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Escambia County Could Regulate Chickens, Farm Animals
August 14, 2012
The morning crow of a rooster could one day be a thing of the past in some parts of Escambia County.
Monday, Escambia County commissioners discussed the potential of an ordinance that would regulate chickens and other farm animals in some residential areas, including “dairy animals”, poultry, and livestock such as cattle, goats,horses, sheep,and swine.
“Would a rooster trip the noise ordinance machine,” Commissioner Wilson Robertson jokingly asked during a commission meeting.
“It would depend, I think, on how close to the property line he’s standing,” Lloyd Kerr, director of county planning and zoning, replied.
Commissioners decided to not change the county’s animal ordinance for at least six to 12 months to see how a new ordinance in the city of Pensacola works.
Pensacola’s new ordinance requires coops, pens or enclosures with provisions for free range animals. Farm animals are not allowed with 30 feet of an adjacent dwelling, church, hospital, school, public building or park. The ordinance prohibits all roosters or more than eight chickens at a single residence.
Any farm animal ordinance would not likely not apply in agricultural and other rural zones.
Comments
38 Responses to “Escambia County Could Regulate Chickens, Farm Animals”
why should my rights be done away with just because someone buys chickens that they cant take care of and let run loose in the neighbor spreading disease on my property taring up my yards and theres.Thats what a farms for animals that arent domesticated that you take in your house.Do you chickens live in your house?
Wow! There are some pretty interesting characters voicing their opinion.
Governments create zoning laws for the majority of the people. If your zoning laws do not satisfy you, write your politicians. It’s that simple. If your politician doesn’t support your opinion, vote them out.
It’s that simple people. Getting all upset then, sitting on your couch and do nothing about is no good for you or anyone that has to deal with you.
To me personally, I woundn’t car if one or two of my neighbors had one or two chickens. The properties around me are about a quarter of an acre, fairly small. Now if my neighbor decided to have 40 chickens… That’s going to get me upset.
Investigate your local laws and get involved, instead of raising your blood pressure. Geez!
If you want to raise farm animals, then buy a farm. Don’t expect your neighbor who might value their property and not want to live next to a bunch of redneck country people who want to live on green acres in a neighborhood. I really dont want to come home to chickens roaming around my yard and listen to roosters crowing all hours of the day. I live in the city for a reason. If I wanted to live next to a barn, I would buy a farm and move out of the city. These animals attract other types of animals and then theese people lay poison out to kill them. What if a stray dog was to eat this poison, say your dog that accidently got out..then what? I hope the city and county get this straight and forbid farm animals from being allowed in neighborhoods. Its just not right. We are not allowed to do certain things in a close community type area because of others that live so close. Just cause you own it doesnt mean you can have total disregard for others. Go buy a farm for god sakes….
Why don,t you just tell people not to have kids. You can beat your dog or wife,but you can’t have a chhicken. People can have a house where you fall thru the floor or not cut your grass, but they can’t have chickens. This is such a stuipid rule. Ifyou can’t control your kids ‘ thats a problem, not having a chicken. People go to walmrt and don,t watch their kids, bbut if someone wants to raise their own eggs they get the riot act. In the act of it all, just bend over and don,t try to do your own thing, just follow and be an idoit. Speak out and be a person. Everytime someone tells you can’tdo something check the rules and STOP bending over and taking it. I sit and see everyday no one taking up for themselves and won’t do anything to help themselves. If you want to have a chicken,dog or whatever, just think of what the officai has and then “Do What Is Best For You’.
The problem here lies within ourselves. The founding fathers knew the dangers of gov’t getting too big. Yet the citizens continue to want laws passed for every issue. We don’t need laws or ordinances, we need people that understand what live and let live means. When dairy, poultry, and cattle ranchers go out of business due to over regulation, who will feed you then? That’s right, the almighty gov’t, because most people can’t do for themselves anymore. Never, ever vote for incumbents.
Aint you got anything else to do. I know so many who use their chickens for eggs. agriculture land in the county dont need to be regulated, you gonna keep on and you are going to take away all the rights of the people; then we will be just a number. keep it up that is what your headed for. maybe you need to pray and get some wisdon from God so you will have the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of what you need to be doing.Hey guess what, you will be blessed if you do.
