By David Fleet
Editor
Ortonville-By a 4-3 on Aug. 28 the village council voted to direct the village manager to enforce the current animal ordinance that makes owning a chickens along with cows, horses, pigs, goats, pigeons, geese, ducks or any other animal, fowl or insect except birds, dogs, cats or other harmless and domesticated household pets unlawful. The animal ordinance dates back to 1982.“We have not had a lot of complaints,” said John Lyon, interim village manager. “We’ve had chickens for a lot of years here in the village. In my six years as village manager, we’ve had five complaints. Four complaints for (excessive crowing) roosters and one for a roaming chicken. We used the noise ordinance to get rid of the roosters and the other chicken was penned up.”
Lyons notes recent changes in the Right to Farm Act that have sparked new local rules. Backyard and urban farms like the village, were previously protected by Michigan’s Right to Farm Act. The act stated that local ordinances could not outweigh the state’s Generally Accepted Agriculture Management Practices. After the rule change, however, these protections no longer apply to many homeowners who keep small numbers of livestock.
“Most (village) residents who own chickens have about six to 12 ,” said Lyon. “Many have very elaborate chicken coops.”
The chicken owners have until Oct. 24 to remove their chickens from their village home. Lyons said nine village residents were notified of their chicken violations.
Brenda Timmermans, a village resident who currently owns seven chickens received a notice her chickens have to go. She has not received any complaints about her chickens, which were roaming a fenced area in her yard last week near her South Street home, occasionally hopping into their adjacent hen house, where Timmermans collects their eggs every morning.
“Right now I have a new home for my chickens with visitation rights,” said Timmermans. “It’s difficult to give chickens away since there is a pecking order and they may get hurt.”
Timmermans has started a petition for the village council to rethink their decision.
“So far about 40 village residents have signed the petition in support of allowing chickens in the village,” she said.
She has kept chickens for the past six years, getting her first flock when her daughter expressed an interest in joining 4-H Club. Although her daughter no longer participates in 4-H, Timmermans’ love for the chickens remains. They are a source of meditation for her in the morning, relaxing her as she watches them.
“I understand the roosters and the free roaming issue,” she said. “So we need to sit at the table and change the existing ordinance to work for us all.”