This past weekend we've been going to Coop Camp. Coop Dreams is a television show that follows Brad Hauter and his experience raising backyard chickens. There are presenters talking about various issues with chicken keeping whether it be backyard chickens, breeders or farming.
It's been very informative. Topics from chicken feed, chicken treats, chicken enrichment, treating sick chickens, rare breeds among many others have been discussed so far. I was very lucky and was nominated for a scholarship and then Coop Camp went over and above and offered a discount to the members of our Facebook group Glendale Backyard Farmers Movement.
After we got home tonight I started thinking, pondering, you know smoke coming out of the ears kind of thinking. Our city turns a blind eye to some families they know are harboring illegal backyard chickens. In the words of the Code Enforcement Director, code will not enforce backyard chickens unless there is a complaint and that is handled like a barking dog {this is false}, they won't look over a wall nor will they try to see if there are chickens through a fence.
Now say a person has a neighbor who will call code and complain about their neighbor having chickens. Whether it is a nuisance, odor and just to nark. If the neighbor who was complained on is asked to removed their chickens and they refuse, they could face a fine. Here is the hiccup I have an issue with, how could the city impose a fine on someone who was complained about and not on those they may know about and are turning a blind eye on?
Would it be considered unfairness to those harboring illegal chickens in to city of Glendale who have neighbors that complain vs. those who have neighbors who are okay with their neighbors harboring illegal chickens?. Shouldn't it be all or nothing and not a sort of picking who they enforce the code and fees on? Would this be considered a sort of discrimination?
What do you think?
M & S
Uptown Grange