I live in the country. Why don’t you go after the people who let their kids drive the golf cart with their music and be half dressed. Or I know, t6ell them to cut grass with a push mower that makes noise. Or tell them if caught, rolling ayard that they can and will get in trouble. Or go after the ones that don’t cut their yad like I see. Or ,watch and see them kill a cow and get away with it,because they can. Let them have animals dropped at your house and not feed them! Let them build a big house and get mad that their kid has to see a dog or a cat be hungry, while thet cant decide on their pants or whatever… I am tired of the goverment trying to tell me what I can do on my property. and then NOT GETTING THE VOTE …….Let them have their chicken, if not violetting rules you didn.nt make UP….
We all need to carry around a baby pacifier hooked to a small pink ribbon for all the cry babies!!!! it is hard to believe we are from the same men and women who built this country and really new what work was no going home to the ac and a remote worrying about the dog barking or counting there neighbors chickens do you hear how stupid that sounds god we are board people we have become soft and it is getting worse by the day.kids say we are old school dam right and proud of it.
In parts of the country rural areas have been crowded by housing developments causing ordanices that restrict the farmers cfarming practices. In Ohio, a farmer cannot grow tall crops(corn) within so many feet of a housing area, so that kids will not get lost in the corn. Used to be called “{tresspassing’!
An irritant of mine is cthose that move from city to urban/rural areas where land is being bought up for housing developments, then all sorts of problems develop. From lack of consideration of the landowners private property to complaints of the farmer working late or early hours disturbing the peace to the smell of the manure or chemicals to the land or to the smells/noise of liovestock. Those things shoud be considered before you buy a rural/urban land parcel. Are you comfortable with the vlandowner with his multi-million dollar investment or not. If the answer is no DONT BUY THERE!
So now the government is going to take away your freedom to raise your own food. They have already made it mandatory to deposit your money in a bank. You cannot get a tax refund check unless you have it direct deposit to a bank account. Whats next a law that says you have to hire an approved county or state contractor to mow your lawn??
The decision to put off a vote is only being done because the Novemebe election would have come and gone. If there was a vote now, obviously the people would know who voted for or against the measure.
Good they need to do this, if someone builds a farm right beside your home and you end up awake all night due to the loud noises and horrible smell when you go outside. Decreasing your property value , it should be an issue.
Its different if its some distance away but having livestock so close to neighborhoods and other homes is an issue
The same with dogs, loud barking dogs. hunting dogs etc. If you disturb everyone else and have no care, then legally you should be held responsible for them.
How sad. The economy so grim and now we can’t raise our own chickens… meanwhile people are bringing home exotic birds, snakes, mice, etc from pet stores. If this is freedom, count me out.
Try and put a fence up over 3-4 ft in the front of your home. It is $350 just to ask for a variance and you might or might not get it. Some of these regulations have to be instigated by realtors.
Chickens cause much less noise compared with regular urban sound pollution. This proposition is nearly humorous, but it is not. It shows ignorance, greed for power, and where the US is headed if nothing gets changed. God bless the USA, its Constitution, and our rights!!!!
Here we go again telling us what to do with our property. They changed the rules whereby you cannot even GIVE your children one acre of land to build a house. That was made by the same crazy people we have running the county. I think IF YOU OWN LAND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO RAISE CHICKENS, PIGS, HORSES, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO ON IT. I thought the out-of-town individual and OUR ELECTED COMMISSIONERS WERE FOR THE PEOPLE and now they are putting more restrictions on what we do with what we have worked hard to own. NO INCUMBENTS IN ANY OFFICE SHOULD BE ELECTED but money talks so they probably will.
Government is supposed to secure our God given rights, not take them away.
Now I know why Fog Horn Leg Horn said “Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for such an emergency.” :-/
You better have more than a sack if you come for my chickens…..
That gets my dander up!!!
Do we not vote in elected officials to represent “we the people” to protect out unalienable rights given by God and not man? Do we not elect those representatives to protect our rights of the freedoms of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in whatever form that may come for EACH of us?
Too many of our elected officials are not doing the job they are elected to do in protecting those rights first and foremost and instead sluff off issues to non-elected organizations whose very jobs depend upon finding some “environmental” reason that is absolutely unjustified with actual DATA (especially when you consider the lives of mankind from the beginning of time) and little, by little burden the people into oblivion! If the worst thing anyone ever has to deal with is the crowing of a rooster, they should consider themselves blessed and that “crow” should be a reminder that they are a free people every time they hear it!
