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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/22/2013  Meeting Location: Municipal Center 7100 147th Street West City of Apple Valley, Minnesota 55124 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2013 URBAN AFFAIRS ADVISORY COMMITTEE TENTATIVE AGENDA 7:00 p.m. Regent Room 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 4. ACTION ITEMS: a. REVIEW DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 91 (ANIMALS) 5. OTHER BUSINESS - None - 6. ADJOURNMENT NEXT URBAN AFFAIRS MEETING Date to be Determined 7:00 p.m. Staff: Margaret Dykes Planning and Development 952-953-2569 Ben Pierson Code Enforcement 952-953-2571 S:\planning\Urban Affairs\2013 Animal Ordinance\102213a.doc 1. CALL TO ORDER CITY OF APPLE VALLEY URBAN AFFAIRS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 The City of Apple Valley Urban Affairs Advisory Committee meeting was called to order by Chair Schwartz at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Barry Berg, Sandy Breuer, Edwin Holmes, Walton Mahlum, Sharon Schwartz and Earl Wilson. Members Absent: Pamela Sohlberg Staff Present: Planner Margaret Dykes, Code Compliance Specialist Ben Pierson, City Attorney Sharon Hills and Department Assistant Joan Murphy. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Schwartz asked if there were any changes to the agenda. Hearing none she called for a motion. MOTION: of Wilson, seconded by Breuer, approving the agenda. Ayes - 6 - Nays - 0. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES AUGUST 27, 2013. Chair Schwartz asked if there were any changes to the minutes. Hearing none she called for a motion. MOTION: of Breuer, seconded by Mahlum, approving the minutes of the meeting of August 27, 2013. Ayes - 6 - Nays — 0. 4. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. Animal Ordinances Review Chair Schwartz opened the public comment meeting at 7:03. Planner Margaret Dykes reviewed the draft amendments to Chapter 91 (Animals), and the staff memo for the Committee's meeting of September 24, 2013. She stated the Urban Affairs Advisory •Committee was directed by the Apple Valley City Council to review the animal ordinance as it relates to the definition of household pets. She stated other city ordinances were reviewed and the Committee proposed to amend the ordinance as to: 1. Create a definition of house pets. 2. Limit the number of animals in a household. CITY OF APPLE VALLEY Dakota County, Minnesota Urban Affairs Advisory Committee Minutes September 24, 2013 Page 2 of 5 3. Prohibit keeping prohibited animals on residential property. Marian Brown, 7754 142nd Street, stated that at the Apple Valley Home and Garden Show, two years ago, people talked about raising chickens. They were told of the advantages. She said three of the largest cities, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Burnsville allow chickens now. Doug Swanson, 486 Rimrock Dr., stated that changes are anti-agriculture and this is a future growth business. He does not see the agricultural field laying people off. Maury Flake, 13600 Geyser Path, has lived in Apple Valley one year and said it is a wonderful community. He stated backyard chickens were enduring pets and they have a lack of noise, lack of smell, and lack of nuisance. He said chickens detach the grass and aerate the ground. They feed very well, prefer greens and what they find forging on the ground. He stated that Apple Valley is surrounded by communities that allow chickens. He would like the opportunity to be allowed to have backyard chickens. His personal view was to permit chickens. Bill Tschohl, 8130 137th Street, said he moved to Apple Valley in 1979. He has been in the real estate business for 32 years and wants Apple Valley to continue to be a great city. He respects the people who want to raise chickens and goats. He feels we need to avoid the conflict in neighborhoods and that chickens would attract mice and fox. He asked who would enforce the violations and believes enforcement is short now. He added chickens in the backyard could affect the value of homes. Will Branning, 13775 Guild Avenue, stated he lived here since 1964 and participated in the first ordinance and those prior to 1964. He was concerned about mixing farm and urban uses and expressed concern about odor and attracting rats. He asked about grandfathering in pets. He did not want to open up the ordinance. Jessie Koehle, 13626 Fernando Avenue, said she would like to have chickens and have her daughter experience raising chickens. She believes there should be a limit on chickens and they should be allowed with permits and ordinances. She feels urban farming should be allowed to include chickens, bees and goats and suggested using other cities that allow chickens to help structure the ordinance. Ken Ullery, 15718 Hayes Trail, said he lives next door to a resident with three chickens and other neighbors with several dogs. He prefers the chickens over the dogs provided there are no roosters. He does not notice the chickens because there is no smell and noise. He said dogs are noiser. Marlene Gordhamer, 14849 Haven Dr., stated she has raised chickens. Grandchildren carry them around and they ride in a wagon. Coops smell if they are not properly cared for. Cara Gordhamer, 14849 Haven Dr., started raising chickens in 2011. She lives on an almost all dog street and dogs are very loud. Chickens are quiet and it strikes up a conversation with new ways of things to try when talking to neighbors. Chickens are very social. She learned from chickens how to put a meal on the table and provide for family. CITY OF APPLE VALLEY Dakota County, Minnesota Urban Affairs Advisory Committee Minutes September 24, 2013 Page 3 of 5 Susannah Fisher, 14351 Europa Avenue, believes chickens should be allowed for the eggs and fertilizer. Aaron Nelson, 13964 Duluth Ct., has chickens now on a large lot and shares the coop with his neighbor. The coop cannot be seen from the neighboring lots. Children clean, take care and pick the eggs. If the City Council would allow chickens it should be with responsibility. He feels chickens are better pets than dogs and believes if chickens are allowed there should be rules and not to allow roosters. Smaller lots may not be appropriate but larger lots should be allowed to have chickens. He has not seen rodent issues and there is no smell. He feels chickens should be allowed by permit as long as the ordinance is clear and concise. Mike Melville, 13960 Duluth Ct., is the neighbor who shares the coop and has chickens and two Nigerian goats. Children play with them. Goats are penned up with the chickens during the day. Dogs play with the goats too. He treats the goats as pets and does not milk them. He stated that between his neighbor and himself they have two acres. Keith Chapman, 12691 Edinborough Way, noted he has a neighbor who has chickens. They are noisy and he is opposed to chickens. Dan Newbauer, 13630 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, has been a beekeeper for over 30 years. He tried to raise a garden and when he introduced the honey bees he can now produce enough food in his yard. He believes there is a strong need for urban bees and the environment is deteriorating due to water quality. He said Minneapolis and St. Paul allow them and feels people should have a right to raise their own food. Don Paulseth, 84 County Road 42, stated people should be allowed to raise their own food. People have private property rights and there should be a compelling reason to take away people's rights. The city should not be a mediation service. Let the people be responsible. Ducks do take care of insects and Muscovy ducks take care of flies. If growing vegetables it makes excellent fertilizer. Roxanne Lavelle, 14143 Germane Avenue, commented she has to drive 45 miles to get fresh eggs. She would like a relationship with the animals. They can fertilize the garden. It is a more natural way of living and sustainable future. She is scared the government wants to control everything and taking away means of living. Gary Johnson, 224 Elm Drive, supported bees and keeping of bees in the city because these are beneficial. He supported the right to grow your own food. Rodents are part of city living. He suggested looking at Minneapolis for rules and their permitting process. Shawn Jorgenson, 15719 Lower Fjord Way, has friends in Eagan that he had gotten eggs from. He supports the keeping of bees, chickens, goats or other animals kept as food. He stated the younger generation wants to keep and grow local foods. His perception is that if animals are well kept there should not be a problem. Hearing what most of the people spoke this evening is that they do not CITY OF APPLE VALLEY Dakota County, Minnesota Urban Affairs Advisory Committee Minutes September 24, 2013 Page 4 of 5 have a problem with the way animals are kept. He would prefer to be in a place that allows these animals. Karen Theisen, 8414 134th Street Ct., commented she sees no reason why chickens or other smaller farm animals should not be allowed. She does not see why urban farming would hurt the property values. Animals are not the problem, people are the problem. Todd Taylor, 13533 Fordham Avenue, supports chickens and has neighbors that have them. He believes there could be responsible owners and a flock of four would be fine. He suggested allowing chickens on a trial basis. Owners should respect the rights of the neighborhood. He would like for his children to know eggs do not start in a carton. Jim Moening, 260 Elm Drive, stated chickens attract predators such as skunks and weasels and suggested putting this up for a vote. He believes most people would be against allowing chickens. Debra Raines, 15716 Hayes Trail, supports goats, chickens and bees. If cared for properly there is no smell. Emilie Kastner, 13624 Elkwood Drive, believes she represents her generation as to where their food comes from and she likes fresh eggs. She stated we need bees to sustain the carbon foot print and supports chickens. Emma Wuebben, 13321 Greenleaf Ct., supports chickens and would like to raise chickens in the future. Christina Vincent, 297 Pinewood Dr., commented predators already live here. She believes proper maintenance of chicken coops would not create problems. Chickens would eat some of the smaller pests. Marian Brown, 7754 142nd Street, commented on the number of 4-H clubs in the area and that it is important for children to have the opportunity to raise chickens and display at the Dakota County Fair. She believes no roasters should be allowed and inquired as to the people that are already raising chickens if they would be asked to get rid of them. Lorraine Malmgren, 272 Elm Dr., expressed concern that irresponsible people will have chickens and not the responsible people. Dan Newbauer, 13630 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd., stated the biggest problem has been with dogs and cats. He encouraged staff to talk to professionals about drafting the ordinance. Doug Swanson, 486 Rimrock Dr., commented that he reviewed all the complaints in the Police Department and has never seen any problem on chickens. CITY OF APPLE VALLEY Dakota County, Minnesota Urban Affairs Advisory Committee Minutes September 24, 2013 Page 5 of 5 Chair Schwartz closed the public comment meeting at 8:29 p.m. 5. OTHER BUSINESS A. Review of upcoming meeting. Planner Margaret Dykes stated that the next Urban Affairs Committee meeting would take place Tuesday, October 22, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. 6. ADJOURNMENT Hearing no further comments from the Urban Affairs Advisory Committee, Chair Schwartz asked for a motion to adjourn. MOTION: of Breuer, seconded by Wilson, to adjourn the meeting at 8:32 p.m. Ayes - 6 - Nays - 0. Res ectfully Submitted, J Murphy, Planning e p art t Assistant Approved by the Apple Valley Urban Affairs Advisory Committee on City of APP1railey TO: Urban Affairs Committee Members FROM: Margaret M. Dykes, Planner MEETING DATE: October 22, 2013 SUBJECT: Review of City Codes Regarding Domestic Animals 1 H:\DEVELOPM\2013 Projects\Domestic Animal Ordinance Amend\UAC\102213 UAC memo.doe MEMO Community Development Department Recap of September 24 Public Comment Meeting At its meeting of September 24, 2013, the Urban Affairs Committee (UAC) held a public meeting to receive comments regarding the draft amendments to the City's existing animal ordinances. Approximately 35 people attended the meeting, with about 26 people speaking. The comments are attached in the minutes from that meeting. Of the meeting attendees that spoke at the meeting, four (4) expressed support for the draft ordinance amendments, and 22 were opposed to the amendments. The 22 attendees that opposed the amendments wanted to allow for the keeping of chickens, goats, bees and some other animals that have been considered livestock. The comments received at that meeting showed more support for the keeping of chickens and bees, but there was also some support for the keeping of goats. These attendees wanted the flexibility to raise their own food, as well as keep these animals as pets. These attendees generally expressed support for a permitting process to help ensure any adverse impacts related to keeping these animals could be addressed. The comments received at the public comment meeting did not address disposal of birds that no longer produce eggs, or backyard slaughter. The four (4) attendees that spoke in favor of the draft ordinance amendment were generally opposed to the keeping of chickens, goats, bees and similar animals. They were concerned about noise, smells, additional costs for Code Enforcement, and the potential for conflicts between neighbors. Additional comments have been received since the September 24 meeting; these comments are attached. Also included is information received from residents the night of the meeting, and news stories that have appeared since the meeting, including an October 9 Star Tribune story about the Chicken Run Rescue organization. Requested Action: Staff is requesting feedback from the UAC regarding the public comment meeting. Direction is needed whether staff should revise the draft amendments to address the comments received or if the draft ordinance amendments should proceed as is. StarTribune Back-yard chicken trend comes home to roost Article by: KIM PALMER Star Tribune October 8, 2013 - 10:09 PM With cold weather approaching, a lot of local chicken owners are seeking new homes for their birds. "Winter is difficult," said Mandy Meyer of New Prague, who advertised her daughter's chickens on Craigslist last week. Coops require more cleaning in winter, plus there's extra shoveling, heating and making sure the birds have fresh, unfrozen water. Now that her daughter is heading off to college, Meyer is hoping to downsize the flock of 16 hens and one rooster, "Cluck Gable." But she won't sell them for meat, she said. "If I can't find someone who wants 'em, I'll just hang on to 'em." Not all chicken-keepers hang onto their surplus poultry until they can find good homes, however. The recent boom in back-yard chickens, fueled by the local food movement, has produced a boomlet of unwanted birds that swells at this time of year. "The numbers escalate in August as back-to-school mentality sets in, then increase as the fall progresses and explode when the cold weather actually hits," said Mary Britton Clouse, founder of Chicken Run Rescue, a home-based shelter program in Minneapolis. Chicken Run has seen its numbers increase dramatically in recent years, coinciding with the rise in urban hipsters and locavore foodies who have been inspired to try their hand at small back-yard poultry operations. In 2001, Chicken Run rescued just six birds. Last year, Clouse and her husband, Bert, fielded almost 500 surrender requests for "urban farm animals," mostly chickens, and rescued more than 30, many with "special needs," such as chickens that lost feet to frostbite or reproductive cancers linked to constant egg-laying. Some of the rescues have been waiting for new homes for more than a year, she said. (In the meantime, they live in the couple's back-yard coop and, during the cold months, in their basement.) "I knew this was going to happen," Clouse said of the explosion in surrendered and abandoned chickens. "All the other sanctuaries and shelters have noticed an increase. