the Arena Police Dept.

Per Ordinance 7-1-13 (e) : Farm Animals. Cows, horses, pigs, sheep, poultry, and other farm animals shall not be kept
within the village limits unless kept in a properly zoned agricultural district under Title 10 (zoning code).



Lonnie Drinkall
Officer In Charge
Arena Police Department
[e-mail] "

Unless you can get your property rezoned, you seem to be screwed. On the other hand, the fact that you border a farm and live in a former farm house suggests that rezoning might be a possibility. Another possibility is to work out a deal with the farm you butt up against allowing you to keep your chickens on the edge of that farm just past your yard boundary (which I assume is zoned as agricultural land).

[bankedout]

Someone on backyard chicken forums said that sometimes there is something in your deed which allows you agricultural use. I will have to dig mine out.

Also another forum user found protection under their state's 'Right to Farm' law which ignores local laws. You have to sell a portion of what you raise to get coverage.

I'm also willing to raise other species for food which exist outside of their definition of 'farm' animals if that is the only legal protein they will allow.

The person who owns the land zoned agricultural next to my property is an absentee owner who rents the land out to someone to farm. I have tried contacting him in the past trying to purchase his property, but no response.

I'll let you know what happens. Hopefully I will find some legal way to raise my own food.

[dg]

Good luck! At minimum, file for a zoning easement, citing that you live right at the edge of an agricultural zone. (If you do, first check with the residential neighbors on each side of you because they would probably carry veto power should the zoning board otherwise be agreeable to the proposed easement). Be sure to point out that you are willing to have said easment apply only to a limited number of hens and that they would be contained the majority of the time via chicken house plus coop/kennel. And if you don't intend to eventually eat them, you might also argue that these hens you also consider to be pets -- not ordinary livestock.

Of course, getting rezoned to agricultural would be best; because then you could add goats, etc. (Surely wisconsin would sympathize with your need for cheese. HE HE HE)

This might inspire you: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/allow-chickens-in-caledonia-wi/

[bankedout]

The only neighbors I have are across the street.

To the East of my property is a village park, to the North is a walking path, then railroad tracks, then a street, and after that houses, to the South is the farm field, to the West is a street and then houses.

Ideally I would like to get rezoned to agricultural. It would be awesome to have goats! We'll see what I can do. I sent away for a copy of my deed today. Hopefully there will be some beneficial old language there.

If I have to get the local laws changed I will have to give away my current flock during the fight. I do have a nice advertising area for a Legalize Chickens sign with that heavily used walking path bordering my property!

[dg]

I would write on that sign: EVEN MADISON ALLOWS HENS! (and this is no Madison).

or ... how about WHICH CAME FIRST, THE VILLAGE OF ARENA OR THE EGG?

(don't get me started. HE HE HE)

But don't give up on the over the border farm neighbor small rental space idea if you have to rezone (so that you can keep the girls you have during the rezoning fight). You only need about 50 square feet of rental space positioned just over your yard line to make you technically in compliance with village zoning law. Since your absentee neighbor rents his field anyway, it would seem to be a small nothing to him.

[dg]

bankedout:

Do your hens ever fight? I have one hen (Bertha, the biggest barred rock) that seems very aggressive. I keep her alone now, sandwiched between two mirrors. Every time I put her back with the other two barred rocks, she goes straight for the eyes of the second biggest hen (Cathy). Interestingly, the smallest (Alice) helps defend Cathy from Bertha until I reach in and remove Bertha.

Actually, watching Bertha fight her two mirror alter-egos is quite entertaining.

My four reds (in a third box) have occasional 4 for alls; but so far no one has emerged as dominant. I figure that when they get to size matching the barred rocks, I'll put the winner in with Bertha. HE HE HE

Bertha had better tame down a tad, or she just might make it to my dinner table in a couple of months!

[bankedout]

dg,

My hens have skirmishes but I haven't seen any fighting. The skirmishes are best seen if you give them a special piece of food. Generally that means a bone with meat on it. The dominant chicken will defend that item versus the others.

Another way to see a skirmish is when a chicken digs up something nice in the ground like a big insect. They instinctively run away while making noises, which attracts the other chickens (if they were smarter they would quietly eat it). There can be a skirmish over that morsel, and sometimes the lower bird on the pecking order has to give it up.

I'm not sure what the best route is for a rogue bird. Maybe separation is the best idea, or if the bird isn't truly injuring the others you might have to let her be the leader. Good luck!

[dg]

Well, Bertha nearly drove herself nuts going after her two opposing mirror alter egos. HA! I felt sorry for her last night, so I removed both mirrors. Despite that, she continued to fight the cardboard walls of her box for the next 15 minutes. At that point, I placed one of the mirrors on top, half over her box and half over the cage containing the other two of her kind. Once they could see each other, things got a lot more peaceful.

This morning, I cut out some windows in the side of her box so that she can see into the cage and the others can see into her box. This seems to be going well.

I also placed a mirror half over the box with the four reds with the other half over the cage. Suddenly the universe got bigger for all involved.

BTW, I read in a book about raising chickens that one shouldn't feed them meat. It didn't say why. I will be glad when my birds are on adult diet and can eat some of the garbage I throw out weekly. I'm convinced that any unspoiled fruit or vegetable cuttings ought to be good for them and a reduction of garbage waste for me. From what I understand, they have to have some gravel in their gullets before they can digest things like that.

I continue to work on the bird house and coop. It will be another 3-4 weeks before the birds are fully feathered and ready for outside living. I can't wait to get those silly creatures out of my bedroom. Frankly I'm amazed at how Jenny sleeps right through their 2 hour party cycle. It is at those times when I ask myself if I really want chickens. HE HE HE

[bankedout]

They definitely want all of your kitchen scraps. I can tell you for sure that they are omnivores, just like us. Even if you try to make them vegans, they will find insects and worms when they are outdoors....

I tried layer pellets as food which my chickens do not like. Their favorite commercial food is called Scratch Grains. At the farm supply store they sell oyster shells for calcium and grit, which is small gravel. I put oyster shells and grit in a separate bowl than the food.

In my estimation their favorite foods are earth worms and lettuce/spinach.