I’m a sucker for a good Christmas card.  It’s such a rare treat, getting something in the mail from another human being your actually care about, and if there’s some level of personalization- swoon!  It makes me so happy.

That’s partly why over the past 2 years I’ve designed Christmas cards with illustrations of our family on them.  I’m not big into pictures (seriously, I’m so awkward), and besides it’d be next to impossible to get the chickens, the dog, the cat, and my husband and I all into a picture for one of those nice holiday cards that photogenic families send out.

Last year, in 2015, we lost Little Girl and our dog Shiner.  Shiner passed the day after Thanksgiving, so I quickly developed a sketch that included both he and Little Girl, but had a bit of symbolism to it to show that they were apart from us now.We also spent a ton of time painting and repairing our house in Pontiac as well, which I wanted to commemorate. I had a professional turn it into a vector, and quickly sent it to the printers. You can see the sketches that lead to the final product (below) on my Laura Mikulski Google+ profile

I had a very specific idea for our 2016 holiday card this year.  We took it a little bit easier this year, and I wanted to card to have a cozy feel to it.  I decided the scene should show Ben and I in our Ferndale house, lounging on the sofa with Hurley and The B, with our chickens outside (Little Girl was, hopefully, the last house bird). I got a basic design together, asked an artist for help tracing and creating shadows, and with a little tweaking got this:

Of course then the printer (Vistaprint), botched the job AND sent a batch of cards to some unknown address.  Cards went out super late as a result, but I hope people still enjoyed them.

If you include your chickens on your holiday cards, I’d love to know! Show me a pic in the comments.

If you’ve been thinking about having backyard chickens in Ferndale, MI, now is this perfect time to get started planning.

Every year in mid to late February, Tractor Supply hosts their “Chick Days”, where they receive shipments of chicks from hatcheries to their retail stores.  For your average backyard chicken keeper, these days are a boon:  it makes it so much easier to source chicks and visually inspect them before bringing them home, and allows you to take home a much smaller number than would normally be shipped to you direct from a hatchery (most hatcheries ship in bulk, ~25 chicks).  My preferred TSC is located in White Lake MI, about 45 minutes away from Ferndale MI.

According to their staff, this year the White Lake location will offer chicks from the last week of February through the next 3 months!!

Advantages to getting your chicks through TSC Chick Days:

• Chicks can be visually inspected for leg issues, disease, and injuries prior to taking them home.
• No “dead on arrival” chick issues that come from hatchery shipments; most hatcheries will only ship 30+ chicks at a time and often include a few extra to account for those that die en route.
• Supplies for chick rearing are located at TSC- you can get everything you need to get started right there.
• Smaller quantities:  TSC requires that you purchase a minimum of 6 chicks.  While this is problematic here in Ferndale where we can only have 3 chickens, it’s a far better option than sourcing through a mail-order hatchery that only ships a much larger volume (30+) of chicks per box.
• Chicks are about $4 each.  $12 for your 3 hens in Ferndale (plus additional expenses to set up the coop, get feed, set up brooder box, etc)
• New chicks are shipped to stores every Monday.  You can call to check what breeds they have every Monday around noon.  White Lake’s TSC just had their first shipment delivered today, 2/23/15.

Disadvantages of getting your chicks through TSC Chick Days:

• You have to purchase a MINIMUM of 6 chicks. Unfortunately for those of us in Ferndale, that’s 3 more than we’re allowed.  Now is the time to reach out to other people to see if they’d like to go in on the purchase of chicks so you have a home lined up for the 3 additional birds. I see a surge in people selling started pullets/chicks around March on Michigan Poultry & Hatching Eggs Forum on Facebook & Metro Detroit Backyard Chickens Forum on Facebook.
• Limited selection of breeds.  If you have your heart set on a certain breed of chicken, you may not be able to get it at TSC.  TSC in White Lake told us that they never know what breeds they will get, so the earliest they know of that weeks breeds is the Monday they receive them.

Points to keep in mind when getting started raising chicks in Ferndale:

1. You might end up with a male chick/rooster, even if you select from sexed chicks labeled as female. There is almost always a chance that you’ll wind up with a male chick, and you won’t know until they get older and their behavior changes & they start crowing. You can limit your risk of winding up with a rooster in a few ways:
   • never buy “straight run” chicks, only “pullets”; pullets = sexed as female
   • consider selecting sex link chicks– these are chicks who have a distinct visual difference between
     

     

     males & females, making it foolproof to separate males & females.  Examples of high production common sex link birds are the black sex link (Black Star) & red sex link (Red Star).  This is the best option for those who absolutely can’t have a situation where they wind up with a rooster.