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion." Chicken Run takes requests from Minneapolis Animal Control, the Animal Humane Society and wildlife rehab clinics. Some of the birds come from cockfighting seizures, but many have been abandoned or neglected by owners who don't understand what's required or realize that chickens are "a long-term commitment," according to Clouse. 'Interest is increasing' Still, the popularity of back-yard chickens shows no signs of abating. Mary Britton Clouse and Bert Clouse of Chicken Run Rescue with some of the chickens they keep at their north Minneapolis home, BRUCE BISPING « bbispinggstartribune,com, Bruce EispingiStar Tribune, Some birds come from owners who don't realize that chickens "are a long-term cOmmitment," Clouse said, BRUCE BISPING bbispingnstartribune,com, Several of the chickens being housed by Mary Britton Clouse and Bert Clouse of Chicken Run Rescue, at their north Minneapolis home. Some new coop converts discover that keeping fowl is more work than they expected. Others give up their hens after they stop laying eggs — or after they get sick and require expensive medical care. And quite a few folks discover that the baby chick they bought to lay eggs is never going to. " 'Whoops! I have a rooster.' That's a big one," Clouse said."People get chicks from hatcheries, and they mis-sex the birds. Or they throw in a baby rooster for extra body heat" during shipping. More cities and suburbs now allow small coops, and other municipalities continue to debate whether chickens belong in residential neighborhoods. Two Lake Minnetonka communities, Deephaven and Woodland, recently took up the issue. Farther north, Centerville and Circle Pines recently began allowing back-yard coops, with municipal approval. Page 1 of 2 10/11/2013 "At our store here, I would say interest is increasing," said Audrey Matson, owner of Egg/Plant Urban Farm Supply in St. Paul. "I do not think back-yard chickens and beekeeping have peaked." Many of her customers initially want chickens for the eggs but end up keeping them as pets once their egg production drops off. "A lot are surprised to find they like them as as pets. They're fun to have around and fun to watch. They have personalities." And there's a brisk chicken trade on Craigslist and other online forums. Tim Schmit of Nowthen typically sells his chickens via Craigslist in the fall and buys new ones in the spring. He hasn't had trouble finding homes for his birds, he said. "People buy them." Pets or producers Al Bourgeois of St. Louis Park, a k a "the Chicken Enthusiast," has taught classes on urban chicken-keeping for four years. Over that time, his curriculum has evolved to include a cautionary section. "I cover all the reasons you should not get chickens," he said, to deter those with unrealistic expectations. Such as? "No. 1. They stop laying eggs after four or five years. But they live 10 to 12 years," he said. "You will have an unproductive hen, and you need to be OK with that." "No. 2. It is some work," he added. "If you want to make no effort at all, you shouldn't have gotten chickens in the first place. I bet I have deterred some people." There are also some health risks, both to humans and the birds, associated with keeping chickens in urban areas, according to Alyssa Herreid, a graduate student in public health at the University of Minnesota, who has been surveying back-yard chicken keepers in Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of her master's project on disease transmission in urban poultry. "My biggest finding is that a lot of people don't know about diseases and are completely unconcerned," she said. Most of them report getting their information via the Internet "We need a better way to inform these back-yard chicken keepers." Dr. John Bail lie, a veterinarian with Cedar Pet Clinic Lake Elmo and president of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, is seeing a lot more chickens in his practice. "It's been a noticeable increase over the last three years," he said. Most of his feathered patients are wanted pets, he said, and their owners are conscientious. By the time they come to see me, they're pretty committed to their birds." Common avian health problems include respiratory problems, trauma injuries caused by dogs or wild animals, frostbite and reproductive problems. "Birds' bodies aren't designed to lay eggs daily for five to six years," he said. Selective breeding has resulted in birds that produce eggs to the point of exhaustion and disease. That's one reason the Clouses don't eat eggs and don't believe chickens should be kept to produce eggs at all. "We don't want anybody eating eggs. People think an endless supply of eggs is natural, but there's nothing natural about it," she said. "People are using them [chickens] for food, but they don't know or understand what impact that has on the animal." The Clouses recently started spaying their hens, and allow adoptions only to people who want chickens as companion animals. "Our rescues need homes, not jobs," she said. Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784 © 2013 Star Tribune Page 2 of 2 10/11/2013 Welcome, mmdykes Log Out Staff' une Weekly ads • • • • Back-yard chicken trend comes home to roost Article by: KIM PALMER , Star Tribune Updated: October 8, 2013 - 1009 PM Back-yard coops are still popular, but some owners get rid of birds when winter approaches. mdachs Oct, 8, 11:05 PM aislyn Oct, 9, 13 6:11 AM elkidd Oct, 9, 13 6:23 AM livefreeord Oct, 9, 13 7:21 AM hoistj Oct. 9, 13 News Locat , C k Lifestyle Entertainment - 71: ti " Comments Taste Home + Garden Travel Health Kids Health Style Relationships Steals Blogs + Columns I can't believe that there is a chicken rescue group that keeps chickens until it can find homes for them! Chickens have a purpose - eggs and/or meat. If this group "rescues" a chicken, just send it to a processor and give the meat to a poor person who needs food. Chickens are not companion animals like dogs and cats. Report as inappropriate 16 15 I have been a daily volunteer at Chicken Run Rescue for many years, and was there the day that you came to do the initial interview with Mary and Bert. I just have to say, Kim, that you have done a very fine job with this article. As a person who has the joy and pleasure of seeing chickens as friends and companions everyday of my life, both at CRR and at my home, where my tiny flock of 4 spend the winter in the house, lounging where they wish, I applaud you for bringing this subject to light. Work with these birds has brought an endless supply of unconditional love and a vast well of self awareness into my life that I will treasure forever. Thank you again. Report as inappropriate 15 4 y account* I Subscribe Digital Home delivery i Today's Paper home 4- garden [Results per page: r46 Newest first what about the people next door to these people „chicken coops stink Report as inappropriate 11 10 I can provide a home in my freezer for anyone who has extra chickens. I've got 8 that I'll be keeping for eggs when they stop laying, they'll make great soup and get another batch. They're nice to have around and fun to watch in the yard, but they're not pets. Spaying chickens is close to the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Report as inappropriate 8 11 Search (#) At content 0 Business listings 1Search Obituaries ; Ubb 0g 1/4)00S tilitt 11'1:11j1S , 43:01:31ine pratfizt intluonza s api:d 18 Eno :(111u).. FLUCILV:0=a Oldest first 1 -17 of 17 from the homepage Child protection petition filed on behalf of 9-year-old stowaway New GOP shutdown/debt plan, but no agreement yet 'Captain Phillips' is gripping real-life piracy story Get . your .brakes inspected. Squirrels and deer everywhere fat thank O1L 'Save Mrakes, bras, matIntenance ',and total mr Chimney Inspection and Fireplace Hue From 0% :Ttust the Midas Touch* ADVE RT1S EMENT most read most emalled most watched What will replace Holidazzle? Here are some ideas Back-yard chicken trend comes home to roost Duluth library begins lending fruit, veggie seeds Eekl What to do when there's a mouse in the house North Woods nest is a sweet retreat Close to home: Living on the water Share your killer decorations Page 1 of 4 ff 10/11/2013 7:54 AM viquee fl fail Oct, 9, 13 7:58 texastec hnoman Oct 9, 13 8:03 AM kayinnc Oct. 9, 13 8:28 AM spottedjag Oct. 9, 13 9:14 A M ozmon3 Oct. 9, 13 9:43 AM swninguy Oct 9, 13 3:32 PM missmeowgi Oct. 9, 13 4:08 PM Collect a $500/chicken license deposit and if the owner needs to unload the bird on a group like CRR because they won't/can't take care of it any longer then the money goes to the group to care for the bird. If/when the chicken dies or is processed for food the owner gets their $500 back. This will greatly reduce the number of pretend farmers out there. Report as inappropriate 11 6 I see chickens as friends and companions. And food. Delicious food. Leaner than beef, healthier than fish. I hope my neighbors start raising these feathered friends. Report as inappropriate 3 6 I understand that you can actually eat them, if you don't want to keep them for eggs in the winter. They taste like chicken! Report as inappropriate 12 4 Thank you for this article pointing out the problems with the urban chicken fad. I live in North Carolina and the same issues are prevalent here: a constant stream of unwanted chickens, resulting in them being dumped in awful ways. Cities and towns are now allowing chickens, yet most city pounds and county animal control units will not accept the inevitable homeless ones, and some offices will not even take calls about them. They deserve the same respect as dogs, cats, or any other animal that is brought into a home situation. Report as inappropriate 6 3 Why would you keep them past the egg-laying years? When they can no longer lay, it's time to eat them. Now, I'm not saying that chickens should be neglected. They give us food and should be treated humanely and with respect. But we all must keep in mind that chickens are livestock, not pets. Report as inappropriate 7 4 This article is a bit strange to me. Living on a farm when the chickens are done laying they are replaced. If they can't atleast pay for themselves they become stew hens and tasty ones at that. I certainly do enjoy chickens and seeing them do their thing but don't understand the need to keep feeding them when they are not producing eggs. The cost of feed is not cheap. Report as inappropriate 7 4 I grew up on a farm myself. When a few families in our S. Mpls. neighborhood wanted to get chickens and came around with the petitions that need to be signed, I agreed, but I did ask if they knew much about chickens and how much work they can be. I don't think they did. There weren't any problems but now, 3 years later, there aren't any backyard chicken coops on my block anymore. Report as inappropriate 2 0 Thank you for this article. It's too easy to lose touch with humanity when we don't know the consequences of selective breeding to the point of cruelty. For the cromagnon IQ levels here, ill point out that our tax dollars pay for city animal cakendar of events ;), Fri A Gathering of Friends._ 11 Sat Antique Alley 12 Laurie's Trunk Sun 13 Flamingos Divine Finds Man 14 The Bee Cottage The Gabberts Design Series 15 Wed Pet Loss Support Group 16 introduction to Pet Dog... Thu 17 Microchip and Nail Trim... Search by category 1 Choose Page 2 of 4 Ail Search ADVEEP1 - ISE:MEN - 1 10/11/2013 scubadoo68 Oct, 9, 13 4 :22 P M sadiemael Oct, 9, 13 8:43 PM en nest Oct. 9:12 PM southcasun Oct, 9, 13 9:32 P EV1 upcbirds Oct, 10, 13 11:09 AM control officers to capture and house the chickens that are abandoned by fad farmers. Not so amusing after all, is it. Report as inappropriate 4 0 People should treat this as they should with kids. This is a long term commitment. Be prepared to provide for them during and past egg bearing years. If I found myself no longer able to keep my pet, I'd definitely take the effort to find it a new home rather than dump it off at a shelter. Report as inappropriate 5 0 I have a flock of chickens in the country for the love of their company. People who do not understand this should spend some time with these lovely animals. I also know that they are used for food and respect that. People who are "urban farmers" would not even know how to turn theft unwanted flock into food, as so many easily say, Once the thrill is over and reality sets in, these chickens are very fortunate to have someone who will find a place for them to live out theft lives. Thanks for the article! Report as inappropriate 2 0 It breaks my heart to see unwanted chickens just as much as other unwanted bird pets. Chickens, like any other bird or pet, are a long-term commitment. Lots of work. That being said, anyone who wants to keep urban coops needs to know what they're getting themselves into. That being said. I'm glad there's people like these two to help shelter helpless animals that had no control over their miserable fate at the hands of over-eager people. You two God's work, seriously. I know people here will criticize me for saying such a thing but when you reach out to help any living thing, especially one that can't pay you back, you're doing God's work. To the people here leaving snarky, rude comments, realize that to some people chickens are as dear as cats and dogs are to you. Thanks Clouse and Bert for all that you do! <3 Report as inappropriate 3 0 "Chickens are tasty!" jokes should be expected in response to an article like this, but it still doesn't fail to disappoint me. To those dismissive of the work of this rescue organization, I have to ask- what's your problem?? There