To: Strathmore at Appletree Point Board
Petition to allow residents of Strathmore at Appletree Point to raise hens, within certain guidel...
Amend Strathmore at Appletree Point’s bylaws to permit residents to raise hens in keeping with the City of Burlington’s current policy and according to proposed neighborhood restrictions.
Why is this important?
Hello neighbor! If you live in Strathmore at Appletree point and own your home, I am asking for your support. Some of you I have had the pleasure of speaking with in person, but for those of you I haven't met yet, I'd like to explain why I am asking you to sign our petition to permit residents of Strathmore at Appletree Point to raise hens.
Two and a half years ago we embarked on a family adventure. That winter we were buying our Christmas tree at a farm that also sold eggs. Our daughter Sofia (11 at the time) asked if we could raise chickens to have our own eggs. We told her “sure, if you do all the research about it, and agree to take care of them.” Much to our surprise, she did, and Tom (after we checked with our immediate neighbors) found himself building a coop. For two years now we have been enjoying their funny personalities and their delicious eggs. They have become much-loved pets.
Several months ago we received notice from the Board that chickens were not allowed at Appletree Point and they would have to go. We knew Burlington allowed residents to raise hens, and we had no idea that the neighborhood rules were any different. Much to our surprise, we discovered Strathmore bylaws, which were drafted more than 20 years ago, prohibit the raising of any number of chickens. We were shocked; our hens are clean and quiet and don’t bother anyone. In fact, most Appletree residents we have spoken with didn’t realize that there have been chickens living amongst them for two years!
This rule is sadly outdated. As part of the local food movement, cities and towns across the nation are enacting “hen friendly” legislation. People everywhere are learning about the fun and positive aspects of raising backyard chickens.
Help us save our hens, and help change the neighborhood bylaw that will allow us to join this national movement.
Therefore, we propose that:
Strathmore at Appletree Point’s bylaws be amended to align with the city of Burlington’s current policy regarding the raising of hens.
Written approval from each adjacent property owner regarding both existence and placement of the hen’s housing structure (i.e. coop) be required.
Animal care will be guided by published “best practice” regulations and education.
Hens may not roam free and must be in a secure enclosure allowing up to 10 square feet of space per hen.
The hen coop must be screened and not visible from the street.
Complaints regarding improper hen raising will be heard by the Board, and will follow the Board’s usual procedure for resolving neighborhood disputes.
If you are a resident and own your property, click here to sign the petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/petition-to-allow-residents?source=c.em&r_by=11009232
Do you need more information before you decide? Have you heard negative things about chicken raising? Let me address your concerns.
Myth 1. Chickens are too noisy.
Fact: Laying hens—at their loudest—have about the same decibel level as human conversation (60 to 70 decibels). Hens are so quiet that there have been cases of family flocks being kept for years without the next door neighbors knowing it.
Myth 2. Chickens cause waste.
Fact: A 40-pound dog generates more solid waste than 10 chickens. To be more specific, one 40-pound dog generates about .75 pounds of poop every day. Ten chickens generate about .66 pounds daily poop.
The advantage to chicken poop is that it can be used as valuable, high-nitrogen fertilizer. Unlike dog or cat poop, chicken poop can be combined with yard and leaf waste to create compost. Just as valuable, about 40 percent of the chicken manure is organic matter necessary for building fertile, healthy topsoil.
There is one huge advantage to family flocks that is often overlooked during chicken debates. That is their role and value in solid waste management systems. Chickens, as clucking civic workers, are biomass recyclers and can divert tons of organic matter from the trash collection and landfills.
Combine their manure with grass clippings, fallen leaves and garden waste, and you create compost. Composting with chicken helpers keeps tons of biomass out of municipal trash collection systems. All this can save big time taxpayer dollars, which is especially valuable in these times of stressed municipal budgets.
Myth 3. Chickens attract predators, pests and rodents.
Fact: Predators and rodents are already living in urban areas. Wild bird feeders, pet food, gardens, fish ponds, bird baths and trash waiting to be collected all attract raccoons, foxes, rodents and flies. Indeed, chickens are part of the solution to pesky problems. Chickens are voracious carnivores and will seek out and eat just about anything that moves including ticks (think Lyme disease), fleas, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, stink bugs, slugs, and even mice, baby rats and small snakes.
Myth 4. Property values will decrease.
Fact: There is not one single documented case that we know of about a next door family flock that has decreased the value of real estate. On the contrary, local foods and living green is so fashionable, that some realtors and home sellers are offering a free chicken coop with every sale. An example of this can be found at www.GreenWayNews.com.
And the benefits of raising backyard hens?
Hens produce affordable fresh, healthy and delicious home-grown eggs, free of pesticides and antibiotics.
They produce rich garden fertilizer via chicken waste by-products, which is high in nitrogen, eliminating the need for petrochemical fertilizers.
They reduce backyard pest populations, through the consumption of bugs by hens.
