US

NJ Town Forces Girl to Give Up 4-H Chickens for Violating ‘Livestock Ordinance’

LOWER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (The Blaze/AP) — A 10-year-old girl is the latest to run afoul of a Cape May County town’s livestock ordinance.

Brianna Lyman, 10, has until Sunday to get rid of the two chickens she was raising for a 4-H project because her family’s yard falls short of the acre that Lower Township requires for farm animals.

A neighbor complained after the Rhode Island Red and a Black Silkie got loose and rooted through the neighbor’s yard.

The fifth-grader, who spent two years raising the chickens in hopes of winning a 4-H prize, told The Press of Atlantic City she was shocked.

Young Girl Forced to Give up 4 H Chickens

“When I heard I had to get rid of them, I was in shock mode,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to get rid of them because I raised them as little chicks. Every day, I got home from school and held them. I didn’t want to get rid of them — ever.”

Township Manager Mike Voll responded that while the  township supports 4-H, the chickens were getting loose and rooting around a neighbor’s yard.

“If they kept them cooped up, this guy wouldn’t have said a word. Now, it’s become public and we have to deal with it, and its being enforced by code enforcement,” he told The Press.

Young Girl Forced to Give up 4 H Chickens

The girls father, Lyman, who’s a local paramedic, said he’s going to campaign to get the ordinance changed so homeowners can keep chickens on residential property, just like is allowed in neighboring Middle Township.

“There is a grow-your-own foods thing going on. We grow our own vegetables, and I’ve taught Brianna about fishing and crabbing. Brianna will never forget having chickens when she was young. If she becomes an executive in New York or Philadelphia, she’ll still have that rural background,” he told The Press.

A family that has a child in 4-H has offered to take the chickens.

An 80-year-old last week was forced to give up six chickens that violated the ordinance.

Comments (108)

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  • V-MAN MACE
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 11:04pm

    My neighbors have roosters and chickens. The roosters wake me up bright and early daily.

    And we will defend them with firearms.

    Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
    • the hawk
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 12:38am

      Yeah,
      Damn POLICE STAE FUNKERS !
      Thats why I’m movin out out of town next month !
      Mase you got chickens in clev………..?

      Report Post »  
    • the hawk
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 12:42am

      Yeah Dont they stop Crowing About 4:30….?

      Report Post »  
    • jb.kibs
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:58am

      some roosters never stop crowing, they do it when they feel threatened and many other reasons…

      i have 6 chickens… they are great.. and i just recently had a problem with my neighbor.. but here’s what he did…

      he came over to me when i was outside, just a couple weeks ago actually, and said my chickens where pooping on his walkways and digging up his mulch beds.. i appologized deeply. asked if i could clean it up for him, etc… i didn’t know they were wandering that far… so i clipped their flight feathers and i just don’t let them out of their run (fenced in area) …. you don’t need an acre for chickens… you just need a coupe and a small fenced in area. backyardchickens has tons of info on that… ;)

      Report Post »  
    • mikem1969
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 7:30am

      I’ve got lots of chickens myself, getting a dozen eggs a day now. All you need is 3 square feet per chicken for a coupe. They are easy to build yourself. Chickens are easy to take care of, they provide you food in 2 ways, eggs and meat (if you want to do it yourself), and they provide lots of fertilizer for gardens. And it grows good veggies. This kind of police state crap needs to stop, especially with food prices going up, up, up. People need a way to provide for themselves, and the police state crap is getting in the way of it. PEOPLE IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA LIKE THIS, MOVE OUT. Once enough people have moved out with POLICE STATE as the reason, they may get a clue.

      Report Post »  
    • V-MAN MACE
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 10:14am

      Yup, we got poyo up here in Cleveland.

      His roosters crow a lot, doesn’t bother me. They crow everytime I enter and leave my house, something like a doorchime. They are a form of security. I like them.

      I don’t raise them, but my neighbor does, and I’m going to make him teach me so we will have sustainable food. We’re all gardeners who grow our own food.

      Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
    • jharrison58
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 10:24am

      I don’t keep roosters just for that reason, though the dominate hen I have can get pretty loud at times, that’s why the neighbors get a dozen free eggs or so every month or two…. always gratefully accepted.