are exponentially more shelters devoted to saving companion animals like guinea pigs, dogs, rabbits, cats...altruism and caring for animals is not a zero sum game, and compassion should not be viewed as finite. Shame on you. Report as inappropriate 1 Thank you very much for your informative coverage of the backyard chicken- keeping trend. As you say, many people who initially wanted chickens (hens) only for their eggs have discovered how personable chickens are, and that's great. But the downsides cited by Chicken Run Rescue are what those of us who run shelters and sanctuaries experience, tragically for the birds, day in and day out. Some of the comments to this article reflect the attitude of disrespect for chickens that accompanies the cruelty and neglect to which no animal deserves to be subjected. If people cannot respect and protect and bond with those who depend on them, they should not get involved. Chickens are wonderful birds who should be valued in their own right, for their own sakes. Karen Davis, President of United Poultry Concerns, hftp://www,upc-online.org Report as inappropriate 0 2 BOOK YOUIzt TRIP > BELLE - D'vs T IM E) Page 3 of 4 Save on Star Tribune Unlimited Digital Access! Save 50% off or more! ADVERTISEMENT A DV E R" NT Comprehensive SUE Tribune coverage of Minnesota% :people, places and companies,„ ADVERTISEMENT 10/11/2013 Welcome, mmdykes Log Out I My account • Subscribe Digital Home delivery Today's Paper Sta commentaries • • , se,ws Local Opinion Lai,s,... Waeld.y ads • • '••' • • • • • ' •• " Attention Loy itsubishi owners!! tile up to Ssoo In addltlonal loyalty savin sELES ptie,x)14t Ftw Dams TV,Pir4ZIVIN,`T'lq Jaid410dtabitike Home Opinion Commentaries Counterpoint: Myths about the so-called chicken craze Article by: MATTHEW KONCAR Updated: October 14, 2013 - 6:24 .PM For those who see tending to back-yard coops as the livestock management it is, winter isn't a problem. comments 0 resize te Editorials Our Columnists Commentaries Cartoons Letters • print buy reprints Recommend 48 Tweet more from commentaries 7 reasons why shallow tunnels are wrong for Southwest LRT Search (#) All content 0 Business listings ;;;711171 Site Index Of)EITS 13p., Saittrtay at 1:00 AM Obituaries Classriees ,Atnos Housing Jobs Page 1 of 4 ta ttrna 1 t 1U1 ‘r :,, e . r . 1C ;i 1 '1 )1 'VI' kttt S1'131 X Ali major insura ce r:tlarts accepted. Submit e letter or commentary ADVERTISEMENT - okAmon The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues, The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom. 10/15/2013 I have been raising chickens for four years, responsibly managing an urban, home flock of between eight and 35 birds. Some comments on "Chicken craze comes home to roost" (Oct, 9): First, the problem of what to do with unwanted chickens as winter sets in is a First World, 21st-century, upper-middle-class problem. The simple answer is: You eat them. People have been doing it for millennia now. You slow-roast an old bird covered and with a little water, and it is delicious! Or you turn it into broth. I'm sure most of the people giving up their birds eat chicken from the store. It's a commentary on how far we have come from the source of our food that this is not obvious. To me, it's an argument for increasing the number of people who raise their own food. Second, coops don't need to be heated in the wintertime. if you get heirloom, dual-purpose breeds, they are cold-hardy. They weren't lighting a fire for the chickens on the farm in 1870; today is no different. I don't heat my coop in the winter, and I've never had birds freezing to death. In fact, ventilation is more important than heat, as chickens exhale a lot of moisture as they breathe. Third, chickens are not companion animals. They are livestock. They may be able to bond with you to a certain degree, and they do have individual personalities, but they aren't cuddly and loyal like a dog. If you've been around chickens, you'd know that they are fun to watch, but they aren't a house pet. Fourth, with regard to illnesses, back-yard chickens are pretty safe. They don't live in the house, which is how many diseases are transmitted between birds and humans in Asia. And they aren't confined 50,000 to a large pen as on industrial farms, which is where the problems really come in That the subject of the Oct. 9 story keeps chickens in her basement is more disturbing to me than the thought of some people not being ready for chicken ownership. Finally, we are not all urban hipsters, a group the story's author clearly disdains. Most of us raise our flocks responsibly and manage the lives our birds from beginning to end with an eye to their health and well-being. Slaughtering a chicken that you raised from birth is part of keeping chickens. Or you can take it to the Hmong slaughterhouse in South St, Paul, and they will do it for you for about $6. Frankly, 500 unwanted birds is probably a drop in the bucket compared with the number of back-yard chickens out there. I would hope that the Star Tribune in the future would handle the subject a little more even-handedly. Matthew Koncar lives in Lauderdale. comments � resize text print buy reprints From Around the Web sponsored links Best Walking Shoes for Travel (Travel + Leisure) Your Dog Will Really Love You If You Buy This Toy! 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(StarTribune.com) Rj 7 reasons why shallow tunnels are wrong for Southwest LRT Minnesota and Wisconsin tax strategies: May the best state win Page 2 of 4 most read most emailed most watched Congressional Republican strategy: The horror, the horror Counterpoint: Medical device tax deserves the criticism it gets Let's give adolescents a chance to grow up Truth is, the debt isn't that big of a deal Counterpoint: Myths about the so-called 'chicken craze* Amid so much real trouble, who has time for the 'Redskins' crisis? ADVERTISEIVIENT from the homepage Senators closing in on deal to reopen government Twin Cities woman sues priest, alleges improper contact and gifts Pominville's happy homecoming lifts Wild to win over Buffalo 10/15/2013 Dykes, Maggie From: Sent: To: Subject: Grawe, Charles Wednesday, October 02, 2013 3:22 PM Dykes, Maggie FW: Karl Moberg commented on a link City of Apple Valley, MN shared. From: Facebook [mailto:update+kjdm dkdijh ©facebookmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2013 2:31 PM To: Grawe, Charles Subject: Karl Moberg commented on a link City of Apple Valley, MN shared. Karl Moberg commented on a link Ci of A Karl wrote: "So does this mean NO Chickens?!?! If so stupid!! e Va le MN shared. I kerb/ tO thiS T,10 cornment Orl MIS link„ WOOF M This rinit 'was i3ient to social@dapple-valley.mmus„ It YOU d011t i'erEI-21 il5 frarn FaCEiilti9ok in 1.)1Eia unsubscribe„ , Paio cle4.:303 1 Dykes, Maggie From: Sent: To: Subject: From: brent schulz [mailto:bschulz(acharter.net] Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2013 7:07 AM To: Grawe, Charles Subject: Chicken Coops? Mayor Mary and the Apple Valley City Council — There is a meeting on Sep 24 concerning the ability to maintain CHICKENS in Apple Valley that I will be unable to attend, but I want to express my COMPLETE SUPPORT for this capability. Please forward this letter to the appropriate individuals for me. As a residential real estate broker I know that there are a number of strong trends affecting the housing market, and that safe, LOCALLY SOURCED food is one of them; having laying hens in your back yard is the ultimate local food supply! The program would have to be STRUCTURED PROPERLY of course; limit on the number of birds, no roosters, property line setbacks, and humane conditions (heat, water, food, space). It is already legal to keep chickens in both Mpls and St Paul. If those cities can design and monitor a successful laying hen program on their 40'x125' city lots then we should certainly be able to do it on our typically HUGE LOTS. I strongly support this measure, and I would welcome the opportunity to serve on a city advisory committee helping to draft the necessary ordinance. Thanks you, Brent Schulz, Broker Right Properties, Inc. Ph: 651-387-9453 www.R 0 P Grawe, Charles Monday, September 23, 2013 8:09 AM Lawell, Tom; Dykes, Maggie; Nordquist, Bruce FW: Chicken Coops? 1 bate: 10-02-2013 To: Urban Affairs Advisory Committee City of Apple Valley, Minnesota From: Apple Valley resident Joseph Mal en Subject: Chicken Coops I attended the Chicken Coop meeting on 9-24. 1 did not approach the mic to voice my opinion, but 1 will do so now in this memo. 1 am a 35+ year homeowner at 272 Elm Drive. My lot size is approx. 1/4 acre and my neighbor's lot sizes in this neighborhood are approx. 1/4 acre also. I do not want to raise chickens and 1 hope none of my immediate neighbors do either. The folks who spoke in favor of raising chickens in Apple Valley appeared to be folks who have properties much larger than 1/4 acre. Those larger properties might be OK for urban farming but small properties such as mine are not. I assume that the final decison regarding this matter will be m de by the City Council. This is the direction want them to take bo not issue a permit for raising chickens to anyone living on a property which is less than one acre. bo not issue a permit for raising chickens unless the applicant has secured an OK from all next door neighbors who also have lots with minimum sizes of one acre. Keep Apple Valley a friendly place to live. bo not allow any special interest group to cause any falling-out amongst previously friendly neighbors. Dykes, Maggie From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Committee, • suzanne misel <smmq2@hotmail.com> Wednesday, October 02, 2013 9:28 AM Dykes, Maggie Chickens I would like to take this time to thank you for the community forum regarding small farm animals in Apple Valley. I have lived in Apple Valley for just one year, but I have been very happy about my move. During the meeting I was surprised by the number of people who were currently chicken owners, even goats and bees. Who would have known? The small animals are going unnoticed and not bothering anyone. I was also impressed by the research some people had done to support something that made them so passionate. I live in a townhome and my association will not allow the chickens, but I have to say given the chance, the people in support talked me into raising chickens. I should also do my fair share and raise bees. The knowledge that man had might be very helpful for your research. Please take all of their comments into consideration. The majority in the room spoke for chickens. I counted the pro's and con's at the meeting and came up with 6 residents against allowing chickens, bees and goats and 19 residents in favor of allowing these animals. I urge the committee to listen to the majority voice of Apple Valley residents, adopt a reasonable approach to allowing these animals, and look to the very real future of urban gardening as a positive enhancement of our community. Children will learn. People will eat healthy. The environment will thrive. The livelihood of Apple Valley will be good. Thank you for your time, Suzanne Misel 7620 157th St. Unit C Apple Valley 1 September 30, 2013 Apple VaIley City Council and Staff c/o Margaret Dykes, City Planner 7100 147 Street W Apple Valley MN 55124 Dear City of Apple Valley As a resident of Apple Valley and an attendee of your recent public meeting regarding the ordinance update involving household pets I want to thank you for the opportunity you gave the public to express their thoughts on this matter. I enjoyed hearing what others had to say, and I certainly appreciated the chance to speak myself. We may not all agree, but we are all a community and I was impressed and pleased by how many people attended. My personal view of this issue is that it seems reasonable to update City ordinances regarding household pets. However, I feel that there is an additional need to provide residents with a legal path toward keeping non-household pets as well, under certain conditions. | would personally love to have a small group of chickens in my backyard, and | knowmaDyotherresidentsvvhovvou|dtoo,Vrwou|dat|eastnotnbecttotheirne' hbors having chickens. Still other residents would like to raise bees for the improved pollination of gardens and collection of honey, which I fully support. Bees and other insects are an incredibly important thread in the fabric of biodiversity, and pollinators are vital to maintaining our food supply. Research shows that bees are suffering declines already, which is all the more reason for more people to keep smaller hives to try to support the continuation of the species. Anyone with a backyard garden would appreciate improved pollination! Honeybees are not aggressive and would not pose a threat to the public. 1 was interested to hear other residents' concerns at the public meeting, specifically regarding backyard chickens. Several people brought up the possibility of chicken coops smelling, or attracting rodents or spreading disease. |be|ieve that if chicken coops and runs are cleaned often, if the number of animals is limited, and if feed is kept in rodent-proof containers, then none of these concerns will exist. Research into other cities' programs could no doubt confirm this. Surely corn kept for chickens in a shed is no different than birdseed kept in a garage to fill bird feeders? Are you going to tell people they can no Ionger have birdfeeders in their backyards? 1 believe that like many city ordinances, if a negligent situation arose and neighbors complained, the City could enforce their rules, causing the wrongdoers to clean up their act or lose their permit if they did not comply. 1 feel that enough residents have shown their interest in keeping chickens and other non-household-pets to warrant serious consideration by the City of a permitting program allowing non-household pets to be kept. 1 believe you could come up with a very nice streamlined program quite quickly by studying existing programs in neighboring areas. Finaily, permits like these could become a reliable source of revenue for the City if single or annual permit fees were charged, building a resident base of support and compliance to be quite proud of. If we work together, this idea could showcase some really positive interactions, not to mention mproving the lives of so many residents. Thank you for your consideration. Jessica Koehle 13626 Fernando Ave Apple Valley MN 55124 (651)485-8472 Dykes, Maggie Fromm Sent: To: Subject: Dear Committee: Thank you, Patsy Meserow 393 Walnut Lane Apple Valley patsy meserow <pmeserow@chartecnet> Friday, September 27, 2013 8:02 AM Dykes, Maggie Chickens in Apple Valley 1 would like to thank you for the public forum re chickens, bees and small goats as residential pets. 1 was in attendance at the meeting on September 24 and was very impressed with the arguments and ground work done by those in favor of allowing these animals as backyard pets. | came somewhat undecided and left convinced that aliowing residents to raise these animals would be a definite asset to our community. 