   • visually inspect slightly older chicks for characteristics of male chicks:  look for thicker legs, bigger body, and a much more friendly/bold personality
2. You will need a place to raise the chicks.  TSC provides brooding kits, but they’re really only suitable for new chicks.  You’ll need something bigger before long. This chick brooder box idea board is a great place for inspiration.
3. You will need a heat lamp, and will need to secure it.  Heat lamps are dangerous and can set wood shavings/sawdust on fire.  Be careful by securing the lamp to something stable or in such a way that it can’t fall into the litter the chicks are using in the brooder box.
4. You will need chick food.  TSC has this, and it’s very cheap.  You can get medicated or non-medicated feed; as much as I’m a pseudo-hippy that lives an organic lifestyle, I prefer the medicated feed to avoid potential illnesses among the fragile chicks.  You can add in a probiotic to their feed when they are juveniles to ensure that their gut bacteria are all in order.
5. You will need a coop for them to live in after they get bigger.  In Ferndale, that means you will need to create a permanent structure, and go through the process of getting the building approved.  Read more about the muni code & information on building a chicken coop in Ferndale MI. Chicks grow quickly, and will need a place to transition to- and you will look forward to getting them out of your house.
6. Chicks create a lot of dust & droppings.  The droppings are stinky, and frequent.  You’ll need to clean the brooder box daily to keep the chicks from stomping around in their own waste.  This gets tiresome, but far worse is the dust that’s created.  This fine dust WILL coat everything in the same room as the brooder box.  It’s not toxic or stinky, but it often comes as a surprise after you’ve had the chicks for a few weeks and begin noticing that all your nice furniture has a fine, pervasive layer of dust on it.
7. If chicks get ill, you will need to get them medication immediately.  That’s why I prefer having some on-hand, though it needs to be replaced regularly as it loses it’s effectiveness.
8. Backyard chickens, much like dogs & cats, are a commitment of time, energy, and money.  You will need to make sure they are protected, fed, and healthy- and because they live outside in a world that wants to eat them, that presents its own set of unique challenges.  Plan on having to deal with attacks from local wildlife, and secure your coop like Fort Knox.  Make sure you have a veterinarian lined up for illnesses.  And always arrange for someone to look after them if you’re going away for an extended period of time.
9. You will need to ensure that you don’t attract rats.  Rats are attracted to food & places to hide:  nothing more, nothing less.  If you build a coop that won’t allow rats to get inside as well as secure all sources of feed, you won’t have rat problems.  If you think you have rats, contact me immediately and I will help you figure out how to get rid of them.  Ferndale has a problem with rats in the downtown area due to improperly secured dumpsters, we as homeowners must not provide ‘greener fields’ for the rats to move to.
10. People who keep backyard chickens fall in love with them, but not everyone feels the same.  By being a conscientious homeowner & chicken keeper, you’ll keep the peace among your neighbors.  Keep it clean, attractive, and in-compliance with the law.

 

Are you ready to join the ever increasing number of people who have backyard chickens?  Let us know in the comments!

What entails community change from a ‘bedroom community’ to a ‘barnyard community’?  If you’re Roger Jonas, chairperson of the Ferrysburg Planning Commission,  the answer is as simple as 2 goats, 5 chickens, or 4 rabbits.

The issue emerged last year when Adam and Amanda Montambo asked the city to allow them to continue to keep pet goats. The Montambos said Amanda Montambo and several of their children are allergic to cow’s milk and therefore used goat’s milk.   Tim Scarpino, a former Ferrysburg councilman & spokesperson for the petition group Ferrysburg Residents for Responsible Land Use, said council should not consider changing the rules to benefit only one family. During his presentation, he very helpfully showed a photograph of lactose-free products available for purchase at a local grocery store.  Because, you know, I’m sure the Montambo’s had absolutely NO idea that there were such things available.