      Report Post »  
    • drphil69
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:50pm

      Nice. I often wonder what will happen to the city folk/ welfare recipients/ libs when their plan to crash the system actually works. I have a few lib “friends” and I make it a point to ask them what they will do when stores no longer have food on the shelves? I have guns, I hunt, fish, grow food, can food. And, (apologies to Glenn), I WILL NOT HELP LIBS! I would rather watch them starve. They believe in Darwin? Great, survival of the fittest baby – you don’t survive, you are out of the gene pool! Got a gang of thugs trying to steal from my garden? I got plenty of lead to donate… at high velocity.

      Thanks for a good post, V.

      BE PREPARED.

      Report Post »  
    • teamarcheson
      Posted on October 7, 2011 at 12:59am

      Good, shove it to that white girl, who does she think she is? I bet her eyes are blue too. She can try raising chickens at the FEMA camp her family gets shipped too when the Obama Wall Street rebels take over the nation. Next she will try to sell Girl Scout Cookies and Christmas Candy for the holidays. There will be a special place in FEMA camps for people like her.

      Report Post »  
    • teamarcheson
      Posted on October 7, 2011 at 1:00am

      Jersey isn’t called the Soviet Republic of New Jersey for nothing. The problem with Jersey is that there are too many white girls like her.

      Report Post »  
  • proantisocialist
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 11:00pm

    welcome to the conservitive party lil one.

    Report Post » proantisocialist  
    • kindling
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 11:09pm

      Really? Was it the conservatives that passed SB510?

      Report Post » kindling  
    • walkyrie
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 11:13pm

      I don’t know how I feel about this – I certainly feel for the girl and her ?pets? At the same time, we had a neighbor behind us here in Dallas (old Preston Hollow – big lots) who had a rooster . . . who wouldn’t shut up. Far ruder than the periodic barking of even big dogs. This thing was FoghornLeghorn but not funny at 3:00AM every 5 minutes. I never called the law, but I was damn sure looking at that old Crossman pump pellet gun with fond memories and the loving potential for exciting new plans to restore peaceful repose to the neighborhood.

      Report Post »  
    • JJ Coolay
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 1:41am

      Kindling, I could be wrong, but I think he means, she has now joined the conservative party in a fight against liberalism.

      Report Post » JJ Coolay  
    • antiprogressive
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:09am

      my bet is:
      some snobbish homeowner in the city complained about the noise or smell in the past.
      some politician got paid off to write the bill.
      the politician promised to vote for other stupid bills if his fellow politicians would vote for HIS stupid bill.
      the bill passed.

      keep in mind- everytime “we” sue a company or government agency a new law is passed so that it doesn’t happen again. And we ALWAYS live to regret it one way or another.

      WE THE PEOPLE caused it to be a law.

      The more we complain, the more laws that get written, and the more power the government has over our lives.

      Report Post »  
    • Fantastic Four
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 10:28am

      Conservative = Constitution and Patriotism
      Establishment (R) (D) = Liberalism and government control TYRANNY

      There is a huge difference

      Report Post » Fantastic Four  
    • chazman
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 7:15pm

      @V MAN MACE

      … you write that you are going to ‘make your neighbor teach you how to raise chickens?’ Ya gonna hold a knife to his throat until you get that first chicken coop built? Ha ha. Just messin’ with ya … kinda like messin’ with Sasquwatch.

      Report Post »  
  • PoliticalJunkieToo
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:56pm

    Counties all over the country are allowing people to own chickens. People need to be more self sufficient.

    I hope her father succeeds in changing that stupid law so she can have chickens like her neighboring country can.

    One person complains and everyone has to bow to that will.

    Report Post »  
  • LB
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:55pm

    How about donating the chickens to that starving muppet Lily. Lock up your cats and dogs, they are next. They already have are kids held captive in the public schools and colleges.

    Report Post » LB  
    • SueZQT
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 12:29am

      “How about donating the chickens to that starving muppet Lily”

      Laughing my arse off at this!!!!!!!!!!