1 urge the committee to support and even be at the forefront of this form of urban gardening. In particular, I was interested in the comment by the gentleman who said, don't fix what isn't broken. It appears Apple Valley residents have been successfully raising chickens, goats and bees with absolutely no complaints by neighbors, contrary to what | am sure are constant complaints about dogs and cats. Speaking of dogs and cats, 1 would also urge the committee to reconsider the number of cats, dogs and ferrets allowed per household. A total of 3 seems more reasonable. My neighborhood has dogs that bark all night long and dogs that defecate on my lawn each and every day. I can't imagine the nuisance a household of 6 cats, dogs and ferrets could cause. When my son was young, he was bitten by a ferret running around the neighborhood. We somehow got it cornered in the garage and called animal control to determine if the ferret was rabid. Turns out it was someone's pet, but if we had not confined it, my son would have had to go through the painful rabies shots just to be safe. Dogs pose the same threat. Chickens, bees and goats do not. I counted the pro's and con's at the meeting and came up with 6 residents against allowing chickens, bees and goats and 19 residents in favor of allowing these animals. 1 urge the committee to listen to the majority voice of Apple Valley residents, adopt a reasonable approach to allowing these animals, and look to the very real future of urban gardening as a positive enhancement of our community. 1 Dykes, Maggie From: Sent: To: Subject: From: Facebook [mailto:update+kjdm dkdijh @facebookmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2013 12:33 PM To: Grawe, Charles Subject: Teri Binsfeld Whiting commented on a link City of Apple Valley, MN shared. This rnEHsagc::!. vvas ser social@cLapple-valleynnms, yuu WAHL the fLittlre„ pleaSe unsubscribe„: Grawe, Charles Wednesday, October 02, 2013 1:32 PM Dykes, Maggie FW: Teri Binsfeld Whiting commented on a link City of Apple Valley, MN shared. Teri Binsfeld Whiting commented on a Iink C of A shared. Ptply to this email to comment on this Iiirk 1 R 0 e Valle MN Teri wrote: "Perhaps it should read no more than 6 TOTAL animals of ANY combination per household. Seems a little unclear how many snakes or birds one could have in combination while clearly calling out how many dogs, cats & ferrets." er i if 1 bat) k r Dykes, Maggie From: Sent: To: Subject: From: Facebook [mailto: u date+k dkdi • facebookmail.com] Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 12:27 PM To: Grawe, Charles Subject: Apple Valley MN Backyard Chickens commented on a link City of Apple Valley, MN shared. 40„4:400 A A. # le Valle MN shared. Grawe, Charles Monday, October 07, 2013 1:26 PM Dykes, Maggie FW: Apple Valley MN Backyard Chickens commented on a link City of Apple Valley, MN shared. N Bac ard Chickens commented on a link Cr 0 s ie Valle Apple Valley MN Backyard Chickens wrote: "Eagan, Rosemount, Farmington and Burnsville all allow chickens." to this erraii to corninerit on this link,„ rnesssage yeas sc-23 social@ci.apple-valley.mmus, frorn Farebook in 3se unsubscribe. 1 Bruce Nordquist, Community Development Director Apple Valley, Minnesota My name is Bill Tschohli 1 live at 8130 137 th st w. Thank you for allowing me to appear before you this evening. Thank you for all you and your staff do for the city. I moved here with my wife and 3 children in 1979. In 1982 I joined Coldwell Banker and enjoyed a 32 year career in real estate. Coming to Apple Valley to live was the best decision we made. The city has enjoyed good leadership over the years with mayors such as Will Branning and Mike Garrison. We have the best possible mayor, Mary Hamann-Roland and City Council. We are ranked #17 in a nationwide survey. That is why I am here tonight. We want to continue to be the great city we all love so much. I respect the wishes of some to raise chickens and goats. After considerable research and talking to friends and neighbors, I must request that you carefully study what is involved prior to expanding what animals are allowed in an urban setting. Most important, we need to avoid the possibility of neighbor conflicts. The presence of backyard chickens will impact neighbors, add pollutants to storm runoff and introduce a new source of salmonella into our environment. It takes two pounds of feed, called mash, to produce a pound of eggs. The alternative is to supplement chicken feed with food waste and backyard grass. This means the possibility of garbage laying in your back yard attracting rodents. Are home grown eggs healthier? The Center for Disease Control reportedly has warned about the presence of salmonella in residentially raised chickens. No impact on neighbors? You can't disguise the smell of chicken waste that has saturated into the boards of chicken coops or into the soil. The presence of spilled feed and food waste will attract mice and fox. The presence of these animals or even neighborhood dogs can cause a racket in a hen house any time. Who will enforce the no rooster rule, etc? Code Enforcement staff and police operate with constrained budgets and limited staff. Unless staff is increased, backyard chicken regulations will be nearly unenforceable. Enforcement will possibly fall to the neighbors. Goat raising requires a lot of work. They require a lot of space. Males are commonly known as bucks and they have a very strong and repulsive odor that many people find unbearable. Goats tend to wander and they need a pen. Some feel they need guard dogs for the goats. They prefer to live in a group. I would like to see added to the prohibited animals in the city limits; chickens, goats, turkeys, ducks and quail. By doing this hopefully we can hopefully head off future problems of neighbor conflicts. We do not want to lose residents from this wonderful city who do not want to deal with the issue of noise and smell. It is easy to say OK with it if you don't live next door. Thank you. Arguments Against Easing Zoning Restrictions to Permit Raising Chickens in Residential Areas By Jim Pebley If the County Board changes the setback ordinance for residential lots to permit raising poultry, the presence of backyard chickens will impact neighbors, add pollutants to storm runoff and introduce a new source of salmonella to our environment, while not offering the gains in sustainability being claimed. The County Board has created a taskforce to study Urban Agriculture and make recommendations to them. Since the Task Force didn't include a Civic Federation representative in this group, introduced a resolution at the April meeting opposing changing the residential zoning code. Subsequently, a Civic Federation representative was appointed and I agreed to moving consideration of that motion be deferred to the October 2012 meeting. First - to be fair, here's a link to the Arlington Egg Project. I'd urge you to read what they are advocating and why, http: / /arlingtoneggproject.org/ - then please read on. Here's why many of us are concerned: 1. Fresh eggs? Admittedly, locally raised eggs may taste better. But isn't that why we have three farmer's markets open each weekend in Arlington so you can buy fresh eggs (and produce) without buying the chickens, coops, feed, and deal with the waste byproducts? How will any new urban agriculture initiatives impact these smaller farming businesses? 2. Sustainability? According to the EPA, on average, it takes two pounds of feed (called mash) to produce a pound of eggs (htt.: wwW.e•a.:ov a riculture /ag101 /printpoultry.html ). That means twice the transportation energy costs. The alternative is to supplement chicken feed with food waste, available bugs and backyard grass. That means you'll have garbage Tying in your back yard, , attracting rats and other rodents to feed on and bare soil where the lawn used to be. 3. Are home grown eggs are healthier? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has published a warning about the presence of Salmonella in residentially raised chickens. The chicks often arrive infected, so, the waste in their yard will contain Salmonella and the eggs will be coated with it. Unless you lace the chicken feed with antibiotics or you wash the eggs in detergent and bleach (they will lose that "fresh taste "), you will risk bacterial infections that CDC says are dangerous to young children and seniors. Here's a Zink to the CDC article - htt. www.cdc.,ov health .•ets •df intown flocks.df The Washington Post ran a similar article in the May 31st edition on page Al2 titled, "Mail Order Chicks Tied to 318 Cases of Salmonella." by Mike Stobbe (article on next page) , ~�~���~ :112 From Page One 4. Free fertilizer? Granted — chicken waste is rich in nitrates which can help plants grow in controlled amounts. But unlike the fertilizer you can buy, the waste also contains an overabundance of potassium and phosphates. |f you put too much on your plants you will chemically burn them. If you own four chickens, they wiII produce about 140 Ibs of waste per year (including straw bedding, feathers, etc.) You'd need about haif of that for an average home's Iandscaping. The rest must be carefully disposed of. Since you can't catch all the waste, some significant percentage will wash into your downhill neighbor's yard or the storm drains and may reach the Chesapeake Bay according Davd Luther, a George Mason biology professor (Arlington Connection, Thursday, April 19, 2012). S. No impact on neighbors? Those of us with prior experience raising chickens know you can't disguise the smell of chicken waste that has saturated into the boards in chicken coops or into the soU(seetheEPA|inkabove"pctentia|'environmenta|impacts"). The presence of chicken waste, spilled feed, undiscovered eggs and "home food waste" will attract mice, rats, squirrels, possums, raccoons, and foxes. Even if you don't inadvertently purchase a rooster, the presence of any of uninvited creatures or even neighborhood dogs can cause a racket in a hen house any time. 6. Other governments permit chickens? Most of those cited by the Egg Project have Iarger average lot sizes than Arlington. Baltimore has a 25 foot setback rule on chickens, but the average lot size there is about a third the size of an average Arlington R5 lot. Egg Project proponents indicated to the Civic Federation's Planning and Zoning committee Jast year they would like to reduce the set- back back for poultry in Arlington residential zoning from 100 feet to 10 feet. We need to ask County staffers how they will enforce setbacks, the no-rooster rule, mistreated animals and how to ensure that owners aren't raising the chickens for slaughter. Code Enforcement staff, Public Health staff and Animal Control have operated with severely constrained budgets and limited staffs for years. The Rat Task Force established 10 years ago is down by less than half the original staff. Unless code enforcement is up-staffed significantly, backyard chicken regulations will be nearly unenforceable. In any case, the initiation of enforcement will fall to the neighbors. If you have more questions on these issues or would like copies of the citations contained above, contact Jim Pebley at (jimpebley@verizon.net) or talk to the neighbor of an illegal chicken coop (there have been several in Arlington). • Former Civic Federation President (1999-2002) • Former Planning Commission member (2005-2010) and chair, Zoning Ordinance Committee (2009) • Raised on a 16 acre ranch with a real hen house and egg producing chickens. [\ia ATL.NNIA Those cote mail- order ',hick, that wind up in chit- theirs Easter baskets and back- yard rarrns have been lia,ed more than 300 cases of 55.1111Cille11.3 in the United States mostly young,,,ters 20(4, An estimated .50 million live eiten year in the 'United States in a business that has been booming of tile growing pool] ari bobby among people who like the idea 0 f raising their own food, hnith officials are Karning of a bacterial Unseat on the birds' feet, feathers, beaks and eggs, "Most people eau ten yon t chicken meat niay have salmonel- la en it,' said Ctoey Barton Bch- riive,, of. the Conten. fur Disease Control anti Premati on. "But Stir- PriSingly, We found many pewle are not aware that live chicks mid chick,Olica.ri spread salmonella to Sint, 2000, at least. 31t5 ;people. ri.:143 states grit sick in outbreak tied pritnarily 'to one mail hat,hery, Health officials think thou..° ds more illnesses eon, nected to the htl,iness were prob- ably never reprted. No or. tiled, but three: flown people were hospralized. The iil nesses were detailed Wednesday 'in the New England journal of Pt Washing 3K6 of ="� m�=� �~ outbreak tied primuity to one mail-order hatchery, oillicialts say, Salmonella am cause diarrhea, fever and stomach pain but is rarety tataL It is most dangerous to - "ming ehildreti, ).1 elderly and people with weakened immune systems. The ilaeCti0.11 Li$ually contracted from food, but live ani- mals ean transmit it because the bacteria can heir, their feces. Salmonella outbreaks has, li.een I inkAt to es for more l :50 yenS. Iflealth officials have long warned that get salmonella from touching chickens — espedally children, who often pat 'their fingen their utont.:1 'Die CDC says chit- (hen younger 'sdren shouldn't. touch chickens. Health people Iloilo bring birds in to their )101111eS and to wiLs.b. their hands thor- ought:, after ha riffling live pool try. AbOut 20 liatchNi. :mail lire chicks in the United States, stip- farms bt:it amateurs with back- yard coops, 'the mail-order hens- . have seenrecord sal. in recent rht, CDC described arinvestigationtuto salmonella. illnesses, ssith more than per. tient of the caNes tied to a butchery ne5S, but a previous CDC report indicated it is in New Mexico: THURSDAY, MAY 31, 20:11 he debate over keeping chickens in yards, ke these in Centerville in June, is corning Deephaven and Woodland. Deephaven and Woodland proponents say its aboutpropercy t s, critics lArorry about resources By KELLY SMITH Icelly.smith@startribune.com Two small Lake Minnetonka cormnunities are the latest to jump into the hot debate over allowing back-yard chickens — an issue that's increasingly confronted metro suburbs. But for Deephaven and Woodland, the unconventional animal request poses a new challenge as they are smaller cities with fewer resources to manage it. On Monday, about 50 Deephaven residents are expected to pack City Hall to try to convince divided city leaders that back-yard chickens can work there like they do in more than a dozen metro cities. — -"Ws just: 0 e of those emotional issues where people think the worst will happen,” resident Jillian McGary said "It bothers me as 11 YOU GO a property owner that 1 cam 't use my land t o Deep- grow my food." haven City One of the critics she's trying to convince is Council her back-yard neighbor, Paul Skeede, the city's 'Mien: 7 Dom. Mayor® He didn't return