At this same city council meeting, Tim pointed out: “You have an obligation to represent the entire city, which makes me wonder why you are giving greater consideration to the supposed needs of one family over those of another.” See, what city council had failed to realize, was that despite the needs of one family and the vocal support of other members of the community, they had an obligation to the needs of those who don’t support the right to food sovereignty and keeping a paltry number of animals on private property.  I’m not sure what those needs are as they pertain to this, because despite reading every article I could on this subject, the only ‘need’ I saw expressed was “We are a quiet town, and it’s the hope of many of us to keep it that way“.  Since this hints at a level of ignorance of how little noise goats, chickens, or rabbits make, I’m forced to assume that this is a bit of hyperbole.

Lest he be thought to be a goat-hating fear monger, Mr. Scarpino has stated: “I got nothing against goats”*.  In fact, as the chairperson for the Zoning Board of Appeals, Tim Scarpino is more upset by the fact that council passed this without the approval of the Ferrysburg Planning Commission.  In the comments section of one of the articles, a reader pointed out that a lot of the controversy around keeping farm animals revolves around the misconception that a few chickens/goats will be as fundamentally neighborhood changing as a large scale farm operation, to which Tim replied:

A “lot of the controversy” is because the Ferrysburg City Council ignored 50+ years of zoning norms to create a land use in the City that our founders never intended.  In fact, one of them (92 years old) called me to say this ordinance is a bad idea. The Ferrysburg City Council, in passing this ordinance, ignored The Planning Commission, the city planning consultant and the Master Land Use Plan (which does note even mention the desire for farm animals on residential lots). If they are willing do that, then what other land use ordinances might they enact?*

So, for now, let’s pretend that this is the only issue and the entire reason for Tim getting so heavily involved in speaking out against this ordinance.  Oh, and let’s also ignore the pearl-clutching weirdness of the last sentence.

At the start of this all, Ferrysburg ordinance did not allow farm animals on lots less than 10 acres. There were no parcels that large within city limits, thus no farm animals were allowed in the city (sounds pretty similar to our old Ferndale lot size issue).   When the Montambo family was discovered with goats, the city laudably took immediate action to investigate solutions and amend their ordinance appropriately.  Council voted 7-0 on Nov. 20 2014 to send the well-debated farm animal ordinance back to the planners with the intent of getting it changed to allow goats, chickens and rabbits on lots larger than 1 acre, with a one-year special use permit.  While this might seem reasonable to most people, it seems that the Ferrysburg Planning Commission was slightly less amenable to the idea.  To quote a December 2014 article from the Grand Haven Tribune:

“What if we don’t do it?” Planning Commissioner John Reifel asked. “What if we don’t want to draft it?”

“We have to take control of this or they will spot zone and things will happen in random order,” Regina Sjoberg, who serves both on Ferrysburg City Council and the Planning Commission, warned the planning commissioners at their meeting last week. “I guarantee you, if we don’t draft something, they will. We have to have some kind of control, and the best we can do is damage control.”

Planning Commission Chairman Roger Jonas said he grew up on a farm and believes farm animals don’t belong within city limits. *

Oh sure.  That sounds like a well-balanced response by an open minded Planning Commission serving out their duty as representatives of their community.  Not biased or petulant at all.

After lengthy discussion, Ferrysburg planning commissioners directed city planner David Jirousek of Grand Rapids-based LSL Planning to create a draft ordinance, modeled after similar-size cities in Michigan.  Mr. Jirousek drafted the ordinance amendment for keeping chickens in Grand Rapids, which stipulated that chickens may only be kept on a lot which is at least 3,800 square feet in size.  3,800 square feet = .089 acres, for those like myself who struggle with conversions.  You can keep 4 chickens on a property under 5,000 sq ft, and 6 chickens on property over 5,000 sq ft.  While I can’t find documentation on the reasons behind Mr. Jirousek’s stance, he returned an opinion that Ferrysburg should not allow farm animals.  The question is, why- particularly given that Mr. Jirousek seems to grasp the increasing desire of communities to embrace self-sufficiency and revive familiarity with homesteading.  I haven’t been able to find that answer, and will keep looking.

