Here is the problem. I can appreciate that this family wants fresh eggs and pet chickens but there are health issues concerning chickens. Chickens invite mice and rats, which is a major reason for having codes prohibiting chickens. Second, there will always be the neighbor who wants to raise cock fighting chickens for extra cash in a bad economy. This actually happened in my old subdivision. The neighbors circulated a petition and met with the magistrate to stop the neighbor from raising chickens. He claimed his mother missed fresh eggs and growing up on a farm...He did this in his strong Bronx accent and he also failed to tell the magistrate that they were all male birds except for one female. I can tell you there are no farms in the Bronx. My old neighbor got rid of the chickens but the coop is still in place. He is waiting for this law to change. Please think about the problem with illegal cock fighting if this law is changed.It will lead to illegal activity. This family may have good intention but this law will allow the malintents to go hog wild.

These folks apparently don't read the newspaper, which periodically reports the number of people who have died from avian (bird) flu. There's a reason for the 2 acre limit. I don't want dirty coops and chickens in my neighborhood.

Well cared for chickens do not invite rodents. Rodents are attracted to bird feeders and pet food left outside. I guess we should outlaw dogs as well for all of the Micheal Vick types out there as well! LOL! Cockfighting is a federal offense- it will still be illegal after this code gets updated to meet the needs and wants of the current society. Avian Flu? Really? The truth is that small flocks have literally no risk of avian flu transmission to humans. The 2006 Grain Report states: "When it comes to bird flu, diverse small-scale poultry is the solution, not the problem." Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states on their website: "There is no need at present to remove a (family) flock of chickens because of concerns regarding avian flu." I no more want pet owners that would keep a dirty coop in my neighborhood than I do pet owners that let their dogs and cats run free to do their business in my yard. With all due respect, maybe you should look into the facts before you spread more misinformation.

I still think your neighbors haven't complained to you because they want to be good neighbors, not because they don't object to your chickens. You admit your coop doesn't adhere to code (10' from property line), how many neighbors have a nice view of your coop?

I am confused. Does the 2 acre keep people from cockfighting? Does it eliminate the Avian flu? The chickens are NOT illegal, if there was any basis to these comments, they would be. Mr Pond has all hens, which makes a cockfight physically impossible, and the avian flu..the CDC said it all. His neighbors come see the chickens, eat their eggs..Maybe you open your minds :-) Chickens do not bark at all times of the day and night either!

I totally agree with Mr. Ponds. As a veterinarian, I've seen my share of amazing pet owners (those with no rats/mice or odor) and pathetic pet owners (those with noise ordinance problems, sanitation problems, disease problems, etc.). Rats, mice, odor and disease are typically the results of neglect, whether you are dealing with dogs, cats, chickens or any other animal. As for Avian Influenza/Bird Flu, Dr. Michael Greger, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture of the Humane Society of the United States, states the following: "To reduce the emergence of viruses like H5N1, humanity must shift toward raising poultry in smaller flocks, under less stressful, less crowded, and more hygienic conditions, with outdoor access, no use of human antivirals, and with an end to the practice of breeding for growth or unnatural egg production at the expense of immunity. This would also be expected to reduce rates of increasingly antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as Salmonella, the number-one food-borne killer in the United States. We need to move away from the industry’s fire-fighting approach to infectious disease to a more proactive preventive health approach that makes birds less susceptible—even resilient—to disease in the first place." The 1972 law requiring at least 2 acres to raise chickens, is outdated and reflects a time when more people, than not, had that kind of land. It's time for Cobb to get with the times and for it's citizens to be more informed!

My coop is 10 foot off of the property line. It is the 100' off of the property line that I cannot adhere to because of the size of my lot. My coop cannot be seen from the yard. Two of my neighbors can see over my six foot privacy fence- one of them loves the chickens. The second neighbor, however, thinks that they will lower her property value, another very common misconception about chickens. Ma'am, you are more than welcome to come to my house and see my situation for yourself. Please, go to the website and shoot me an e-mail.

I lived in a cluster home community (houses close together). The house next door to me was rented by a Hispanic family who decided they wanted chickens. Since we have 6'-tall privacy fencing, you couldn't see the chickens. But they had one that crowed all day long, starting at 4:00 am. And the smell finally started bothering the close neighbors. I called Cobb County and they said they couldn't do anything about it. Obviously the person I talked to didn't know the law.

Chapter 10 of the Cobb County addresses Animals. Both things that you mentioned are Code Offenses in several places. Code Enforcement would certainly done something about it- The Police would not, nor would Animal Control if I am correct.

Also- I do live in the country- The United States of America, where I should have the right to do what I want in my backyard, provided it causes no harm to society! My birds have no ill affects on anyone- I should be able to keep them~ There is no limit to the number of cats or dogs that a person can own in Cobb County, regardless of the size of their lot, but I cannot keep a handful of hens? Please!

Your rights do not supersede the rights of other citizens. You do not have the right to cause a health risk and you do not have the right to cause property values to decrease. Your want to have chickens impinges on the rights of those who do not want chickens in the suburbs or city. Move to a farm in the country my fellow American, where you can have as many chickens as you want.

To each their own and God Bless everybody! If you must make these claims, please provide facts to back them up. You can't. Backyard chickens do not provide a health risk nor decrease property values. Chickens are allowed in Atlanta, Roswell, Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Smyrna, etc. Those cites seem to do be doing just fine. Why not in Cobb County?

I support you and your efforts Mr. Pond...let me know how I can help! Chickens and (other types of barnyard animals) have been in cities since cities began - not having them is the new concept. As for chickens in the Bronx, I can't say, but there are chickens in Brooklyn - http://redhookchickenguy.com/.