      Report Post »  
    • jb.kibs
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:04am

      Lol.

      Report Post »  
    • Fantastic Four
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 10:38am

      hahahahahahahhaahahah…..ooops PETA might get in the mix then the NSPCA then government regulation on chicken food then governemt regulation on how to process the chicken then another governemnt agency on how to serve it. Por Lily guess she’ll have togo hungry still. Welcome Lily to the world vision of SCROTUS were the rest of will be just as hungy as Lily. Brianna will have to learn the hard way that in Socialism/Communism only the ELITE can eat and have their own rules.

      Report Post » Fantastic Four  
  • abbygirl1994
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:53pm

    I liv in a small town in Utah and ealrier this summer we had the same sort of problems.. I certain man had chickens.. and the mayor had a personal vendetta against him.. so the mayor had tickets given to certain people.. while others weren’t ticketed at all… last I heard the ticketed ones either gave up their chickens or are fighting it in court.. and those who are friends of the Mayor still have their chickens!! The corruption is everywhere.. just remember people we can vote these jerks! And to this little girls neighbor.. what a low life! God help us!

    Report Post » abbygirl1994  
    • jb.kibs
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:16am

      We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their RIGHT, it is their DUTY, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
      …
      and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

      Report Post »  
  • booger71
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:48pm

    Her neighbor who called the Gestapo is a crabby appleton

    Report Post » booger71  
  • biglipnagger
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:43pm

    And yet another way that a government entity controls how we get our food. Wait for the new gun laws. Hunting will be all but impossible unless you are good with a bow and arrow

    Report Post » biglipnagger  
    • RabidPatriot
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:50pm

      They are birds. If they do not intend to eat them or the eggs then they are just pets. Who says you can’t have a pet bird.

      Report Post » RabidPatriot  
    • beckisnuts.
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 10:44am

      And here is “biglipnagger” the overt racist that Glenn Beck and The Blaze turn a blind eye to. No wonder Beck is seen as a racist by so many people.

      Report Post »  
    • Truthbeliever2
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 11:22am

      BECKISNUTS

      Good one dude! I’m on your side now.

      NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Report Post » Truthbeliever2  
    • beckisnuts.
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 11:54am

      Turdbeliever2, statements written in blogs can be googled. Foundations can be laid for future cases very easily. You obviously lack the intellect to understand the big picture. So does Glenneth, but he makes up for it by creating his delusional world of scary shadows and imagined evil.

      Report Post »  
    • Knight Templar
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 4:07pm

      @ beckisnuts. You don’t know that the poster is a bigot. On the other issues you appear to be naive beyond measure.

      Report Post »  
  • Vanquisher
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:35pm

    If you have to ask permission, you’re a slave.

    Report Post »  
    • Tired of Code Names
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:54pm

      The complainer probably does not know “A” how to raise a chicken for food if they had to. “B” likely nor, could they even go to the butcher and purchase a whole chicken and utilize an appropriate knife in order to seperate properly the breast, legs and thighs, yet alone figure out how to freezer wrap the meat they could not eat that particular day. America has become weak. Very few have a clue how to feed themselves if the grocery stores suddenly go away. Hope that does not happen. If it does…..better not be in a big city. It will likely be ugly.

      Report Post »  
  • thegr8restoration
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:32pm

    Boooooo let her keep her chickens! Whatever happened to talking to your neighbor first to try and resolve a problem before calling the “authorities”? I don’t know maby the neighbor did try and resolve the issue and they refused to deal with it or refused to fix the mans yard. If thats the facts then I would have ate the chickens.

    Report Post »  
  • Drakkhanlord
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:29pm

    The powers that be can only take away what ONE / WE let them…
    Remind them of the Constitution , Remind them of the 2nd amendment…
    Take from me , and I will take from you…

    Knowing that a child is involved would probably be best to go with lawsuits and restraining orders, will be expensive and a long drawn out process …but should be able to keep the livestock long enough for this Girl to show at the 4h events.

    whatever you do , do not bend over and accept the BS…

    Peace to you and yours.

