She and her husband also founded Urban Roots.
Short Story: Someone called 911 on her because she keeps chickens in her backyard on the west side.
I never knew chickens in backyard warranted a 911 call...
I am from the west side, it has worse problems than a chicken coop. The city is crazy if they think she is the only one with chickens on the west side.
If you are so inclined, please call the Mayor's Resolution Center at 851-4890 or 311 to complain about the demand that she surrender her chickens to Buffalo Animal Control.
You may also want to call your councilperson.
If I had room to build a proper coop, I'd have city chickens too.
If people can have pet birds, they can have hens as well because hens are birds.
Bureaucracy is always brainless.
I just want to say from the pictures it doesn't look like the chickens were loud or smelly. I'm just saying if their coops did smell or the hens got loud and it was right outside somebody's window then it could be a problem. I feel bad that these people's chickens might be taken away. I don't have much experience with chickens so it is possible that maybe their coops don't smell and they don't make all that much noise. Maybe limits are the solution I'm not really sure. It would be interesting to hear from the neighbors to see if the chickens bothered them for some reason. Does anyone know about any other "farm" animals and what city code says about them? What about pigs, goats or even cows?
I didn't read the story. But that being said there is one thing you have to remember that could have been a factor. I have heard (never seen it my self) that there is Cock Fighting on the west side. I wouldn't even know where to find it, but I have heard that there is some underground cock fighting. I'm not saying this person has anything to do with it. I'm not saying that it is going on over that way. But it could factor into that. It has been a few years but every so often when I would wait for the bus in the morning I would here a rooster. When it is that silent a rooster sounds loud even from a long way a way.
Maybe they will change code and you'll be able to have a couple chickens. I'm sure you would take care of them properly and keep their coop clean.
I can see setting limits as to how many chickens you can raise in your urban backyard. I hope Buffalo does the make sense thing in this case.
I was just trying to convince Paul that we should raise 2 or 3 hens in our backyard after listening to Martha Stewart talk about hers on her show. I was sad to find this article. If raised properly chickens are clean and quiet and make great food and good pets.
If the city has banned chickens then I think it needs to ban dogs as well. I mean, those animals are always barking and they shit all over the place! Backyards, frontyards, sidewalk, or city parks it doesn't matter. At least my chicken would crap in a coop! :)
My parents still reside on the west side and they have some crappy neighbors these days. I'd bet they would take smelly chickens over the slumlords who are just leaving the houses to rot or the squatters who have started more than one accidental fire in the nearby houses.
I looked into the code today. Apparently, you could have chickens up until 2005 when we had the avian flu scare. Though, really, if you have ten chickens in a coop in your back yard that is very different than a hundred chicken coop.
I was a little sad to read about this as well. I read the updates in the comments section and it seems like David Rivera's office is getting involved which makes me happy.
I would like to see a change in code to allow it. Like urban gardening, raising chickens in the city might provide an interesting way of using abandoned lots and promoting entreprenuership.
If the codes change, it might be something I look into.
I looked up the article and those are some cute chickens. I'm not so sure I would appreciate my neighbors having a chicken coop if it was loud or smelly. Not sure if that was the reason somebody called in this case or not. I feel for these people just not sure I want a change in code as I think it probably has its purpose.