The city of Ferrysburg has their Ferrysburg 2007 Master Land Use Plan online, which, like Mr. Scarpino said, did not reference a desire for farm animals on residential lots.  Is this really shocking or noteworthy?  I’ve only seen reference to farm animals in Master Plan’s for heavily agricultural areas, of which Ferrysburg is not.  However, their first goal, as stated in the plan, is thus:

Goal #1 : Maintain Ferrysburg’s small town character

I can’t think of anything more true to small town character than neighbors seeing an earnest desire of their fellow man to be healthy, happy & involved in local food, and working toward a goal that allows them to achieve that within reasonable bounds.  When the Zoning Appeals Board upheld the determination that farm animals were not allowed on the Montambos 1.4 acre property, given that the  ordinance was excessively restrictive (10 acres mandatory for farm animals, which doesn’t exist anywhere in the city), I would expect a small town to look on in compassion and with an eye for reasonable change,  rather than a foot stamp and a “not in my backyard” attitude.  50+ years of zoning hasn’t taken into account the fundamental shift in our relationship with food sources and an increasing desire to become involved in a sustainable, conscious lifestyle.  If the planning commission takes a moment to consider the dramatic increase in farmers markets in Michigan and the rapid adoption of backyard chicken keeping in major cities, then maybe they wouldn’t treat this like a nuisance request or something that needs to be stopped dead in its tracks. Maybe, for a moment, they could look at this as neighbors, and truly reflect on why they believe that ‘farm animals’ don’t belong in the city, as Planning Commission Chairman Roger Jonas has said.

Personally, I applaud Mayor Dan Ruiter, who stated “I want to support the current trends aimed at a healthier lifestyle for ourselves and our families”. Now THAT is what I expect when I think of ‘small town character’.

The ordinance is officially on the Nov 3rd 2015 ballot for Ferrysburg.  I hope that those who support it are able to be heard and gain the right to keep their animals.  I’ll also be paying attention to neighboring Grand Haven, a substantially larger city, and their current interest in adopting a backyard chicken ordinance.  If adopted, I wonder if that will change Tim Scarpino’s position on keeping chickens on residential lots of at least 1 acre.

Final thoughts:

What exactly would adoption of the ordinance mean for the city of Ferrysburg?

“When we talk with people about the implications of this zoning change and they understand what this may mean for the city, they begin to have doubts about the wisdom and need for this ordinance,” he said.*

“The success of this petition campaign demands the City Council not double-down on the flawed process that brought us this ordinance by ignoring the hundreds of voices calling for its repeal,” he said. “A vote by council not to repeal will set in motion a very spirited campaign to explain the practical difficulties of the ordinance, call into question the humaneness of keeping animals penned up on small residential lots, and make clear who supports that.”*

The new law allows residents to keep two goats, five chickens or four rabbits, as long as they provide a shelter and fenced-in area on the larger-than-one-acre lot.  This was already being done, by the Montambos, for some time… with no ill effect to the city, and no complaints from neighbors.  Codifying it provides an avenue to regulate through inspections and ensure that the animals welfare is maintained.  So, what ARE the implications of this ordinance change- and please, let them be based in FACT, rather than unfounded belief, fear, or an adherence to ignorance.

FACT: the ordinance, as currently proposed, is well within GAAMPs guidelines for animal keeping.

FACT: keeping small domestic farm animals like chickens, goats, and rabbits in small quantities is not a “civic oddity” (see Tim Scarpino’s comment TUE, 05/05/2015 – 4:52PM), and is being adopted by cities of all sizes nationally at a rapid pace

FACT: most cities don’t see a massive uptick in keeping chickens/goats/rabbits after an ordinance is adopted.  There’s little likelihood that the naysayers who are surrounded by eligible property will ever actually live next to a chicken/goat/rabbit.

Frankly, I’m saddened that this debate has raged on this long and with such bile from the side of those against the ordinance.  I’m saddened that there’s no middle ground, and no compassion for families like the Montambos- who, I’m sure, are not alone in their desire to keep a small number of animals.  More so, I’m saddened that Tim Scarpino, who clearly has a grasp of media and has masterfully positioned himself as the vocal point person against the ordinance, has repeatedly stated that this is bad for the city without ANY factual evidence to back that up, and no experience with ‘farm animals’ to cite.

 

 

 

The girls are feeling pretty dramatic after finding out that we’re the 1st to submit our coop paperwork to the city. Apparently lots of people have gotten the packet, but nobody had turned it in… until now. The clerks at the city offices were wonderful and helpful, and even gave me the contact information of someone asking about chickens. Hopefully I can call them later to give them all the info they need to make a decision to get some hens!

Coop inspection is scheduled for 3:30pm Tuesday the 15th, next week. Time to put the finishing touches on the coop and get ready to wow our city officials.