tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post2766039887786638832..comments2023-11-24T18:33:20.459-05:00Comments on MERRITTON.COM: Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-7702637756173207002010-09-27T10:20:32.172-04:002010-09-27T10:20:32.172-04:00Some people have claimed chickens can cause illnes...Some people have claimed chickens can cause illness and allergies. CDC claims that there are only 3 illnesses that chickens can get that could be an issue, 2 are more common in other birds. Cats and dogs on the otherhand have many risks, the CDC even states cats can spred the plague! A few hens in a well constructed coop will pose no issues in our city. Over population is nearly impossible as most laying hens do not go broody so even with a rooster you would need to byuy an incubator, with cats and dogs they just need to go out side to have a litter. Roosters are legal now but they won't be if this passes. Please think about what the opposition is saying, most comments are wrong.Dianne Davisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-42592852902831622912010-09-27T09:44:59.028-04:002010-09-27T09:44:59.028-04:00As an owner of 6 hens, I feel I can comment on som...As an owner of 6 hens, I feel I can comment on some of the outrageous myths purported by the opposition. <br />FIRST> CHICKENS ARE LEGAL!!!!!!!! We just want outdoor coops to keep them in.<br /><br />Hens are QUIET! Especially at night. I cannot tell you how many dogs barking in my neighbourhood that wake me up, and ALWAYS are noisier than my chickens. <br /><br />As for smell.. I cannot smell my chickens/feces within 2 feet, if at all! We properly clean their area, and all is well. My neighbours would not even be able to be close enough to even occasionally 'smell' them!<br /><br />It also reduces our garbage/green bin greatly!<br />We also can afford the greatest quality of egg ever (often $5-6 in the store!).<br /><br />There has been no increase of any rodents or predators since owning them, our feed is stored in sealed containers.<br /><br />There has been no proof of increased risk of disease in owning a chicken; not any more so than owning dogs/cats/hamsters/rats/parrots/etc.. and will continue to be a non issue by proper hand washing, and visits to vets for any sick animal.<br /><br />PLEASE don't just accept the myths of anti-chicken groups who have not done their homework on what it actually means to have a tiny flock of chickens in coops in our yards.<br /><br />KariAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13828381060847595752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-56521909130707245022010-09-26T23:45:51.538-04:002010-09-26T23:45:51.538-04:00There are a variety of reasons to keep chickens in...There are a variety of reasons to keep chickens in urban environments, and its not a new fad. People have been keeping chickens in cities for centuries. Chickens help eliminate pest, the even eat mice! They create fertilizer that can be safely used on a garden. As we can't get a dog to lay eggs or fit a cow in our yards chickens are a great way to supply your own protein just as you can supply your family with home grown veggies and fruit. Growing food in one's yard is the best way to help with many health/social/eco problems such as obesity and poverty. Many cultures see Canada as odd because chickens are not welcome, deemed dirty and should live on a farm. This is truly a Canadian stance and many countries such as France see then as a normal part of life.Some cities are starting to change,those cities that have are mentioned as a green city, shouldn't we be aiming for that too? We are asking for 6 hens to be able to live in a box outside.<br /><br />L SmithAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-53209688638127690422010-09-26T22:57:50.509-04:002010-09-26T22:57:50.509-04:00As a resident of St.Catharines, who already owns 4...As a resident of St.Catharines, who already owns 4 hens, I would like to invite you to meet with the pro side and have a sit down discussion with us. We can go over any concerns and definitely let you come to your own conclusions. Feel free to come meet my neighbors and ask for their input. Currently my hens sleep inside at night. We are not asking to allow chickens, they are already allowed, they are as legal as cats under the current bylaw. We are asking for proper coops for them. We are asking for regulation of them. Both for our hens well being, and for the public's well being. We are asking for a bylaw similar to that of Vancouver, which was very well researched and is very comprehensive. We are asking for very specific conditions that would prevent the problems the opposition mentions. <br />SheriUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16128679620373137468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-21801179302504198122010-09-26T21:32:09.511-04:002010-09-26T21:32:09.511-04:00The