An open letter to Mayor Davis and the Balch Springs City Council,

Thank you for considering the welfare of farm animals in our city.  Ours is a growing yet quaint, rural community with many benefits of urban suburbia.  But I fear eventually we’ll all forget its roots of a vibrant, equine and farming community and restrict rights of citizens to provide safe, healthy food for themselves.  I realize growth is needed for survival; however, there can be a healthy balance of growth and stability. 

I'm referring to the proposed ordinance and in particular to section 12-197.Fowl. (c) stating,  that "...a person commits an offense if he possesses or harbors a live male rooster.…"  ...“on any premises within the City limits”.  This basically outlaws the allowance of any roosters anywhere in our city for any reason and I respectfully request that you reconsider this restriction for several reasons. 

Livestock form an integral part of the majority of organic farms.  They provide fertilizer and pest control and the farm feeds them in return.  In my farm’s case, the prohibition of roosters would mean the eventual extinction of my flock of free range chickens which are a valuable component of my farm.

Without introducing any new residents to my farm in over 4 years, I maintain a flock of about 25 assorted hens and roosters.  And although I’ve had chickens both stolen from me and taken by natural means, I have managed to maintain a few of the original hens and a handful of 2^nd generation roosters from the original flock brought here over 6 years ago.

Hens that are bred on my farm by my own roosters maintain a comfortable population for my purposes at this time, which is primarily to provide an educational and entertaining opportunity for the children, and adults, who visit the farm. 

While they will remain free range during the day, there are plans to remodel part of one of the barns into a chicken house where they will start their day and lay eggs – actually restoring this old building to its original purpose of housing birds.  As well as help me in my daily search of eggs, this will provide an educational opportunity for visitors to the farm to see where eggs really come from. 

In order to sell their eggs as Certified Naturally Grown, and in good conscience that they are free from antibiotics or other drugs, I have to rely on natural methods for keeping my chickens healthy.  Maintaining a closed flock helps anyone who raises their own chickens control disease that may otherwise be introduced by bringing in new chickens, the most common source of contamination to an existing, healthy flock.  A closed flock with a free range style of management has almost eliminated any illness or disease from my farm. 

Selling the harvested highly nutritious eggs these free range hens lay secures another income source for the farm and provide another beneficial product of the farm to the community. 

Restricting my ability to breed from my own flock, would reduce the control over my business required of an organic farm environment.  I can’t simply go to the nearest auction and pick up new laying hens when mine stop laying after a few years.  I have to know the bloodline is pure from disease and from organic sources.  This requires investigation, which is time and money, which I shouldn’t have to spend when I can control my own flock on my own farm. 

As for the implication that the keeping of roosters is a nuisance, I beg to differ, as do most who visit the farm, and many who live nearby.  The sound of a rooster crowing isn’t any more annoying to most than the sound of the highway, a helicopter, or sirens blaring down the street, and in fact the sounds blend in nicely with the shrieks of little children playing nearby at the park, the sound of bullfrogs at the pond and the chirping of the little baby chicks and ducklings that bring a sense of life and peaceful times to my farm. 

Whereas I don’t raise my flock for meat, in this day and age where many families are returning to the practice of providing safe food sources for themselves, the restriction of 2 hens and no roosters greatly impairs their freedom to do so.  A couple of eggs every day or so isn’t enough for most families and if used for meat, they’d constantly have to be buying new chickens.

Additionally, while I don’t know of any animal husbandry programs in MISD, I know we have many children in our community who are home schooled and raising chickens is an excellent educational experience.  They help control insects such as cockroaches, fleas, grubs, and even mice, too.  Showing fancy roosters at the state fair, Stock Shows or FFA competitions is also an American and Texas tradition that we’d be forcing out of practice for our children if they can’t keep the birds at home here in our community. 

Again, I respectfully request that you reconsider this overly restrictive government ordinance to simply regulate the abuse or neglect of these animals, which is what I believe the spirit of the action was motivated by in the first place.   

Thank you! I urge any interested or concerned citizens to comment on this and let your city council hear your voice.

(Note; Chickens referred to as “free range”, which other than the occasional snack a visitor brings them, means they can be seen anywhere on the farm pecking the ground for insects, seeds, weeds and minerals from the earth on which they forage for their food and mine roost at night where they please, usually up in one of the barns with the horses, safe from most natural predators.)

Now, go eat your food - Naturally! (And help fight for your right to do so, before you can't do it anymore.)