It’s not about small animal ordinances. It’s all about zoning. If you live in a rural or AG zone you are fine have as many roosters as you want( please do, Silkies yes, yes!) Just as long as you have 2 acres. If you’re a 4-H family, FFA family or a hobby farm please have roosters( Silkie, Polish,Frizzled, Jersey Giants! Please do)
If your zoned residential there where the problem is. I don’t want to tell you what to do with your property, all I want is to legally have two chicken in my backyard that is large enough to have them.
The subject they discussed was brought forward by a grassroots chicken ownership group back in May. We are trying to get the County to legalize chicken ownership in all residential zones, as well as get them to reduce the acreage requirement for “agricultural animals” ownership for rural and AG zoned properties. There are no plans for crazy enforcement or removal of animals from your properties. The situation we are dealing with is that chicken owners throughout the county are being cited for owning chickens because of zoning. Even though chickens are legal in the city and in the more northerly rural and AG parts of the county, there is a whole area sandwiched between the two that are being persecuted for owning backyard chickens. These include people in areas like Beulah and Cantonment who have owned chickens for YEARS, but suddenly have code enforcement at their doors because they live in the “wrong” zone for those animals. We also have chicken owners in the southern part of the county who are just outside city limits who are being told to get rid of their chickens. It is for these areas that the city is being watched. (Which makes no sense because until the new ordinance adopted last week, city chicken owners had no limit on chickens and they could own roosters. The County needs to look at those statistics instead.) Commissioners such as Robertson, Robinson, Young, and even to a lesser degree, Valentino, are sympathetic to what we are trying to do. The wait-and-see game they are playing is because of the objections and recommendations raised by county staff and not the commissioners themselves.
Aren’t there more needful things the County Commissioners have to deal with other than roosters and chickens – roflol! I thought they passed a law a few years ago concerning this.
This is just plan sad. With all the problems the city and county governments face that this is even under discussion. I guess they have nothing else like, roads infrastructure, economy, etc… to worry about so they now have resorted to picking on folks who own chickens. Who are trying to save a lil money in these hard times to help feed their families. Sad just plain sad.
I wish these over paid county comissoners would work harder to lure jobs to Escambia Co. Is this all they have to worry about? You don’t hear news from Mobile Co about limiting the number of chickens you can own, only news like new company coming, will hire 1,000. TAKE CARE OF WHATS IMPORTANT!!!Smitty
I just decided not to vote for any incumbent Commissioners. How can an animal ordinance in Pensacola even be compared to the country area of the county. They should not even be looking at this. What is this; monkey see, monkey do.
The key words here are residential, agricultural, and rural zones. The proposal is trying to loosen chicken-owning restrictions in the county, not make them more strict. You are currently not allowed to own chickens in the country parts of Escambia County if your property is less than 2 acres in rural zones, or 1 1/2 in agricultural zones. If you meet those requirements, you will still be allowed to own roosters. If you have less acreage, then the proposed changes will allow you to at least own hens legally. Ironically, chicken-owning restrictions are more lenient in the city limits than the county!
This is something the FFA needs to jump on ,if you don’t won’t to here farm animals then move to the city this is the country out here
More idiotic governmental meddling. Are these pen head politicians not aware that meat, egg and diary products are about to explode in price b/c of the drought in other parts of the nation?
We should be encouraging people to be as self sufficient as possible and to be able to raise their own eggs, meat and diary products instead of swamping them with senseless regulations. People shouldn’t take this laying down…contact your commissioners…in six months they may slide this ordinance in during some unpublicized vote or meeting that doesn’t garner media attention!
I have horses, chickens and rabbits – my home was surrounded by farm land and people moved in on top of ME, and my ANIMALS. No complaining when you move in knowing there is livestock there when you move.
Keep your hands off my property
We moved out in the county/country to get away from imbecilic rules. Now the guberment wants to regulate how many “farm” animals we can have or whether a rooster can crow? Reminds me of the people who moved next to the airport and then complained about the noise. If you don’t like being in the country, move!
hey its a free alarm clock!
I agree with Frank. Big Brother….go away.
Whatever happened to “The Land of the Free?”
Big Brother is slowly but methodically closing in.
Leave it alone in the county. There are many people who depend on these animals as a way of life.
The focus of regulation should be on our incompetent county commissioners and voting them out of office.