City of St. Catharines currently has a sustain...The City of St. Catharines currently has a sustainability survey on their website. As I went through the questions, I wondered how residents could truly live up to the moniker of "the garden city", reduce their ecological footprint, and be prepared for a natural or man made disaster. Keeping a few backyard chickens just may be the key ingredient to address those very issues. Imagine if instead of cutting our suburban lawns, complaining about the high cost of gas and allowing the mower emissions to further deplete the ozone layer, and then being annoyed that we can't compost grass clippings, that our yards were magnificent vegetable gardens overflowing with nature's bounty. Community care will benefit from our surplus produce. The garden soil is rich as instead of tossing our kitchen scraps in the garbage or green bin, we are first feeding our chickens those very scraps and then good owners that we are, we clean our coops and feed the compost bins! And those grass clippings? Allow them to sun dry and line the coop and nesting boxes. What about those eggs? No more frantic driving to the corner store (more gas) when you run out for breakfast!!! Instead you saunter out to the chicken coop, reach in to the nesting box, and are rewarded with the freshest eggs possible. Their yolks are a deep dark orange and truly are delicious. Several of the B&B's in NOTL boast about serving fresh backyard eggs as a drawing card. The yolks are orange rather than pale yellow as the chickens get to scratch around the yard eating all sorts of pests- that's right- mosquitoes, ticks, flies are treats to the chickens! Suddenly with the addition of a few chickens, we are the garden city, we have reduced our ecological footprint, and we have food in the event of a disaster.<br /><br />I have a flock of chickens. I rake their coop out daily (2 minutes) and give it a thorough cleaning and bedding change once a week. I have never had anyone tell me they can smell my chickens. They run around the yard all day scratching in the dirt, taking dust baths and eating pests. When I open the door they come running, hoping that what I have in my hands is a tasty treat for them! Yes they do make noise when they lay an egg- they get quite vocal calling to one another as they produce their gift- the noise lasts about 5 minutes (and is as loud as two adults talking in a conversational tone) and then they get back to business chasing pests. I store their food in a secure container and other than the red squirrels, have not noticed an increase in pests or predators. Well, other than my neighbours hovering around the fence hoping I have some extra eggs for them (I do).<br /><br />What I have noticed is that I hardly have any curbside garbage to set out. My green bin is only used for meats & bones, cat litter and dog feces. I have 3 composts currently. I am planning a large garden for next year and hope to grow several extra rows for community care- I'll be adding eggs to their shelves as well.<br /><br />Health risks???? Wash your hands just like you do after cleaning the cat litter box. Watching chickens is a great stress reliever! Amusing devils.Heathernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-74044015348747136612010-09-26T19:16:29.518-04:002010-09-26T19:16:29.518-04:00I am a chicken owner in St.Catharines. My wife and...I am a chicken owner in St.Catharines. My wife and I enjoy the fresh eggs and the type of comfort any pet gives a family. I am disabled so it's hard to put healthy food on the table, 5 chickens cost less then feeding a cat for a month and cat's don't give eggs. We have a large enough property for 10 hens according to the falls bylaw many people do, those who don't have enough for atleast 5-6. Moving like the anti chicken side states you should if you want hens is not an option, it's hard enough to get around this city a farm would be impossible not to mention I work in the city and wouldn't be able to find employment. We own our property and should not have to worry about people looking into our yard and worring about animals that are not illegal. We just want a coop that offers protection to the chickens and offers a easy way to care for them. Those who don't want chickens don't, it's like with cats or dogs, don't like them don't have them!<br />DDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-39325829124310179502010-09-26T15:55:46.543-04:002010-09-26T15:55:46.543-04:00We already have chickens and roosters in St. Catha...We already have chickens and roosters in St. Catharines and no by-law is going to stop us!