rnessages for corn- .Mondav ment, but he's one of the council IT/embers T entere::20225 who has voiced concern to tile, change, saying Cottagewood It cmid breed complaints that the 3,000-resiI Road De dent city won t have the resources to handle, haven "We're not the city of Wlinneapolis, and we don't have those resources," Council Member Steven Erickson added in an interview. "I just don't see it being advantageous in the city, but Cc; cke c ut 2 PA- '100% Tax Deductible Vitt heeIsForWishes.org CHICKENS FROM Ei if the residents put up enough [of a case for chickens] ... I'm not going to actively block it." chickens' `PR problem' It's a debate that more metro cities have faced over the past few years as everyone from 4 -H students to sustainability enthusiasts push for locally grown food. Minneapolis and St. Paul allow chickens, as do suburbs such as Bloomington, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, Burnsville and Robb.insdale, usually with restrictions such as prohibiting roosters or con- taining the flock size. In Woodland, one resident's recent request has spurred the city to draft an ordinance that could be voted on this fall. "Given the popularity of this activity, we thought we should at least consider an ordinance, Woodland Mayor Jim Doak said. "It's a reasonable request." But not every city is a fan of the fowls. Cities such as white Bear Lake, Wayzata and Eden Prairie have opted to keep chickens outlawed. The problem with chick- ens is they have a PR problem; people are ill - informed," said Loren Martin, who recently raised three chickens at his home in St. Louis Park. "The argument that chickens are a nuisance to neighbors because of noise isn't the case. Your neighbors won't even know you have them." When he and his family moved to a larger half -acre lot in Deephaven this summer, he sold their hens in 24 hours to a south -metro homeowner. Now he's among the residents push- ing for the ordinance change, saying the chickens will teach his three young children where their food comes from and give the family fresh eggs. "There's no reason Deep- 4,Wish, Coll: (6 +1) 645=9474 Iw1sr+ nne Kelly Smith • 612 -673 -4141 Twitter: @kellystrib haven needs to be in the dark ages here," Martin said "A lot of cities are doing this. Growing interest Chickens are technically allowed in Deephaven on agri- cultural areas with more than 10 acres, but few, if any, places qualify. A Police Department employee oversees animal con- trol issues. "How enthusiastic are you going to be to have that one individual tracking down chickens ... instead of some emergency situation?" City Administrator Dana Young said McGary, though, predicts the city won't receive many complaints, if any. In Centerville, for instance, which is a similar size to Deep - haven, the city clerk said the city has received two requests for chickens since they were allowed in June. A building official goes out to confirm that the coop and animals fol- low city rules, but she said the city has had no complaints so far. In Deephaven, the City Council isn't expected to vote on the issue Monday but will likely continue the discussion. "To change an ordinance, you have to have an over - whelming evidence or push by the residents," Council Mem- ber Darel Gustafson said. That's what McGary, whose husband is on the planning commission, was told when she spoke at the council last April. She's since gathered more than 80 signatures on a petition. "We're so far always from the food we eat ... and it both - ers me," she said "1 think we might be overthinking this a little bit." • 41: (r ' 4 1 8///0//, 7 vi /1171 I, r.c. ,--,-1 ,. .,, t , (1,) Li v) rt 91. r ,,,7 ii ;c1 cKs rg i - '2 '7- ErTE ,, .„.,,,, ,,,, C) 611 l',—,, p.. ,, !" : ...? !::::il e' . prj r.4 : '' ,,,,,ni i c.73 ) ,...,,,L'.6.)4''z:cum 4C1- 'e42 glill: (1) CT4(1)' r4 ..}-4cC7.,o0,5.al, : i:7-7') :11. 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Kristie Kellis, 38, the registered owner of the house at 715 Forest Dale Road, said she. has contacted the Minne- sota Department of Human Rights as well. State officials, however, cannot confirm TwinCh ies.com St. Paul Pioneer Press OWNT OWNER OO,1"I; - : 253 Wost 70) S' Downtc wn,erWOodfire coca ' I.22a .3500 Department of Minnesota Proceeds help local veterans of Minnesota Accepting all vehicles including boats and RVs 100% Tax Deductible - Free pick -up, ANYWHERE i6 253: www.VehiclesForVeteransMN.corn ION x } S Twi TwinCitieseco active complaints. While the city hasn't tracked the cost of the complaints in terms of staff hours, it has taken up substantial resourc- es. Next -door neighbors Bob and Gerry Parrott say the women's farming is out of control and highly disruptive. Dellis says the Parrotts are unreasonable and that . her property is well maintained. Furthermore, she says it's within her legal rights as a New Brighton resident to operate an urban farm. Although New Brighton has a nuisance ordinance, the city has no specific rules regulat- ing the keeping and raising of fowl or other practices associ- ated wi[li fanning within its city limits. Some 60 residents are said to be engaged in the practice to varying degrees. Prompted by the conflict — now in its second year — the city recently assembled a task force to study how other com- munities have tackled urban farming, an increasingly pop- ular practice in Minnesota and elsewhere. The commit- tee is expected to make rec- ommendations to the city council next spring. sir Velxsicle Novespapers fie,0 "We are not looking for this thing to - spread," New Brigh- ton Mayor Dave Jacobsen said of the Forest Dale Road con - flict. "We hope the task force can clarify what is reasonable for urban farming before this issue turns our city into a battleground." IN CONFLICT On a recent tour of Lost Boys Acre, Kellis points out vegetables growing in one of the many backyard gardens. Most of them are planted in raised beds, but this year the women also planted in straw bales to honor the "experi- mental" part of their mission. The decision to raise quail was prompted by the same desire, Kellis said. "We experiment with what can be done in a suburban environment so we can edu- cate other people about what works," Kellis said. She added that it's increasingly impor- tant for people to rethink how they get their food. The food they produce feeds Dellis and her three house - mates as well as five other families who volunteer at Lost Boys Acre, she said. Addition- al food is shared with neigh- bors and friends. No money exchanges hands, Dellis said, adding that three of the women in the house have full-time jobs. Lost Boys Acre started rais- ing birds about two years ago. Denis describes the animals as relatively quiet and says odor is regulated through the use of a "deep litter" compost- ing method. Bob Parrott disagrees. "We can't really enjoy our back yard anymore; it just depends which way the wind is blowing," Parrott said. "And then there's the noise. Have you ever heard a chicken lay - ing an egg? It's like a woman in labor, and they have about 20 laying hens." The Parrotts also cite con- cerns about runoff into a pond behind their house, as well as unsightliness from the way the women maintain the prop- erty. Complaints to the city start- ed about the time the 'irds arrived. Although staff can't disclose the names of COITI- plainants, 11 reports are on file related to Lost Boys Acre, according to information pro- vided by New righton City Manager De otter. Some six reports have been filed with p liee. Only once were the worne found to be violation of city code, when a vehicle ws p ked n u, ;approved face, accsrdi,g to city records. "P;./ ft of the proble here is perspective," Jacobsen s °d. "Ci.ty staff don't have a brated nose to tell what the degree of dik is ,, r how noisy it is at d e s. ... There's a lot of gray are here." THE E To Kellis, the lack of vi la- tions is proof the P rats' beef with she and her house - mates gees deeper. She sus- pects the couple's re issue is their non-nuclee family and religious beliefs. Two of the women practice paganism. Kell's says she fol- lows "rarth-based spiritu t, Kellis points to a time when Gerry Parrott called police cltt4;ming a garden stab e o the Lost 4oys Acre property was an atte7:pt by the wo e to "po; I demons at her," Kel- lis said. "They won't give us one spe ate thing we c o . er- ently. ... 1 c negotiate with a spec't/c pr.blem, but they won't give r e •Jae," Kellis said. "They just hate us." While ack •wledgieg his wife's comi sent ehowed "ignorance," Bob Parrott said allegations of bias are attempts to distr et, from the real issue. "We're talking abo t back- yard f ruing and what is rea- sof for a residential area," Parrott said. "We're ot opposed to it altogether, but to have 20 laying hens, a rooster, plus ducks, quail and turkeys seems way beyond what one household needs. They're basically n, g a large poultry business." A mediation attempt between the neighbors last winter w s unsuccessful. Each side ch s the ajority of other residents i the neighborhood supp rt the . Other neighbors of the women surveyed by the Pio- neer Press were split "They have a lot goin on there, b t it seems cle and well c d for," s °d. Chuck off , wh lives down the street. "They're raising healthy food, which is h d to get at gr eery stores these d ys." "It's e sy to be SK with it if you do 't live next door," s d Nas cy Nyg d, another neighb rh od resident. "1 wouldn't w t they as eigl b r. They've got many thi gs g. g n that do belong in this ea." The wo en's other next- door eighb r couldn't be reached for comment. El FEW 4 The city does nit expect the task f ree to solve the dis- pute, Lotter said. "If the council passes no ordinance d chooses not t regslate a Jythin° g, the con- flict will continue. If the c un cil a •pts st ,s,eth°',g very dracoe ... the conflict will c tinue. ere is no way t legislate an serer for peer pec.Ie the city ,.,anager said. cj who don't w tt gt9 Instead, the task force hope- hilly will help head off f re problems with what is seen as a growing trend in ban c rnmi 'ties, Lotter 5. Me bears will spend the winter st dying the issue with hopes of making recorn- mendatio :5 to the city council in the spr',', g Cities ,,, th metro ea have approached the subject differently. Some — B1.° e, ,°te Be 4 1 properties smaller than . ‘/IaPlewood per is t 100 ,, percent erm g as it as long s 10 with a p of neighb ors are board. d. St. Paul req ° es 75 percent of neighbors sign off, though it places no cap on the nu ber of chickens allowed. Minneapolis also regulates r °sing chickens. It's possible New righton will keep b f g unre- stricted, s °d Char Samuel- so , a city co - cil member. "Who kn ws? We need to • study it and see what our res- idents want," Samuelson s °d. Other co, ,cil mee bers did not responi to calls for com- ment. Neither the P, , otts nor the wo ten from Lost 4 oys Acre were allowed on the task force, a decision Kellis said shows bias on the city's part. oth sides will be watching what ha cltsely. "A p t of r e is excited because this could allow for a. really progressive co versa- ton aoo t food policy that could ake New righton a leader," Kellis s;d. "Put it worries me that the co ell's goal is regulation d they want to specifically target chickens." ob arr.t sued he hopes restrictions are coining; oth- ery se, he says he and his wife will be ,oving. "We're both 70 years old. How ,y years do we have left ,d what 1° ,d of erij ay- are we getting sut of a place if we continuously have the isc oise ,d the ccasional. s ell?" he said. Lost oys Acre will be ound regardless of the out- co e, Kee ;s said. "If every t, , e somesne tried to do so, eething new ... they just walked away when it got hard, we would never have ch ge," Kellis said. "Some- one has to stand up to bul- lies." "I'd say we're the nes being bullied," Bob Parrott said. 4 9-23-201 Lik and Ctori Rapids — ban 5 - rner con be ret shed © t l_es_ep,111.° chickens. Shoreview 6 2 I-1 8-5539. F !low her it a c.. liavvs up to four birds on twitt-er.com/hornsarah. 9/13/13 c Chickens and Animal Rights Sustainability Human Health What's Wrong with Chicken? Concerns include animal rights, factory farming and human health. By Doris Lin, About.com Guide According to the US Department of Agriculture, the consumption of chicken in the United States has been climbing steadily since the 1.940s, and is now close to that of beef. Just from 1970 to 2004, chicken consumption more than doubled, from 27.4 pounds per person per year, to 59.2 pounds. But some people are swearing off chicken because of concerns about animal rights, factory farming, sustainability and human health. Factory Farming - Chickens and Animal Welfare Chickens and Animal Rights - What is Wrong with Eating Chicken? Killing and eating an animal, including a chicken, violates that animal's right to be free of abuse and exploitation. The animaj ElabLs_p_cLsition is that it is wrong to use animals, regardless of how well they are treated prior to Qr durin siau hter. The animal Ai &fare osition differs from the animal rights position in that people who support animal welfare believe that using animals is not wrong, as long as the animals are treated well. Factory farmirja, the modern system of raising livestock in extreme confinement, is an often-cited reason for people going vegetarian. Many who support animal welfare oppose factory farming because of the suffering of the animals. More than 8 bjllion broiler chickens are raised on factory farms in the United States annually. While egg-laying hens are kept in battery cages, broiler chickens - the chickens who are raised for meat - are raised in crowded barns. Broiler chickens and laying hens are different breeds; the former having been bred to gain weight quickly and the latter having been bred to maximize egg production. A typical barn for broiler chickens might be 20,000 square feet and house 22 000 t_g_ZU00 chickens, which means there is less than one square foot per bird. The crowding facilitates the rapid spread of disease, which can lead to an entire flock being killed to prevent an outbreak. In addition to the confinement and crowding, broiler chickens have been bred to grow so large so quickly, they experience joint problems, jsasi?forrnities, and heart disease. The birds are slaughtered when they are six or seven weeks old, and if allowed to grow older, often die of heart failure because their bodies are too large for their hearts. Free Anima! Rights Newsletter! Enter email address Discuss in my forum The .m of kna is also a concern to some animal advocates. The most common method of slaughter in the U.S. is the electric immobilization fslauohter me in which live, conscious chickens are hung upside down from hooks and dipped into an electrified water bath to stun them before their throats and cut. Some believe that other methods of killing, such as controjled atmosp_here stuning, are more humane to the birds. To some, the solution to factory farming is raising backyard chickens, but as