    Report Post » Drakkhanlord  
  • wisehiney
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:23pm

    It would be a good lesson for the child to show her the old fashioned way of slaughtering the chickens. Let the neighbors see them running around without their heads. Take a picture of their faces for The Blaze. Please?

    Report Post »  
    • upstatenyteabagger
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 5:58pm

      I have chickens and my children refuse to eat store eggs, there is a huge difference too. My daughters friends at college beg me to bring them eggs and so does everyone else. My rooster crows all night too, oh well I listen to my neighbors dogs bark and cats that are my neighbors piss in my yard but I certainly won’t turn them in . I also have butchered the roosters and my son thinks its funny watching them run around with there head off just like I did when I was a kid then we clean them and make soup. Its called the food chain people and I guess no one learns about that anymore it’s probably not PC . I guess that is also why I could never live in a development, city or a town like that one. I guess upstate ny isn’t so bad after all, lol

      Report Post » upstatenyteabagger  
  • ares338
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:18pm

    Silly rule maybe but a rule none the less!

    Report Post » ares338  
    • Skrewedretiree
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:32pm

      A silly rule,but a rule nonetheless? Gun control laws are “silly laws, but laws nonetheless”. One needs to wonder where civil protection ends and government dominance begins. If you want to see how far Government inverference and control goes, check the Red States. First we can’t raise food and small livestock in the name of Protection, then we can’t burn wood in the name of Clean Air, then we can’t own or carry guns in the name of Public Protection.

      When the stores close, look for the Government to give you food.
      When the gas and oil supplies close, look for the Government to give you heat and cooking fuel.
      When the Government takes your guns, look to be a victim and a Government slave.

      Report Post » Skrewedretiree  
  • Okie from Muskogee
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:16pm

    Poor little girl. I have many chickens, as well as a hog, bees, a few sheep, cows and horses. I also live way in the sticks. 4H and FFA are good programs for youngsters to participate in. Good to see her take honor in this area. 

    Two chickens will not do any damage to anyone’s yard. They will scratch for bugs and worms but they do not cause that much harm. If she kept these two chickens in a coup with a chicken run there should be no problems. I hope things work out for this young lady. 

    Report Post » Okie from Muskogee  
    • wisehiney
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:19pm

      What do they call pallbearers in Oklahoma?
      Carryokies.

      Report Post »  
    • Okie from Muskogee
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:51pm

      That was funny! Hadn’t heard that one. Thanks for the laugh! 

      Report Post » Okie from Muskogee  
    • TheVoice1
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 7:46am

      You can see how much the little girl loves her chickens and its a shame that pop didn’t clue in on the coup before all of this went public. Its the heart of this little girl that pays the heaviest price and the 4H is such a good program for the youth. She sure raised 2 fine looking chickens with the love in that little heart. Hat’s off to you little lady….

      Report Post » TheVoice1  
  • InfiniteSolutions
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:07pm

    What happened to our freedom. Where’s the sanity in our laws, this is outrageous. So, if I wanted to grow crops and have chickens in my backyard and needed to do this to survive or wanted to be more independent our government is making sure you can’t do that. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. I could see limits to quantity since neighbors close together have to tolerate each other but this is rediculous. This goes to show why we need to replace politicians with real Americans who are down to earth.

    Report Post »  
  • mom4times
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:04pm

    So very sad…..i have 23 hens and one rooster…..yes they are trouble when they escape from their pen…..but come on….2 chickens?….she’s just a little girl…..who has apparently worked very hard……I only wish more kids were as commited as she to something positive and productive….then maybe there would be a few LESS liberals around :\

    Report Post » mom4times  
  • Thevoice
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:03pm

    Living in this “New age Progressive communist” run place…Never count your chickens before they hatch…

    Report Post » Thevoice  
  • NavyVetGreg
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:00pm

    Having been a 4-H, and FFA member in my younger days, I don’t mind hens, but a rooster crowing before 5AM in a residential neighborhood is at the very least inconsiderate. I just had to deal with that recently. Hens are pretty quiet, but roosters will crow for hours on end. A residential neighborhood where houses are close together is not the place for them. This article did not indicate the sex of the birds, but noise like that can be an issue. I wish the article was more clear on the sex of the birds.