<br /><br />Check out our sites to get nothing but the facts:<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150115774999949&v=wall&ref=mf<br /><br />This one has even more important facts:<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/pages/If-you-dont-want-backyard-chickens-then-dont/104474542948535<br /><br /><br />Why shouldn't we be allowed chickens? I mean dogs are so much louder than chickens and cats crap all over our yards. So we also want to ban cats and dogs too:<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/pages/Band-Dogs-And-Cats-From-StCatharines/104716882922326?ref=ts<br /><br />In conclusion, there is nothing St. Catharines can do, we have our chickens and roosters and we are keeping our chickens and roosters! Don't listen to the uneducated, ill-informed fearmongers, they have no clue about what they are talking about.Anita Vacationhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001470090514&ref=sgmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-6908596787761574312010-09-26T15:10:37.956-04:002010-09-26T15:10:37.956-04:00Hi, I am a life long resident and am pro chicken. ...Hi, I am a life long resident and am pro chicken. This issue has only became a fight when a few people from the anti side who had prior issues decided to gang up on the pro side. Consistantly insisting we were abusing them. The truth is if this gets passed life in St.Catharines will not change, no horse and buggy, no mooing and above all no stink. People seem to remember a farm that was left to be run down as the owner wanted to change his land from agr to res so he let his place go. This is not what even a small cared for chicken farm smells like. We are asking for 6 hens, no roosters in a well made bylaw inwhich we already have a good example from the Victoria bylaw that we would just need to reword it and it would fit with our city. St.Catharines is a mixed city ,which makes keeping hens easy, we have aces to farm vets,feed stores and places to take hens in to get butchered if needed. The humane society claims there is not expected issues and considering that 6 hens waste is about the same as a meduim sized dog, garbage issues shouldn't be an issue. What people need to do is actually look at what information is getting presented, the anti side has not presented any proof from real sources as of yet.People seem to be forgetting that chickens are legal,we just want a coop and a solid bylaw. In Belgium, one city is giving three hens to 2,000 homes in an effort to reduce landfill costs. City officials expect to recover a significant portion of the $600,000 a year the city spends on dealing with this type of household “trash.” A single chicken can biorecycle about seven pounds of food residuals in a month. If just 2,000 households raise three hens, it could divert 252 tons of waste from landfills annually.we won't have this many people raising chickens but this just makes a point that chickens are green, St.Catharines needs to be green for our future. Allowing chickens has been found to increase property value,increase health and above all allow those who want safe,heathly homegrown food to do so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-47897918518078102402010-09-25T19:46:38.190-04:002010-09-25T19:46:38.190-04:00Hello, I live in Merritton Ward and I am for allow...Hello, I live in Merritton Ward and I am for allowing chicken coops within the city limits as most of my neighbours are too. As you may be aware, there are over 60 families that legally own chickens in St. Catharines and all they are asking for are coops to be able to let their chickens be allowed outside. There have been many myths floating around regarding owning chickens, but if you Google "Urban Chickens" you can find a wealth of information debunking them.<br /><br />Most owners of chickens are gardeners and would likely compost the chicken poop which has many nutrients in it to help their gardens. You can also feed chickens any leftovers so this will lessen the need for the green bins (although most gardeners do not use it for this...we currently use ours for kitty litter) <br /><br />The smell which is always brought up can't be any worse than the dog/cat poop which is around. And with owning 4 - 6 chickens the smell should be minimal. Like with any pet if you keep the coop clean, there shouldn't be a problem. <br /><br />Another concern that is always brought up is noise. Chickens make less noise than a person talking at normal level and owning 4 -6 hens is all we are asking. We are not asking for Roosters....I wouldn't want to be woken up by that every morning so I certainly wouldn't do that to my neighbours! My street has many dogs that bark non stop and I have been woken up too many times at 6:00 am to barking. <br /><br />It is horrific to see how most factory farmed chickens are treated and if you have read the paper lately you will see how many thousands of eggs are recalled due to contamination. Owning your own chickens will allow people to KNOW what is going into their food with no harm done to animals. That makes me happy! <br /><br />Owning chickens is NOT costly. A chick is $2 and the feed is very cheap and as I mentioned you can feed them leftovers so the cost goes down even more. Owning a chicken will be NO cost to the city or the neighbours....only to those owning them...