First they came for the pot-bellied pigs, and I didn’t speak up because I didn’t have a pot-bellied pig. Then they came for the pitbulls, and I didn’t speak up because they bite little children anyway. Then they came for the Great Danes, and I didn’t speak up because they leave horse-sized poops in our flowerbeds and can’t be controlled by 210 lbs. grown men. Besides, they ARE horses! But then they came for the urban chickens, and by that time no other animals were left for the morons who own chickens in our neighborhood to point at and say, “but what about their animals?” And that just totally rocked.

Chickens have not been the only violation, West said. People keeping pot-bellied pigs, small horses and ponies have been frequent sources of violations over the years.

Boyer and others have interpreted a Metro health code as permitting chickens and other fowl.

“No person shall keep chickens within the metropolitan government area in such a manner that a nuisance is created,” it reads.

“The definition of a nuisance is a rooster,” Boyer said with a laugh, because of the male bird’s crowing. Other factors she thinks could cause problems would be lack of cleanliness, odors and too many birds.

West was surprised at the health code but said that, when Metro ordinances conflict, the more restrictive one applies.

However, he said the new ordinance, if passed, would not prompt Codes inspectors to hunt down chickens.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 10th, 2009 at 10:25 am and is filed under Animals, Environment, Legislation, Neighborhoods, Public Policy, Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.