explained below, backyard chickens usa more resources than factory farms and the chickens are still killed in the end. Raising chickens for meat is inefficient because it takes five alunds of grain to produce a single pound of chicken meat. Feeing that grain directly to people is much more efficient and uses far fewer resources. Those resources include the water, land, fuel, fertilizer, pesticides and time required to grow, process and transport the grain so that it could be used as chicken feed. Other environmental problems associated with raising chickens include methane production and manure. Chickens, like other livestock, produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas and contributes to climate change. Although chicken manure can be used as a fertilizer, disposal and proper management of manure js 1prolDi. because there is often more manure than can be sold as fertilizer and the manure pollutes the groundwater as well as the water that runs off into lakes and streams and causes algae blooms. Allowing chickens to roam free in a pasture or back yard requires even more resources than factory farming. Obviously more land is needed to give the chickens space, but also more feed is needed because a chicken running around a yard is going to burn more calories than a confined chicken. Factory farming is popular because, despite its cruelty, it is the most efficient way to raise billions of animals per year. People do not need meat or other animal products to survive, and chicken meat is no exception. One could stop eating chicken or go vegetarian, but the best solution is to vegan and abstain from all animal products. All of the arguments about animal welfare and the environment also apply to other animalrights.about.com/od/animalsusedforfood/a/Whats-Wrong-VVith-Chicken.htm 1/2 9/14/13 www.buzzle.com/articles/raising-g oats.html (Raising Goats How to raise goats is a skill that is developed over time and with practice. There are many minor things you need to keep in mind, and this is something that you will learn over a period of time. } Goat raising requires a lot of work and watchfulness on your behalf, as they are a very difficult breed of j? livestock to raise and rear. They require a lot of space and there are many other considerations that you need to keep in mind. There are so many different breeds of goats that are available, so you need to make a wise decision about which breed you wish to acquire. Raising Goats I Some people choose to raise goats in order to have them as pets. Though not the most popular choice of pets around the world, they do have a certain degree of charm as domesticated animals, and children also love their sight. They are docile in nature and do not generally display any aggressiveness, and as such they make good pets. E Breeds k Apart from keeping goats as pets, many people are seen raising them for meat and milk. Some people t p p are also seen to do this for brush and weed control, while some people prefer doing it for cheese. p 9 For each of these purposes, there is a specific breed that would be best suited, to produce the best results. Being clear about the purpose of raising them goes a long way in getting the right breed, and , in providing the right living conditions for the animal. Raising boer goats is done rimaril when they p y are being raised for meat. These are large and robust animals and are a great source of nutrition and meat. Alternately, people le r p p are commonly seen raising pygmy goats. z Male and Female Goats Once you have decided which breed you want to raise, you must decide which ender you want. F 9 y or breeding purposes, it makes sense to get both male and female goats, but there are certain d avantages and disadvantages of both breeds. Males are commonly known � y as bucks, and they have a very strong and repulsive odor that many people find unbearable. Bucks that are neutered are known as wethers. Most people you come across will prefer females to male oats. These are e easierto l manage and also do not release the pungent odor. Care x Goats tend to wander a lot in search of grass and land to graze on, and are also an easy prey for Yp v many predators, especially if you live in the countryside. As a result of this, they need to be allowed to graze in a particular area that needs to be fenced in. This area is known as a en , oat and it limits 9 pen, their movement beyond a certain level. This enables the owners to keep an eye on them at all times. Y s. For water, it is best to leave a bucket of clean water lying around, in a spot that is clearly visible to you. It is also important to keep some guard dogs for them. 1/2 9/14n3 Raising Goats Goats eat almost anything that they see Iying around, so feeding them the right kind offood is a primary concern. The best thing to feed them is hay, and this should be fed to them about 2-3 times a day. The water and the food should preferably be kept in a place where their droppings do not come close to them. Additional supplements can also be added to the diet depending on the conditions of the goats and their specific requirements. For additional information on this you must take them and vis�a veterinarian. The doctor will also give necessary medications and vaccinations to prevent major diseases from befalling the animal. Goats are very prone to pneumonia, so due care must be taken in order to prevent this illness. You must remember that these aniimals are primarily herd animals, and prefer to live in a group. Keeping them isolated for long periods of time, or raising a solitary animal will depress it and cause you many problems in the long run. It is best to raise at least 3-4 goats together. This will require you to constantly keep an eye on them and regularly monitor their movements and activities. Just like any other domesticated livestock, they need adequate protection and sufficient care in order to thrive. ByRahu|Thadani vwvw.buzzle.com/articles/raising-goats.html About Buzzle | Privacy Policy ©2OOO-2O1Z,2O13Buzz|e.com(). All rights reserved. 9/14/13 Twenty Truths About Raisi ng Goats TWENTY TRUTHS ABOUT RAISING GOATS Suzanne kftt Gaspamotio 4564 County Road 300 Lohn, 76852 Phone PS/344-5775 �@ imatows of Tennessee Mea °Cheyw» �abrito,, goat:4, No matter wharyau caii Search OCR Mortality and goats go together. Any species that has early sexual maturfty, short gestation, and muftiple births is going to have deaths -- despite your efforts. Do your best and learn from your mistakes. Confined goats become unhealthy or dead goats. Goats need many acres to roam in order to stay worm- and disease-free. You cannot successfully feedlot goats; they cant take the stress and crowding. Unexpected problems *will* occur. Illnesses, weather problems, broken fences when you raise goats, problems are going to occur at the most inconvenient time, when you are exhausted, and when you can least afford it. Tiying to breed for all markets generally results in failure in most markets. Unless you have ots of acreage, cheap labor, and a ton of money, you cannot produce quality breeding stock, show goats, and slaughter an|mo|s is a sped�ctype 'of animal and mutueUyexdus�eof each othecSe�ctone as your focal point and "dsbble"n others —if you must. If making the almighty dollar is your driving force, you are doomed from the start. Focus on quality animais and honest business dealings and the money wiH foilow. Show goat and meat goats are *not* the same animal. If you want to raise meat goats, don't take nutrition or management advice from show t people. Don't try to make show goats nto breeding stock or commercial goats. Show goats are raised completely different from meat goats. Goats are not the tin-can-eating animals of Saturday-morning cartoon fame. Nutrition is the most complex part of raising goats. Rumens are very easy to upset. Think in terms of "feeding the rumen, not the goat." Have a qualified goat nutritionist review your specific needs and recommend a feeding program adapted specifically to your herd. Improper feeding kilis goats. If someone offers you cheap bred does in the dead of winter, you can be sure that the deal is too good to be true he act of moving them cross-country under such conditions is enough to make this a bad investment. The best you can e' ', T expect is sick does and dead kids. Goats need time to adapt to new surroundings. Use common sense when transporting and relocating them. Goats are livestock — not humans, dogs, or cats. They live outside, having a distinct social pecking order, and beat the heck out of each other regularly to maintain this ranking. Goats are delightful and intelligent animals, but they weren't created to Uve in the house with you. Lose the urbanite approach to raising goats. A goat with a big rumen is not necessarily fat. A big rumen is indicative of a good digestive factory. A goat is a ruminant and a ruminant is a pot-bellied animal. Fat on a goat layers around internal organs and also forms "pones" or "handles" that you can grab with your fingers at locations like where the chest meets the front leg. If you can pinch an inch of flesh at that point, the goat is ikely fat. A Iight Iayer of subcutaneous fat over the ribs is essential. Goats are NOT "little cattle." Goats and cattle are ruminants and there the similarity ends. Think of goats as *first cousins* to deer in terrns of how they live, roam, and forage for food. Goats are linear thinkers. The shortest distance between two points to a goat is a straight line. If you place a gate at the north end of the pasture and the home pens are south, goats are going to stand at the south end ofthe pasture until you have the sense to cut a gate there. If water is on the immediate other side of the fence, goats will not walk down and around the fence to get to the water. It's 'right over there,' so they'll stand in one place until you show them how to access the water or until they die of thirst. Cut a gate for easy access and save yourself some grief. Learn to think like a goat. A male goat has only one purpose in life to reproduce his species in general and his lineage in particular. A buck in rut is a dangerous animal. He may have been cute when you were bottle-feeding him, but he is a male on a mission when does are in heat and you are in his way. Be careful around and always respect the danger potential of breeding bucks. Bred does will kid . m the wo�t possible vveather.vvhensunshine changes to storms and the temperature drops below _see . oats. oonn/ouclanzmmentytruthemomm 1 m 9/14/13 TwentyTruths About Raising Goats freeztng, Kiaaing process will oegin. Bottle babies are a pain in the rear. Delightfully cute as they are, they grow up to be adults that are poorly socialized within the herd, overly-dependent upon humans, and usually at the bottom of the herd's pecking order. Do everything you can -- short of destroying a kid -- to avoid bottle babies. Goats are creatures of habit. If you have a goat that repeatedly hangs its horns in fencing, that goat will stick its head in the same place time after time until you fit the horns with a PVC pipe secured by duct tape. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Goats are HERD animals. More so than any other livestock, goats depend upon staying together for safety. They have few natural defenses and many predators. There is no such thing as a "disease-free" herd. There isn't a goat alive that doesn't have something that could be deemed *disease* in its system. The immune system requires a certain level of bacteria, worms, and coccidia in order to keep the goat healthy. No producer can guaranteed totally "disease-free" animals. When raising livestock, disease is a fact of life. You are never in control" to the extent that you want to be or think you are. Goats are the "Houdinis" of the fence world. If a goat can get its head through the fence, the body is going to follow. Goats do not naturally have a "reverse gear." Fencing material designed especially for goats is a *must.* Cull or cope with your creation. Goats that are repeatedly sick, are overly susceptible to worms and coccidiosis, have chronic mastitis or foot rot/scald -- such animals should be culled and sold for food. Their line should not be perpetuated. Sell the best for breeding stock and eat the rest. J E EF EE 5 Livestock corn Discount iivestock oquipmtt.mt, vaccins, and suppiies. Moat tloato Health Et M'ariage.ineilt Subscrtbe FREE Now! Important! Please Read This Notice! All information provided in these articles is based either on personal experience or information provided by others whose treatments and practices have been discussed fully with a vet for accuracy and effectiveness before passing them on to readers. In all cases, it is your responsibility to obtain veterinary services and advice before using any of the information provided in these articles. Suzanne Gasparotto is not a veterinarian.Neither tennesseemeatgoats.com nor any of the contributors to this website will be held responsible for the use of any information contained herein. The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint !E articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!) [GoatCampT] [Tennessee Meat GoatsTM] [Myotonic Goats] [TexMasterTM Goats] [Which Breed is Right for You?] [Ranch History] [The Present & Future] [Meat Goat Mania] [Registry of Myotonics, Tennessee Meat Goat and TexMastersT] [News & Events] [Health and Management Articles] [Links] [ChevonTalk Discussion List] [E-Mail] [Home] All information and photos copyright © Onion Creek Ranch and may not be used without express written permission of Onion Creek Ranch. TENNESSEE MEAT GOAT 1 ' and TEXMASTERTm are Trademarks of Onion Creek Ranch . AIf artwork and graphics © DTP, Ink and Onion Creek Ranch. Site Hosted by Khimaira Web Hosting vwvw.