    Report Post »  
    • mom4times
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:07pm

      I would guess that since this is the first time in 2 yrs that they were found out about…..they’re hens……u are correct about roosters crowing all day long…..I think they would have been caught long before

      Report Post » mom4times  
  • randy
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:58pm

    She should have been providing her closest neighbors fresh eggs.
    As one who has raised many chickens myself. A chicken does not root.
    There is no down side to raising chickens, Fresh Eggs, Pest Control and
    fantastic fertilizer

    Report Post » randy  
  • Sirfoldallot
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:57pm

    There goes her alarm clock.

    Report Post » Sirfoldallot  
    • Al J Zira
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:09pm

      Living in the Socialist State of New Jersey I can tell you how some ordinances make no sense. I dealt with a person buying a farm for horses in a county neighboring Cape May and asked for the regulations on live stock. I was told a minimum of an acre per livestock. So my question was does it matter if it‘s a chicken or a horse and was told no it doesn’t matter at all. When I questioned the logic behind a code such as that I was told it doesn’t matter, that’s what we (the county) insist on. Go figure.

      Report Post » Al J Zira  
  • TRILO
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:54pm

    Sorry that the little girl has to give up her chickens. Her parents should have checked the local ordinance to make sure they could have them before they got them. Most cities and new subdivisons have restrictions against livestock, and chicken are considered livestock. At least the family is going to go about things the right way and petition the local government to change the law.

    My city passed a chicken ordinance a couple of years ago that would allow people to have up to 6 hens. So far those who have chickens are living in peace with their neighbors. Time will tell though. It will be interesting when the novelty wears off and these urban farmers find out that chickens do not produce eggs forever. They turn these chickens into pets and no one wants to eat their pet. My guess is that in about 5-6 years we may start to see “stray” chickens.

    Report Post » TRILO  
  • RightPolitically
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:43pm

    Well, now that the “Big Man” is staying at his post as Governor of New Jersey, here’s one stupid ordinance he can fix RIGHT NOW! Chris, if the girl has to give up the chickens, you should be ashamed of your state.

    Report Post » RightPolitically  
  • chance1
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:39pm

    I would like to ask the question does city code and ordeiances trump the U.S. constitution and the bill of rights? We should slow down and do some critical thinking. I will guarantie the codes and ordeiances is all about municipal coffers. Will anyone like to take a stab at this.

    Report Post »  
    • TRILO
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:04pm

      Property rights is not dealt with in the Constitution. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution gives states, cities and counties the power to legislate such matters. The only provision in the Constititon regarding property is in the 5th Amendment where it states that private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.

      Report Post » TRILO  
  • An Arizonan
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:37pm

    While she should have had her chickens “cooped up”, it‘s a shame she can’t keep them. I just had to give up roosters in my back yard. It’s been a sad month.

    Report Post » An Arizonan  
  • rightwinglefty
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:36pm

    I did not know that chickens “root”. They may peck at the ground but that is about it. There is no way that a chicken disturbs the ground. Chris Christie 2012!

    Report Post » rightwinglefty  
    • mom4times
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:09pm

      they will dig it up with they’re claws…..aka scratching

      Report Post » mom4times  
  • marhee9
    Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:35pm

    I have to say that I wouldn‘t want someone’s chickens running around in my yard either. I feel bad for the little girl, but I’ve had my neighbors cows, horses, and even a bull tearing up my yard and it wasn’t pretty. It took three incidents before the police finally took action. It cost me several thousands of dollars to have my lawn re-sodded, so I kind of side with the township on this one.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVBEevXrITc

    Report Post »  
    • Psychosis
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 9:50pm

      do you chase birds off your lawn too?

      Report Post » Psychosis  
    • M13
      Posted on October 5, 2011 at 10:48pm

      Psychosis, I don’t chase the birds off my land. I only shoot the pidgeons.

      Report Post »  
    • jb.kibs
      Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:02am

      they guy could have asked them to keep them contained… you can clip their flight feathers…

      Report Post »  
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