We have a 4-3 Vote..... need one more vote in one week to pass ordinance.

Resident(s) of Wake Forest Prevail!

Here is a case of City Leaders listening to their constituents. Please check out this excellent blog.
http://www.wfchickens.blogspot.com/

Time to Catch up......saving the Sanford City Chickens

It has been a while since posting to this blog. My bad! I had a few things to catch up on.

Several weeks ago my son had a few problems at school. One day he came home with a letter he had written Mayor Cornelia Olive. We sent it and she was kind enough to respond with a three page letter. Her point was clear...there are laws and citizens must follow the laws. You cannot argue that line of thinking. You can, however, argue that some certain laws are flawed. I would even go so far as to say that it is people of character and fortitude that bring to attention flawed laws.

The Lee Regional Fair, sponsored by the Lyons Club, just past. Our children had no chickens there for people look and gawk at. Sunday we go to the North Carolina State Fair and play. Our children will have no ribbons this year. Our birds, currently visiting a friends farm, are reduced by three. Mother nature has taken a toll on our flock used to being protected by a coop.

In this "Save the Sanford City Chickens" blog I will attempt to limit it to to just the chickens. But I envision branching blogs exposing our City Leaders and their decisions.

In the near future please look to more information on our neighbor cities who fight the same fight; and a review of the inconsistencies in the Sanford City Ordinance pertaining to animals and livestock.

In the meantime, check out http://madcitychickens.com/index.html. They have made a full feature film about city chickens and were kind enough to send me a trailer of it.

Be good.

Letter to Editor, Sanford Herald

Following is the letter to the editor of the Sanford Herald I submitted and was published on Sunday Aug. 10. It pretty much explains our state of things.

"Aug. 12 our family will move our pets after a board of appeals meeting. I anticipate loosing that appeal based on ordinance 4.5 stating no chickens (of which I was cited), despite ordinance 4.6 speaking as to how to take care of ones coop. This inconsistency of ordinance exemplifies reactionary measures our leaders have left Sanford citizens to cope with.

So far we have been unable to capture Councils ear on the chicken issue regardless of presenting a reasonably sound ordinance including in part (for space):

R12 zone, no apartments, subdivisions, or renters.

50 feet from any dwelling, 150 feet from school, church, or business.

Hens only. Max 10.

No commercial purpose (pets only).

No slaughter.

Even requiring a permit to secure city satisfaction.

I have attempted to address the issues of “Pandora’s Box” so often spoken about. It should be known that the enduring box carried more than mankinds evils. It carried hope too. And with that hope our family will continue our efforts on the pet chicken ordinance. We purchased our last bag of feed tody. We will not submit our forms for the Fair as our birds will go through a stressful transition at their new home. We will pickle the last of our fresh eggs for school snacks.

Pets aside, this issue touches the economy, education, health, support of local business, family hobby, pride, environment and more. And it has exposed leadership questions of our City Council.

I encourage you to read through the articles written about this topic posted on my blog (http://savethesanfordcitychickens.blogspot.com/ )and specifically pay attention to the quotes of our city officials themselves. If you don’t do internet, please call me and I will give you hard copies of the media. We need our City leaders to represent the vision and values Sanford purports. We need our leaders to lead!"

Save The Sanford, NC City Chickens

Backyard city chickens (hens) are nothing like commercial poultry operations. Modern urban communities recognize that they are pets, a hobby, family enrichment, and a great addition to the local economy.

Raleigh, Fayetteville, Carrboro, Wilson, Chapel Hill, High Point, Charlotte

Many cities across the US allow backyard chicken coops and even celebrate it with tours:

- Hen-side The Beltline Tour d’Coop, Raleigh

- Portland Tour De Coup

- Seattle Chicken Tour

- Backyard Chicken Coop Tour of Madison, WI

Backyard chickens provide benefits in many ways:

Children have more opportunities available to them through 4-H, Future Farmers Of America (FFA), school science fair projects, Lee Country Regional Fair, North Carolina State Fair, and more. Additional responsibility teaches children respect for animals, self-sufficiency and keeps them busy with additional activities.

They allow families to have fresh eggs (by the way, did you know that fresh eggs are healthier than store bought eggs?). They support the local economy as feed and supplies are purchased from local stores. The 2007 word of the year in the Oxford Dictionary was “localvore.” Like carnivore, herbivore: a localvore wants to eat only things from its local community. Having some pet hens are greener.

With reasonable care backyard coops are clean, safe and not a nuisance. This is the same reasonable care taken for dogs and cats.

Backyard coops does not mean the selling of eggs or chickens, the slaughtering of chickens or cock fighting. There is no commercial aspect to several hens cooped in your yard.

Backyard city chickens as a topic touches many important issues of the day:

1- Health A
The FDA has little control over our food chain (spinach, melamine, tomatoes, peppers, etc.)
2 - Health B
Everyone is more concerned over health (fresh eggs don't have steroids, more vitamins, less cholesterol)
3 - Economy
Buying feed and supplies supports local business
4- Its greener
Easting local is always greener
5- Family
Hobby, enrichment, education

However, Sanford City Council has chosen apathy over this issue despite citizen petitions, protests and news media. Even with sample ordinances from other cities, and a strict sample ordinance I wrote they continue to be fearful.

Leaders must lead. Not be afraid.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1145785.html (this was on the front cover)

http://sanfordherald.com/index.php July 16^th and June 25^th issues

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/3119539/

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/3179964/

http://www.wral.com/news/local/noteworthy/story/2902206/

Try googling city chickens. It's the newest thing. It is happening everywhere.