Hey, Marge, glad to see you jump in the fray- Mom would be proud of you! The facts are clearly stated in the above comments and at our website, as you well know. I will trust statements from professionals in the Real Estate industry over your thoughts about what "will most probably have an effect on a homes value." I did not "ignore local code requirements"; the county attorney interpreted the State Law differently. I am being held accountable for my actions. If you have a problem with the way that Cobb County is handling this, please notify Code Enforcement.
As far as the Salmonella outbreaks, did you read the article that you link to, about research done in 1999? "Although MOST of the 1.4 million human salmonellosis cases that occur annually in the United States are caused by foodborne sources, direct contact with animals, particularly reptiles and OCCASIONALLY birds, also MAY be a source of infection." "Handwashing is critical to prevent Salmonella infections following direct or indirect contact with animals."

Thank you for straightening that out, Marge. I, also, hope that the Commissioners are reading this.

In light of all the bad things that can happen in this world (note the date on these posts) I think that a family wanting to keep a few chickens and enjoy them is a wonderful thing. I have had an opportunity to meet the Pond family at a recent commission meeting and they are lovely, well educated, responsible folks - and they are passionate about their chickens! Good luck to you, Pond family, I hope you get to keep your chicks on your land. Someday I hope to have a few of my own :)

So Mr Pond, no more comments or responses regarding the great chicken escapades?
Was just sitting here wondering how much longer before the hen fate and your fate for ignoring zoning laws is decided.
I want to make sure everyone reading this understands my point, it's not the fact that someone wants to keep chickens in their back yard, it's the fact that this one individual decided to ignore the current zoning laws, got busted then went on a grand crusade to have a law changed that is put in place to protect individuals rights not to be surrounded by farm animals.
If you want chickens in your back yard, abide with the current laws and be on at least 2 acres so your not disturbing your neighbors. That's not difficult is it?
Anyway, I will be checking with interest the minutes of the zoning variance meeting where I do hope the sanity of the commissioners will endure and this issue gets put to bed.

Unreal. As a citizen of the USA, Mr. Pond and his family have the RIGHT to have a few chickens. For goodness sake, when did you Mr Bill become so high and mighty that you feel you have the right to 'dictate' who can do what to provide healthy food for their family. It appears to me (yes, in "MY" opinion) that it is you (and ya might ask the 'RN,MN' to join you) that should consider moving... maybe to a 'country' that does NOT advocate FREEDOM! Mr. Pond - I support your efforts to provide pets, food, and education to your children and community.

Freedom? Ok, let's say that I want to raise cock fighting roosters that crow at the most inopportune times, recognizing that there is a STANDING law that prohibits this sought of thing. Do I have a right to do this because I want to raise these foul fowls? Of course not. Mr. Pond has broken the ordinance, which means he has no respect for the law. Why didn't he challenge the law first and then obtain the chickens if the ordinance was ammended? You know the answer to that one.
I love the freedom that our country provides for freedom of speech and all the rest. But in a civilized culture, laws need to be respected and challanged lawfully,in order, to maintain civility.

If Mr Pond having chickens makes him a criminal, then everyone that applies for a variance that builds their fence too high, builds a building to close to something that the county restricts, hangs a sign where there is not suppose to be one, are all criminals? Really folks just as you have rights, the Pond family does as well, please respect that. Our soldiers fight for OUR RIGHTS, including the ones that give you the right to disrespect people you do not agree with, call them names etc. Please get over yourself!

No one is calling Mr. Pond names but we are calling out his activity. These people do not have a right to lower ther neighbors property values. This code, if ammended, will make it easier for malintents to raise cock fighting chickens. Code enforcement doesn't have the budget for more hires...maybe you want your taxes raised again...i sure don't.

Reread the posts, they are calling names, ie criminal etc. But beyond that and to your point, Cock fighting is illegal period, as is dog fighting and the people doing this care NOTHING about it being legal, the amount of land etc. Yes, people dog fight also hard as it may seem, and there is no law/ordinance/restriction on the amount of land you have to have to have a dog or 30. The question here is THE AMOUNT OF LAND, not the chickens, chickens are legal. So the arguements you all present have less than nothing to do with what Mr Pond is trying to accomplish. If avian flu, varmits, etc were a threat of any sort, they would be illegal to own or require special permits etc, like tigers etc. The USDA use to have posters ENCOURAGING people having chickens, look this up!! Stating, it only takes a small piece of property to have a few chickens, every one should have at least one. Then people got upity, they did not HAVE to raise their food, they could BUY IT. It is a sign of WEALTH, like buying your clothes or making them. Please LOOK, RESEARCH, OPEN YOUR MINDS to something outside of tight mindedness. There is a whole WORLD out there!!

Hey Mr. pond, you tell us the # for Backyard chickens aliance? thank you!

We do not have a phone number, but you can e-mail me thru the website, www.backyardchix.org
Thanks!

I love the idea of having chickens in the backyard. It's the best way to know where your eggs are coming from and how the chickens are treated. Eggs from the store are more than likely coming from chickens who are kept in nesting boxes their entire life and living in filthy conditions. These eggs can carry disease and the chickens themselves are living an awful life. All animals should be treated with respect. I think it would be great if the law were changed. It would not promote cock fighting. Someone who is interested in cock fighting will do it whether the law is changed or not. Those people are criminals and heartless. They could care less what the law states. People who have smelly coops should be fined (since it's neglectful) but definitely not just for having a coop in general.