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/twentytruths06.html 2/2 uncategorizec Urban chickens get the axe in Brooklyn Park By Jonathan Young January 18, 201 3 at 8:58 am Like 12 Tweet 0 . An ordinance to allow and regulate the keeping of chickens in Brooklyn Park died on second reading Jan. 7, and keeping chickens will remain illegal. A motion by Councilmember Bob Mata to approve the ordinance allowing chickens - ailed in a 2-4 vote. Council members Bob Mata and Elizabeth Knight voted in favor of the proposed ordinance. Council members Peter Crema, Rich Gates, John Jordan and Mike Trepanier voted against it. Mayor Jeffrey Lunde was absent due to health concerns. More than a year has passed since the topic of urban chickens came up in response to requests by resicents who wished to keep poultry. The planning commission discussed the topic in January and March of 2012, and the city council talked about it in December 201 , January 2012, June 201 2 and December, 2012. Page 1 of 5 In June the council directed staff to further review and gather public input on orcinances pertaining to keeping chickens in residential areas." Last month the council approved a first reading of a proposed ordinance in a 4-3 vote. innnoni3 Since that vote, Gordan replaces Dean Heng as a West District council member. Hen gad voted in favor o the ordinance. Mayor Jeffrey Lunde also voted in favor of the first reading, but indicated he was still unsure of his decision. Following the Jan. 7 meeting, Lunde stated publicly that he would have voted "no" on the second rearing hoc he been present. If adopter, the ordinance would have allowed residents to keep a maximum o' ve hers. It would have prohibiter keeping roosters or slaughtering chickens in the city and would have requires chickens to be secured in a coop from sunset to sunrise. The ordinance would also have regulates the size and locations of chicken coops and runs. All coops arc runs would have needed to be at least 25 feet from adjacent resicences. A "sunset clause" ins uded in the ordinance would have caused it automatically to came back for council review in three years. Brooklyn Dark is not the only city to consicer allowing urban chickens. Several cities in the region already permit them, including Anoka, Bloomington, Burnsville, Fridley, Maplewood, Osseo, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Three Brooklyn Park residents spoke against urban chickens at the Jan. 7 meeting, citing concerns such as noise, mess anc cost of staff responding to complaints. One resident, Rex Hale, spoke in favor of allowing poultry. Hale, who has spoken at previous meetings, addressec many of the objections to chickens, saying the proposed ordnance inclosed provisions to mitigate the concerns, Councilmemoer — repanier suggested modifying the ordinance to allow a maximum of three chickens, but his motion ailed to attract a seconder. According to staff research, a flock of chickens should include a minimum o' three bircs. Mato said he has seen the benefits of urban chickens first hand. His son, who lives in Colorado Springs has 11 chickens. kens e said. "It's actually created a greater sense of camaraderie in the neighborhood having those Page 2 of 5 10/10/2013 Knight said she mu d see both sides of the argument and dion't feel strong y about it herself. But she pointed out that city staff already deal with complaints about chickens, and she thought it beneficial to have something concrete on the books for them to consider. She also mentioned there can be problems with other pets, such as dogs, but the city al ows those. From the beginning Gates opposed the idea of chickens because he feared it would create a greater burden for coce en'orcement. Crema stated at the previous meeting that he agreec with Gates. Jordan, who was not on the council for other discussions, also agreed with Gates' concerns. "I con't year chickens," he sa . I like chickens. 1 like fresh eggs." Nevertheless, he said, pecnie would break the ordinance, and he expected that would add to coce enforcement's workload. He re'errec to discussions at recent meetings at which the council discussec the dif icu ties the code en staff already has trying to keep up with cemand. Jordan also mentioned recent problems with coyotes in the city, saying it would only worsen those prob ems. "The bottom line is, (chickens) don't belong here," he saic Re Like 1 ated posts: Tweet 0 0 Page 3 of 5 The failure of the proposed ordnance means city code will not change, an keeping chickens will remain illegal. he ordinance will continue to be enforced on a complaint-driven basis. Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com 10/10/2013 Arguments Against Easing Zoning Restrictions to Permit Raising Chickens in Residential Areas By Jim Pebley If the County Board changes the setback ordinance for residential lots to permit raising poultry, the presence of backyard chickens will impact neighbors, add pollutants to storm runoff and introduce a new source of salmonella to our environment, while not offering the gains in sustainability being claimed. The County Board has created a taskforce to study Urban Agriculture and make recommendations to them. Since the Task Force didn't include a Civic Federation representative in this group, introduced a resolution at the April meeting opposing changing the residential zoning code. Subsequently, a Civic Federation representative was appointed and I agreed to moving consideration of that motion be deferred to the October 2012 meeting. First - to be fair, here's a link to the Arlington Egg Project. I'd urge you to read what they are advocating and why, http: / /arlingtoneggproject.org/ - then please read on. Here's why many of us are concerned: 1. Fresh eggs? Admittedly, locally raised eggs may taste better. But isn't that why we have three farmer's markets open each weekend in Arlington so you can buy fresh eggs (and produce) without buying the chickens, coops, feed, and deal with the waste byproducts? How will any new urban agriculture initiatives impact these smaller farming businesses? 2. Sustainability? According to the EPA, on average, it takes two pounds of feed (called mash) to produce a pound of eggs ( http: / /www.epa.gov/ agriculture /ag101 /printpoultry.html ). That means twice the transportation energy costs. The alternative is to supplement chicken feed with food waste, available bugs and backyard grass. That means you'll have garbage lying in your back yard, attracting rats and other rodents to feed on and bare soil where the lawn used to be. 3. Are home grown eggs are healthier? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has published a warning about the presence of Salmonella in residentially raised chickens. The chicks often arrive infected, so, the waste in their yard will contain Salmonella and the eggs will be coated with it. Unless you lace the chicken feed with antibiotics or you wash the eggs in detergent and bleach (they will lose that "fresh taste "), you will risk bacterial infections that CDC says are dangerous to young children and seniors. Here's a link to the CDC article - htts: www.cdc.ov health •ets •df intown flocks.df The Washington Post ran a similar article in the May 31st edition on page Al2 titled, "Mail Order Chicks Tied to 318 Cases of Salmonella." by Mike Stobbe (article on next page) 9/14/13 Goat raising requires a lot of work and watchfulness on your behalf, as they are a very difficult breed of livestock to raise and rear. They require a lot of space and there are many other considerations that you need to keep in mind. There are so many different breeds of goats that are available, so you need to make a wise decision about which breed you wish to acquire. Some people choose to raise goats in order to have them as pets. Though not the most popular choice of pets around the world, they do have a certain degree of charm as domesticated animals, and children also love their sight. They are docile in nature and do not generally display any aggressiveness, and as such they make good pets. g p is . vwvw.buzzle.com/articles/raising-goats.html Raising Goats Raising Goats How to raise goats is a skill that is developed over time and with practice. There are many minor things you need to keep in mind, and this is something that you will learn over a period of time. Breeds 6 Apart from keeping goats as pets, many people are seen raising them for meat and milk. Some 9 people are also seen to do this for brush and weed control, while some people prefer doing it for cheese. } { } For each of these purposes, there is a specific breed that would be best suited, to produce the best results. Being clear about the purpose of raising them oes a long way in getting g Y g g the right breed, and in providing the right living conditions for the animal. Raising boer goats is done primarily when they } p Y are being raised for meat. These are large and robust animals and are a great source of nutrition and meat. Alternately, people are commonly seen raising pygmy goats. Male and Female Goats Once you have decided which breed you want to raise you must decide which end , Y gender you want. For breeding purposes, it makes sense to get both male and female goats, but there are certain advantages and disadvantages of 9 g both breeds. Males are commonly known as bucks, and they have a very strong and repulsive odor that � Y 9 p many people find unbearable. Bucks that are neutered are known as wethers. Most people you come across will refer x p p Y p females to male goats. These are easier to r manage and also do not release the pungent odor. Care Goats tend to wander a lot in search of grass and land to graze on, and are also an easy prey for Yp Y many predators, especially if you live in the countryside. As a result of this, they need to be allowed to graze in a particular area that needs to be fenced in. This area is known as a goat pen, and it limits their movement beyond a certain level. This enables the owners to keep an eye on them at all times. For water, it is best to leave a bucket of clean water lying around, in a spot that is clearly visible to you. It is also important to keep some guard dogs for them. 1/2 9/14/13 Goats eat almost anything that they see J around, so feeding them the right kind offood is a primary concern. The best thing to feed them is hay, and this should be fed to them about 2-3 times a day. The water and the food should preferably be kept in a place where their droppings do not come close tothern � Additional supplements can also be added to the diet depending on the cond�ionsof the goats and their specific requirements. For additional information on this you must take them and visit a veterinarian. The doctor will also give necessary medications and vaccinations to prevent major diseases from befalling the animal. Goats are very prone to pneumonia, so due care must be taken in order to prevent this illness. You must remember that these aniimals are primarily herd animals, and prefer to live in a group. Keeping them isolated for long periods of time, or raising a solitary animal will depress it and cause you many problems in the long run. It is best to raise at least 3-4 goats together. This will require you to constantly keep an eye on them and regularly monitor their movements and activities. Just like any 1 other domesticated livestock, they need adequate protection and sufficient care in order to thrive. i By Rahul Thadani www.buzzle.com/articles/raising-goats.html Raising Goats About Buzzle Privacy Policy ©2OOO'2O12,2O13Buzz|e.com(). All rights reserved. 9/14/13 Twenty Truths About Raising Goats Suzanne W Gasparotto 4564 County Road 300 :Lohn, TX 76852. :Phone 325/344-5775 Originators of Tennessee Meal "Chown, �abrito!„. goat,. No mailer what you call it the /MAL ///Y red mear.=~ Search OCR TWENTY TRUTHS ABOUT RAISING GOATS Mortality and goats go together. Any species that has early sexual maturity ' short gestation, and multiple multiple births is going to havedeaths — dmspmeyourefforts.Doyourbestand|earnfromyourmistn s. Confined goats become unhealthy or dead goats. Goats need many acres to roam in order to stay worm- and disease-free. You cannot successfully feedlot goats; they can't take the stress and crowding. Unexpected problems *will* occur. Illnesses, weather problems, broken fences — when you raise goats, problems are going to occur at the most inconvenient time, when you are exhausted, and when you can least afford it. Tr ying to breed for all markets generally results in failure in most markets. Unless you have lots of acreage cheap labor, n od ton of money, you cannot pmduoequality breeding stock, show goats, and slaughter anima|s category " tegoryisa specific type of animal and mutually exclusive of each other. Seect one as your focal point and "dabble" in the others — if you must. zf making the almighty doUar� your dr��gfo�e' � you are doomed o nm the star�Focus onqua� � quality animals "u" dealings and the money will foilow. Show goat and meat goats are *not* the same animal. 1? you want to raise meat goats, dont take nutrition or management advice from show tpeople.Cmn't try to make show goats into breeding stock or commercial goats Show goats are ns�edcomp|ete�� derent�ommeat goats. ' Goats are not the tin-can-eating animals of Saturday-morning cartoon fame. Nutrition is the most complex part of raising goats. Rumens are very easy to upset. Think in terms of "feeding the rumen, not the goat." Have a qualified goat nutritionist review your specific needs and recommend a feeding program adapted specifically to your herd. Improper feeding kilis goats. If someone offers you cheap bred does in the dead of winter, you can be sure that the deal is too good to be true The act of moving them cross-country under such conditions is enough to make this a bad investment. The best you can expect is sick does and dead kids. Goats need time to adapt to new surroundings. Use common sense when transporting and relocating them. Goats are livestock — not humans, dogs, or cats. They live outside, having a distinct social pecking order, and beat the heck out of each other regularly to maintain this ranking. Goats are delightful and intelligent animals, but they vveren't created to ive in the house with you. Lose the urbanite approach to raising goats. A goat with a big rumen is not necessarily fat. A big rumen is indicative of a good digestive factory. A goat is a ruminant and a ruminant is a pot-bellied animal. Fat on a goat layers around internal organs and also forms "pones" or "handles" that you can grab with yourfingers at ocations like where the chest meets the front Ieg. Ifyou can pinch an inch offlesh atthat point, the goat is ikely fat. A light Iayer of subcutaneous fat over the ribs is essential. Goats are NOT "little cattle." Goats and cattle are ruminants and there the similarity ends. Think of goats as *first cousins* to deer in terms of how they ive, roam, and forage for food. Goats are linear thinkers. The shortest distance between two points to a goat is a straight line. If you place a gate at the north end of the pasture and the home pens are south, goats are going to stand at the south end ofthe pasture until you have the sense to cut a gate there. If water is on the immediate other side of the fence, goats will not waik down and around the fence to get to the water. It's 'right over there,' so they'll stand in one place until you show them how to access the water or until they die of thirst. Cut a gate for easy access and save yourself some grief. Learn to think like a goat. A male goat has only one purpose in life -- to reproduce his species in general and his lineage in particular. A buck in rut is a dangerous an|maL He may have been cute when you were bottle-feeding him, but he is a male on a mission when does are in heat — and you are in his way. Be careful around and always respect the danger potential of breeding bucks. Bred does will kid m the worst r poss|b�wcathecvVhensunshine changes to storms and the temperature dmpsbe�w 1m 9/14/13 freezing, Erie Kmaing process win Degin. Twenty Truths About Raising Goats Bottl babies are a pain in the rear. Delightfully cute as they are, they grow up to be adults that are poorly socialized within the herd, overly-dependent upon humans, and usually at the bottom of the herd's pecking order. Do everything you can -- short of destroying a kid -- to avoid bottle babies. Goats are creatures of habit. If you have a goat that repeatedly hangs its horns in fencing, that goat will stick its head in the same place time after time until you fit the horns with a PVC pipe secured by duct tape. