Tavares, FL - Wed., Nov. 6, 2013
Update 11/15.2013: I added another article about chickens by Vickey Cheney at the bottom of this article
Yes, it is true. Your neighbor in Lake County, FL may soon be allowed to setup a backyard chicken coop with up to five hens, and if they cheat, a Rooster also. AND, as the picture shows, the proposed Lake County ordinance prohibits having roosters, but doesn't prohibit having kids in the coop.
1-2 months ago, County Commissioner Sean Parks asked that a draft ordinance be developed to define and allow residential chicken coops in backyards. There were a lot of chicken jokes that day.
It is clear that Parks, who is running for re-election next year has staked out his talking points as being "A chicken in every pot" or backyard.
Well, the issue has come home to ROOST, because the County Planning & Zoning Commission met on Oct. 30. 1 and I assume approved a pending “Chicken Ordinance” (not verified since no “Actions” or minutes have been posted). It will soon be advertised and then voted on at a future Lake County Board meeting. (As soon as I get the date of the meeting to approve the ordinance, I will post it right here so chicken lovers can bring their chickens to testify).
Here is the “Backyard Chicken Ordinance” – no mention about allowing them in front yards.
Especially interesting are these quotes directly from the supporting dcuments:
- “Whereas, chickens are social, can make good pets, and findings indicate that three to four chickens are sufficient to meet the needs of the average family’s egg consumption…”
- “Whereas Lake County recognizes the role chickens play in developing a more viable urban environment” <<<< only a liberal could write this.
- “Chickens, other than roosters, shall be allowed for personal use as an “accessory use” within” specified residential districts. I believe they should be more CLEAR and specify “Roosters are prohibited” or some people will have roosters due to the vague wording.
- Definition: “Chicken Coop. A structure where hens are kept” (sounds like gender discrimination by not allowing roosters)
- “Slaughtering of chickens is prohibited”
- “No manure shall be allowed to accumulate on the floor of the coop or group”
There were no provisions for defining the style of chicken coop architecture or how the walls were to be decorated to sooth the chickens. So, you can choose Umatilla Black Bear Black, or Leesburg Lime.
My question is if you need an ordinance to keep chickens in the backyard, is there one for alligators in backyard canals, because they are there.
Since keeping of roosters is prohibited, and the owner of the hens wants chicks, where do they get a Rooster to service the hens. We know there are some empty rooms at the three business "incubators" set up by the County, so maybe they could designate an "incubator" room for homeless chicks and another for Roosters to serve visiting hens.
This proposed ordinance should be coming to a County Board meeting for approval, so watch for it. No word whether they prohibited roaming Black Bears from invading the Chicken coops for eggs or drumsticks.
Watch for sales of “laid in the Villages” or “laid in Mount Dora” branded eggs.
The ordinance does NOT prohibit using chicken coops for storing kids like in the attached picture, so we figure that is a secondary benefit not described in the ordinance. I mean, if chickens are social, give them a kid to be social with.
Neighbors who want to complain about a Chicken coop can call the Lake County (not the cities) Code enforcement department if, for instance, the coop capacity increases to hold SIX hens. There is no confirmation yet that the code enforcement officer will have to arrive in a Chicken suit to ensure the chicken's self esteem is protected.
The ordinance only allows the coops in residential backyards, so that means Al’s Restaurant & Bar in Tavares will not be allowed to set one up for those 7am breakfasts that WLBE radio host Ralph Smith keeps talking about on Facebook.
So if your neighbor sets up a Chicken Coop in their backyard, with no more than the five allowed hens, and they cheat and include a ROOSTER, be sure to let Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks know how it works out.
Vance Jochim
Lake County Fiscal Rangers
Chief Fiscal Watchdog
Volunteers Searching for Ways to Improve Local Government Fiscal Management, Efficiency & Effectiveness
PO Box 1042
Tavares, FL 32778
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Another contribution on Chickens from Vickey Cheney:
URBAN CHICKEN FARMING?
By Vickey Cheney
This is one of the strangest ideas I’ve come across lately. An article in the February 26, 2006, Orlando Sentinel was titled, “Chicken-hearted? It’s a good thing.” By Anne Wallace Allen. Ms. Allen refers to a woman in Boise, Idaho who makes metal varmint-proof backyard chicken coops. I wonder, how many people really want to raise chickens in their backyards in the 21st century in order to eat an egg sandwich for breakfast?
The article states four reasons for raising chickens as “sustainable agriculture.”
- “When they are raised by hand, chickens can be friendly and trusting, allowing children to pick them up and carry them around.” Do people who raise urban chickens eat more eggs? Do they have a high incidence of elevated cholesterol and heart attacks? I imagine they have a higher incidence of chicken related stress attacks, especially mothers who have to purchase cases of Spray and Wash in order to dissolve chicken poop on children’s clothes; and replace their Washer/Dryers frequently due to accumulated chicken feathers lodged in the drains.
- “It’s a wonderful opportunity to clue the kids in to that other part of the cycle of life.” If the family hatches a rooster (which are chicken non-gratis, due to their rooster calls at 4 a.m.), one of the solutions could be to have the children watch mom or dad chop off the rooster head with a hatchet, (even though some roosters have been known to continue strutting around the kitchen after decapitation providing an exciting cartoon show for the little ones.) This entertainment keeps little eyes safe from all that violence on TV. It also teaches children cooking dinner the wonderful way of the past centuries on the farm. One can set aside an entire afternoon to catch the rooster, break its neck, pluck the feathers, carve the bird, dispense of the innards, wash up all the blood, cook, and enjoy eating the family pet.
- “Children love running to the chicken coop in the morning to see if there are fresh eggs.” I was relieved as a mom if my children got up in the morning, flushed the toilet, got dressed, ate some cereal, brushed their teeth and arrived at the school bus stop on time. Forget running to the chicken coop to see the eggs drop.
- “Chickens can live in urban backyards, producing eggs, eating bugs and providing pet-like companionship.”Can you imagine having a pet chicken? What if you are awakened at night to loud clucking noises in the pantry because your pet chicken is scratching the linoleum floor, or pecking corn pops from a cereal box? Or what if you opened the door to your den and you are greeted by a hen sitting on your computer keyboard?
As for me, I’m a city slicker. I enjoy awakening to the prospect of shopping at the supermarket for eggs in cartons and dead chickens wrapped in plastic.