Hens make great pets, as their behavior is interesting and entertaining. They are people-friendly, quiet, and unaggressive.
What about this cold, cold winter we’ve just been through? Although it’s true chickens don’t love the snow, and would rather sit on a little girl’s head than get their feet in it, they are hardy and don’t require muc...
Two and a half years ago we embarked on a family adventure. That winter we were buying our Christmas tree at a farm that also sold eggs. Our daughter Sofia (11 at the time) asked if we could raise chickens to have our own eggs. We told her “sure, if you do all the research about it, and agree to take care of them.” Much to our surprise, she did, and Tom (after we checked with our immediate neighbors) found himself building a coop. For two years now we have been enjoying their funny personalities and their delicious eggs. They have become much-loved pets.
Several months ago we received notice from the Board that chickens were not allowed at Appletree Point and they would have to go. We knew Burlington allowed residents to raise hens, and we had no idea that the neighborhood rules were any different. Much to our surprise, we discovered Strathmore bylaws, which were drafted more than 20 years ago, prohibit the raising of any number of chickens. We were shocked; our hens are clean and quiet and don’t bother anyone. In fact, most Appletree residents we have spoken with didn’t realize that there have been chickens living amongst them for two years!
This rule is sadly outdated. As part of the local food movement, cities and towns across the nation are enacting “hen friendly” legislation. People everywhere are learning about the fun and positive aspects of raising backyard chickens.
Help us save our hens, and help change the neighborhood bylaw that will allow us to join this national movement.
Therefore, we propose that:
Strathmore at Appletree Point’s bylaws be amended to align with the city of Burlington’s current policy regarding the raising of hens.
Written approval from each adjacent property owner regarding both existence and placement of the hen’s housing structure (i.e. coop) be required.
Animal care will be guided by published “best practice” regulations and education.
Hens may not roam free and must be in a secure enclosure allowing up to 10 square feet of space per hen.
The hen coop must be screened and not visible from the street.
Complaints regarding improper hen raising will be heard by the Board, and will follow the Board’s usual procedure for resolving neighborhood disputes.
If you are a resident and own your property, click here to sign the petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/petition-to-allow-residents?source=c.em&r_by=11009232
Do you need more information before you decide? Have you heard negative things about chicken raising? Let me address your concerns.
Myth 1. Chickens are too noisy.
Fact: Laying hens—at their loudest—have about the same decibel level as human conversation (60 to 70 decibels). Hens are so quiet that there have been cases of family flocks being kept for years without the next door neighbors knowing it.
Myth 2. Chickens cause waste.
Fact: A 40-pound dog generates more solid waste than 10 chickens. To be more specific, one 40-pound dog generates about .75 pounds of poop every day. Ten chickens generate about .66 pounds daily poop.
The advantage to chicken poop is that it can be used as valuable, high-nitrogen fertilizer. Unlike dog or cat poop, chicken poop can be combined with yard and leaf waste to create compost. Just as valuable, about 40 percent of the chicken manure is organic matter necessary for building fertile, healthy topsoil.
There is one huge advantage to family flocks that is often overlooked during chicken debates. That is their role and value in solid waste management systems. Chickens, as clucking civic workers, are biomass recyclers and can divert tons of organic matter from the trash collection and landfills.
Combine their manure with grass clippings, fallen leaves and garden waste, and you create compost. Composting with chicken helpers keeps tons of biomass out of municipal trash collection systems. All this can save big time taxpayer dollars, which is especially valuable in these times of stressed municipal budgets.
Myth 3. Chickens attract predators, pests and rodents.
Fact: Predators and rodents are already living in urban areas. Wild bird feeders, pet food, gardens, fish ponds, bird baths and trash waiting to be collected all attract raccoons, foxes, rodents and flies. Indeed, chickens are part of the solution to pesky problems. Chickens are voracious carnivores and will seek out and eat just about anything that moves including ticks (think Lyme disease), fleas, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, stink bugs, slugs, and even mice, baby rats and small snakes.
Myth 4. Property values will decrease.
Fact: There is not one single documented case that we know of about a next door family flock that has decreased the value of real estate. On the contrary, local foods and living green is so fashionable, that some realtors and home sellers are offering a free chicken coop with every sale. An example of this can be found at www.GreenWayNews.com.
And the benefits of raising backyard hens?
Hens produce affordable fresh, healthy and delicious home-grown eggs, free of pesticides and antibiotics.
They produce rich garden fertilizer via chicken waste by-products, which is high in nitrogen, eliminating the need for petrochemical fertilizers.
They reduce backyard pest populations, through the consumption of bugs by hens.
Hens make great pets, as their behavior is interesting and entertaining. They are people-friendly, quiet, and unaggressive.
What about this cold, cold winter we’ve just been through? Although it’s true chickens don’t love the snow, and would rather sit on a little girl’s head than get their feet in it, they are hardy and don’t require muc...