<br /><br />Some great sites with a wealth of information...... <br /><br />Cluck Urban Chickens: http://cluckurbanchickens.blogspot.com/2010/02/coop-chicken-owners-online-pamphlet-v10.html<br /><br />Facebook Page to allow chickens: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Petition-to-allow-chickens-in-St-Catharines/116183511755620?ref=ts<br /><br />Unfortunately, there has been a lot of attacks and lies from the other side against the pro chicken people and this has made a very simple request turn into a needless debate. <br /><br />You are welcome to use my name... I am not afraid to stand up for what I believe in! <br /><br />Best of luck in the election!<br /><br />Conni WatsonConnihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17181250549014770869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-34166440791005304702010-09-25T18:12:29.321-04:002010-09-25T18:12:29.321-04:00Hi David
Thank you for allowing both sides to hav...Hi David<br /><br />Thank you for allowing both sides to have their say about the chickens issue. Some of the candidates are very closed minded about the issue and it's nice to see you are eager to listen. Unfortunately the first comment by Sylvia Browne (is that her real name) references the Opposers Facebook page, which is not the place to find any facts about urban chickens. Their "concerns" are mostly nonsense and fear mongering. If you want to check out my web page, there is a Myths section, which is thoroughly researched, counters the common myths and then presents the facts, and no opinions about urban chickens. The url is www.GardenCityChickens.ca<br /><br />And you can have my real name. I am not hiding behind some pseudonym, because I am telling the truth and have nothing to fear. Also, your email-writer brings up the straw-man argument and accuses our side of being aggressive. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, our FB page is regularly visited by anti-chicken people who accuse us of all kinds of things, like being insane for wanting a few hens in our own backyards.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Ian WatsonIanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03577045401249861136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-61948772742662771102010-09-17T10:35:25.446-04:002010-09-17T10:35:25.446-04:00Here's some links for you. They separate the ...Here's some links for you. They separate the facts from the fiction and debunk the popular myths about backyard chickens (which are already legal in St. Catharines - this is about chicken coops, not keeping chickens).<br /><br />http://www.scribd.com/doc/26642456/Backyard-Chicken-Keeping-Myths-and-Facts-submitted-to-Dunwoody-Planning-Commision<br /><br />http://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2010/08/11/backyardchicken-myths-part-1/<br /><br />http://vastate.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/of-chicken-myths/<br /><br />http://www.lifetransplanet.com/backyard-hens-facts-and-faqs-myths-and-reality/<br /><br />And in case anyone is worried about chickens being butchered in their neighbour's yards, that is not legal in the city. And it won't become legal when this bylaw passes. This is all about chicken coops to keep pets/laying hens in. Not about raising meat chickens to slaughter at home. <br /><br />Roosters, which are noisy, are also not allowed and will not be permitted under the bylaw allowing coops. Hens, which are no noisier than a normal dog and a lot less noisy than a barking dog, are what are permitted.<br /><br />A clean coop smells no more than a clean dog kennel, which is allowed right now. If you want coops banned because of smells, please call for a ban of allowing dogs to do their business outside as well. And then move to ban allowing cats to freely roam, giving them the freedom to spray our homes and leave their smelly feces in other people's yards.<br /><br />Again, this isn't about chickens. They're already allowed. This is about an appropriate space in backyards to house them properly.<br /><br />>Kevin Phan<Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338566367024491208.post-61792847648586644212010-09-16T08:15:18.484-04:002010-09-16T08:15:18.484-04:00Here you go. Lots of FACTS.
http://www.facebook.c...Here you go. Lots of FACTS.<br />http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Oppose-new-by-law-for-back-yard-chickens/158991587450316?ref=tsSylvia Brownenoreply@blogger.com