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Goats are HERD animals. More so than any other livestock, goats depend upon staying together for safety. They have few natural defenses and many predators. There is no such thing as a "disease-free" herd. There isn't a goat alive that doesn't have something that could be deemed *disease* in its system. The immune system requires a certain level of bacteria, worms, and coccidia in order to keep the goat healthy. No producer can guaranteed totally "disease-free" animals. When raising livestock, disease is a fact of life. You are never in control" to the extent that you want to be or think you are. Goats are the "Houdinis" of the fence world. If a goat can get its head through the fence, the body is going to follow. Goats do not naturally have a reverse gear." Fencing material designed especially for goats is a *must.* Cull or cope with your creation. Goats that are repeatedly sick, are overly susceptible to worms and coccidiosis, have chronic mastitis or foot rot/scald -- such animals should be culled and sold for food. Their line should not be perpetuated. Sell the best for breeding stock and eat the rest. 14.41.0e Meat Goat Health ,Et . ,Marfagie.grie,int, Important! Please Read This Notice! All information provided in these articles is based either on personal experience or information provided by others whose treatments and practices have been discussed fully with a vet for accuracy and effectiveness before passing them on to readers. In all cases, it is your responsibility to obtain veterinary services and advice before using any of the information provided in these articles. Suzanne Gasparotto is not a veterinarian.Neither tennesseemeatgoats.com nor any of the contributors to this website will be held responsible for the use of any information contained herein. The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!) [GoatCamplim] [Tennessee Meat GoatsTM] [Myotonic Goats] [TexMast Goats] [Which Breed is Right for You?] [Ranch History] [The Present & Future] [Meat Goat Mania] [Registry of Myotonics, Tennessee Meat Go and TexMast [News & Events] [Health and Management Articles] [Links] [ChevonTalk Discussion List] [E-Mail] [Home] JEFFERSLivetock.conl Discount livestock Oquiipment vaccines, and supplies. All information and photos copyright @.) Onion Creek Ranch and may not be used without express written permission of Onion Creek Ranch. TENNESSEE MEAT GOAT 1M and TEXMASTERT' are Trademarks of Onion Creek Ranch . All artwork and graphics (c) DTP, Ink and Onion Creek Ranch. Site Hosted by Khimaira Web Hosting www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articies2/tvventytruths06.html 2/2 From: Sent: To: Subject: pp al From: ey Margaret Dykes, AICP, Joan- I've printed off the email. Would you mind making copies for the UAC? Thanks. argaret M. Dykes, /MCP Planner City of Apple Valley 7100-147 Street W. Apple Valley, MN 55124 (952) 953-2569 d key e-valle .mn.us Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 11:10 AM To: Dykes, Maggie Subject: Chapter 91 in Apple Valley Dykes, Maggie Monday, October 21, 2013 9:18 AM Murphy, Joan FW: Chapter 91 in Apple Valley Plant - Grow - Prosper Thank you for the work that you have been doing in regard to Chapter 91. The meeting in September was interesting to me on many levels. Here is the link to the Homegrown Minneapolis, and their pages for bees and chickens: http://www.rninnea • olismn. o v/sustainabilit /home rown/WCMS1P-099318 Chapter 91 is written without inclusion of farm animals; however the Draft Amendments would include farm animals, limiting these animals to properties zoned for agriculture. Horses allowed in R-1 zoned properties. I would favor allowing bees and chickens on all residential lots in the city of Apple Valley. The work that has been done in Minneapolis can serve as a model where residents who wish to own such animals acquire a permit. As a requirement for the permit persons should be required to document that they have attended a class where they learned all hobby aspects of bee and agricultural foul keeping before the permit is given and before these foul, bees or animals are acquired. Topics such as food safety and end of productive life should be part of the instructional materials. Also the requirement of obtaining signatures from other residents within 100 feet, and a site plan (including pen size, and manure removal) would be important requirements. Perhaps conditions for keeping of bee hives on roof tops could be included. Perhaps agricultural animals could also be designated as "pets" and "service". Pets would be those who are tended for as pets, and who are not providing a service, such as eggs or like a service dog. A service animal may be tended as a pet, but who provide a specific service or produce an edible product, such as an egg. Not so sure that goats are being milked in Apple Valley. Perhaps a larger distance between the owners property and others could be increased to say 150 to 200 feet as a deterrent. 1 I would imagine that as the population continues shifting in our city the desire for using bees and foul as food sources would be important to be prepared for. I also have an "ask" on behalf of Homegrown South, a citizens group that is concerned about improving healthy food access for all in our county. Is there a way to invite people who have been at the Urban Affaires Advisory Committee meetings regarding this topic of altering Chapter 91 to join Homegrown South? Homegrown South is interested in promoting and refining all aspects of food production to better serve all members of our community, soil improvement, planting, growing, harvesting, distribution and transportation, processing, retail, consumption, waste stream, compositing and back to the soil. Thank you for your efforts on this important next step regarding chickens and bees in Apple Valley. Gary Johnson 224 Elm Drive Apple Valley, Minnesota 55124 www:linkedin.com/iniGar l'olinsonawlevalley 2 City of APtiley Urban Affairs Committee Members TO: OM: Margaret M. Dykes, Planner MEETING DATE: October 22, 2013 1 H:\DEVELOPM\2013 Projects\Domestic Animal Ordinance Amend\UAC\ 102213 UAC memo addendum.doc MEMO Community Development Department SUBJECT: Review of City Codes Regarding Domestic Animals - Addendum Staff has requested feedback from the Urban Affairs Committee (UAC) regarding the draft ordinance amendments to Chapter 91 of the Code of Ordinances. If the determines it is ready to make a recommendation to the City Council this evening, the following motion is recommended: 6 Recommend approval of the draft ordinance amending Chapter 91(Animals) of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances. However, if the UAC determines that more information is needed or if changes should be made to the draft ordinance amendments, staff can provide the information needed at the next UAC meeting. SECTION 91.01 DEFINIIT Draft Amendments to Chapter 91 - Animals ONS. (NOTE: These definitions to ANIMAL. Other than a human being, any living thing of the kingdom of animalia, including mammals, birds, fish, amphibian, insects, and reptiles. DOM ANIMAL. Any of the various animals domesticated so as to live in a tame condition as a work animal, food source, or household pet. FARM ANIMAL. Any of the various species of domestic animals commonly kept for agricultural purposes such as, but not limited to, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, llamas, potbellied pigs, pigs, and bees. FARM POULTRY Any of the various species of domestic animals commonly kept for agricultural purposes such as, but not limited to, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, swans, and doves. dded or mo.iified) HOUSEHOLD PET. Domestic animals kept f?r non-commercial and non- agricultural purposes generally housed within the principal structure throughout the entire year, but for purposes of this Chapter, exclusively consisting of the following domestic animals: (1) Dogs - any animal in whole (excluding hybrids with wolves, coyotes, or jackals) of the species Canis familiarus, (2) Cats — any animal in whole (excluding hybrids with ocelots or margays) of the species Felis cats; (3) Ferrets — any animal of the species Niustela putorius furo; (4) Birds -- any of the class of Ayes (birds) that are caged or kept inside the residence, excluding all farm po (5) Rabbits — any animal of the order Lagomorpha that are caged and kept inside the residence or in an outdoor hutch on the subject property; (6) Rodents — any of the order Rodentia such as mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas and guinea pigs that are kept caged and kept inside the residence; (7) Reptiles — any of the class non-poisonous Reptilia such as snakes less than three (3) feet in length, lizards less than three (3) feet, and turtles that are kept caged and kept inside the residence; (8) Amphibians — any of the non-poisonous class of Amphibia such as salamanders, frogs, and toads that are kept caged and kept inside the residence; (9) Insects — any of the non-poisonous mostly small arthropods class of Insecta such as butterflies, ants, grasshoppers that are kept caged and kept inside the residence; (10) is — all varieties commonly raised as pets in tanks inside or in decorative outdoor ponds at homes or commercial businesses unless specifically prohibited by state or federal law, and those listed elsewhere in this Chapter. Draft Amendments to Chapter 91 - Animals SERVICE ANIMAL. Dogs that are individually trained to do work or perfo tasks for people with disabilities that are directly related to the person's disability. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting or protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. A dog whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support does not qualify as a service animal. VACCINATION AGAINST RABIES. The inoculation of a dog, cat or ferret with a rabies vaccine. The vaccination shall be performed by a veterinarian duly licensed to practice veterinary medicine. WILD ANIMAL. Any animal which is not naturally tame or gentle, but is of a wild nature or disposition or which, because of its size, vicious nature, or other characteristics would constitute a danger to human life or property. 91.06 ANIMALS WITHIN CITY LIMITS. (NOTE: Proposed language for new section) (A) The keeping of animals within the city is subject to the provisions of this chapter and applicable state and federal statutes, rules and regulations, including but not limited to those addressing prevention of cruelty to animals, animal healt h , stray animals, companion animals, service animals and dangerous animals. (B) Except as otherwise provided elsewhere in the Code, no person shall keep or harbor any animal other than a household pet or service animal within the city. 2 (C) Limitation on Number. (1) Purpose. The owning harboring and keeping on any premise of a large number of pet animals within the city adversely affect the welfare of the entire city due to various noise, odor, health and safety problems resulting from the keeping of a large number of pet animals, which constitute a public nuisance. (2) No person shall keep in any one dwelling unit, lot, or premise or portion thereof more than three (3) service animals or three (3) of each of the following household pets: dogs, cats, or ferrets over the age of our (4) months of age, but not to exceed a combined total of six (6) said animals. This provision shall not apply to veterinary clinics or hospitals, licensed kennels or catteries, pet stores, animal shelters, pet care facilities, or other similar uses permitted by the Code. (D) Keeping Of Certain Animals Prohibited. (1) Prohibited Animals: No person shall keep, maintain or harbor within the city any of the following animals: (a) Any animal or species prohibited by Minnesota or federal law. (b Draft Amendments to Chapter 91 - Animals p u (3) Exceptions; Pe it Required: - y - or farm animal, except in the folio (1) Fa poultry or fa agricultural uses. (2) Horses may be kept on property zoned "R-1" (Single Family Residential/minimum lot size of 40,000 sq. ft.). (c) Any animal or species not defined as a "household pet". Examples of prohibited animals include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) All skunks, whether captured in the wild domestically raised, descented or not descented, vaccinated against rabies or not vaccinated against rabies. f the family Felidae, such as lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, cougars and ocelots, except commonly accepted domesticated house cats. (2) All large cats o 3 in cases: animals may be kept on property zoned for (3) All members of the family Canidae, such as wolves, foxes, dingoes and jackals, except domesticated dogs. (4) All crossbreeds, such as crossbreeds between dogs and coyotes or dogs and wolves, but does not include crossbreeds between domesticated animals. (5) All poisonous snakes, such as rattlesnakes, coral snakes, water occasins, co ras b or copperheads. (6) All raccoons. (7) All piranhas, northern snakeheads, and similar aggressive carnivorous fish. (8) All apes and monkeys. coyotes, (2) Selling Prohibited: No person shall offer for sale, within the city limits, any animal identified in Paragraph (D)(1)(a) and (c) of this section. (a) Any persons desiring to keep animals prohibited under (D)1 of this section for entertainment, exhibition, show or promotional purposes only may obtain a pc it from the city council. Such a pe it shall be issued for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days and shall specify further conditions under which such animals shall be kept. A public zoo or other institution engaged in a permanent display of animals may be issued a pc ianent pe it, provided applicable zoning requirements are met. The Minnesota Zoological Gardens is exempt from this requirement. Draft Amendments to Chapter 91 - Animals (b) Any accredited education or research institution or veterinary hospital are exempt from the permit requirement, provided protective devices adequate to prevent such animals from escaping or injuring the public are provided. (E) Removal of animal waste required. The owner or keeper of any animal shall be responsible for the immediate removal and proper disposal of any feces deposited by such animal on any property, public or private, not owned or exclusively occupied by the owner or keeper. The owner or keeper of any animal shall also be responsible for the periodic removal and proper disposal of feces deposited by such animal on property owned or exclusively occupied by such owner or keeper so as to prevent the creation of a public nuisance within the meaning of § 94.15. 4