Comments on: Cape Charles Chickens Leave Home to Roost

By: Maris Crane

Maris Crane — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 01:56:44 +0000

Susan Bauer, We all have our opinions and who are YOU to call someone else “disingenuous” because they consider their chickens to be pets. You closed minded idiot. I have 8 hens which I absolutely consider pets. I live in a subdivision in Phoenix AZ. Just because I eat their eggs does not mean that I do not consider them my pets. When the stop laying, I plan on KEEPING THEM AS PETS for the remainder of their lives. I plan on a move to Kentucky, NC, or VA in a few years and YES I’ll be taking them with me along with my dogs, 3 PET pigeons and 8 PET coturnix quail and my PET turtle dove. I’ll be sure not to move to a place full of mean spirited folk such as yourself.

By: Cathy Buyrn

Cathy Buyrn — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 18:02:43 +0000

Perhaps there is hope for neighborliness in town after all! The nasty squalking and screeching seems to have died down in the wake of calmer heads and a desire to respect differing points of view. I hope that becomes the new tone in town.

By: David Gay

David Gay — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 07:58:34 +0000

Bruce and Cathy, I agree with both of you. I recently offered to coordinate a get together at a neutral site where all sides could meet, have a dialog and seek some positive solutions. I got one favorable response from a weekender who lives in Northern Virginia and a response from a member of the town council who would be open to the idea after the election. There was a time in this town when a person could have differing opinions and still maintain social ties with everyone. I long for those days.

By: Bruce Lindeman

Bruce Lindeman — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 12:40:47 +0000

Cathy — I whole-heartedly agree with you and it’s why I mostly read, but don’t much comment on stories any more. If this community — and, I’m including the Wave in this — would seek to build consensus and solve problems rather than argue, we’d move this town forward.

Clearly on this issue, there are at least two sides. I think we all get that. So, let’s talk instead about how to compromise, as you suggest, rather than to attack. I’ve been called pollyana for such comments on this site, and I imagine I will again. But, no organization solves internal problems by individuals digging in their heels on their position. They move ahead when they realize that people are different with different with wants and needs and they work to figure out the win-win. We can do that here, if folks would simply drop the anger and attacks and work on solving our issues — together.

By: Cathy Buyrn

Cathy Buyrn — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 18:31:32 +0000

People have different preferences, beliefs, and styles. Cape Charles and the entire Eastern Shore represents a unique blend of character. It is more productive and reasonable to seek some kind of common ground that gives each member of a community the right to pursue their own preferences, beliefs, and styles without being attacked. The nasty tone of dialogue on the part of many commenters on this issue and others says more about those individuals than it does the issues they are squalking about. One of the considerations for a potential plan to allow backyard chicken keeping might be to restrict the keeping of the loudest hens and roosters. That might mitigate any noise concerns from the chickens but I am sure will do nothing to temper the squalking and self-righteous screeching from those who believe they should get to tell everyone else how to live. You have a noise issue in town, but it has little to do with chickens.

By: Deborah Bender

Deborah Bender — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:07:46 +0000

Tom, if I am not mistaken, in this town most dogs, [pet] snakes, fish, and guinea pigs live in the house. If the people raising chickens want to keep them in the house, so be it. Case closed for this chick!

By: Tom Kenny

Tom Kenny — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 21:38:33 +0000

Please, New York City allows for the raising of chickens. Deborah, chicken can be pets. Not sure what your definition of a pet is but you need to tell me the difference between a dog, a chicken, a snake, fish or a guinea pig as a pet?

By: Dana Lascu

Dana Lascu — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 20:03:06 +0000

Some birds are lovely pets – unlike poultry, parrots are intelligent and great companions. Moreover, parrots live in the house, and only occasionally spend time outside. They rarely bother neighbors, and owners clean their cages daily.

On the subject of city ordinances, in areas with similar size yards to those in the Cape Charles Historic District, you never ever see poultry (Manhattan, the Richmond Fan, D.C. included). It may be that the ordinances are more restrictive in these areas, or the neighbors more vocal and vigilant. In these cities, poultry might exist in areas where properties are reasonably large, and where they do not bother neighbors. If you own a quadruple town lot in Cape Charles, then perhaps you could potentially plant your poultry in an area that is sufficiently far from your neighbor’s fence to not pollute their environment as well.

By: Deborah Bender

Deborah Bender — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 18:19:30 +0000

Chickens are NOT pets. Period! The way this town’s 2 town managers, mayor, and Town Council like to spend our money I think they should do a $10,000 chicken study. Comments anyone?

By: Sandy Mayer

Sandy Mayer — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 17:04:30 +0000

People keep snakes and lizards as pets also fish…….so why can’t a chicken be considered a pet? I have never had a bird as a pet………..so I do not know much about their personalities, but I am sure that they have them. Farm animals in town is another issue. Perhaps it needs to address how much property you have.
I come from a small town in NJ and if you had an acre you were allowed to have 1.5 horses (a horse and a pony). I think the limit for chickens was 6. They did not allow trailers or trucks to be parked on the street at night, never any boats that made the roads impassible. Guess we need to decide who we are trying to appeal to tourists or residents that take advantage of the loose parking laws that force you to drive down the double yellow lines just to get through. I am pretty sure that driving over the double yellow lines is illegal. Seems we have more important issues in town than chickens.