Jack Hutton in his fight to keep backyard fowl.

byhookorchook · **Joined:** Sat Aug 04, 2007 7:01 pm **Posts:** 571

purefeather wrote:

From where I stand all I can see is the neighbour from hell! Tell me can anyone see a blade of grass in that yard? no? This tells me that yard will become a stinking , diseased yard when the weather get's warmer and more humid (pity the poor neighbour/s) Is it any wonder that councils get P&%$# off with poultry folk and bad management, not to mention your new neighbours. Take another look at that backyard, I'll tell you what I see,not enough land for the number of poultry.

Oaklands wrote:

Cases like this infuriate me.
He has lived there peacefully for 52 yrs, they build flats next door and it is him that has to give up his lifesyle because of some big mouthed "yuppi".
He's right, they take away his chooks at his age he has no will to live or reason to get up each day.
He's also right in that there are those who like to hear a rooster crow, reminds them they are in suburbia not the CBD, it also reminds them of chilhood memories.
In every case like this I have heard it is the "johnny come lately" that moves in and the rest of the community has to adapt to them.
Next council election Councillor Dale should be 'axed', it's petty politicians like him that are there for thier own agrandisement not what is in the best interest of the community, someone should inform them they are there to"serve" not dictate.
Now I feel better.

I have to agree with both Purefeather and Oaklands. I point out that Jack has not helped his cause by the mangement method he keeps his fowls. All the issues though are not a "get rid of" issue. They are all management issues and similarly I had to address when we had our fight with Yarra Ranges. In the end, going to VCAT was the only way to beat council beaurocracy. They did not investigate properly and sided with complainant. Jack should house his roosters in wooden boxes overnight, the kind to muffle noise but allow air, like those of wooden pantries. Lock up all the poultry and allow specific groups to run on alternate days, on alternating parts of his yard. That way, he may be ableto recover his grass areas. Unless Jack helps himself, council will surely win. The Vcat case is available to Jack if he wants it. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/ ... /1995.html

PIT GAME · **Joined:** Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:47 pm **Posts:** 1

I wish him luck and hope he show what an 81 year young man can achieve

Roova · **Posted:** Thu Apr 28, 2011 6:17 am

Quote:

have to agree with both Purefeather and Oaklands.

I have to say I agree too. Whether he likes it or not, he's now living in suburbia which means taking other people's feeling's into account. No neighbour should be able to make as much noise as they like and not expect others to get upset. Has he considered boxing his roos at night I wonder? It sounds like it would bring much peace to the situation.

Quote:

there are those who like to hear a rooster crow

I agree with this, but 16 roosters is pretty full on. Imagine the competing amongst themselves which would be going on! Being bantams its probably quite high pitched and if they start crowing when street lamps come on it would be pretty early in the morning I'd bet!

I think Jack's situation is what council's fear the most in regards to people keeping chickens in their backyard. This situation really doesn't help make keeping chickens in the backyard seem a neighbour friendly practice.

I do feel for him having houses creep closer which is out of his control, but those who don't adapt to what is happening around them often suffer. He seems to have done well being able to keep 16 roos while houses went up around him though!

dina · **Joined:** Thu Apr 28, 2011 5:20 pm **Posts:** 4

This is a sad situation and we must think of how stressful this must be for him especially at 81 he should not be forced to defend what he has been doing all his life, long before the city slickers arrived with their trail bikes and screaming kids. Give them hell Jack

purefeather · **Joined:** Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:36 pm **Posts:** 736

Then again, he might be having the time of his life. A new lease on life.

pekinplayer · **Joined:** Thu Apr 28, 2011 9:35 pm **Posts:** 3

Don't think he will be enjoying all the attention

Hope Farm · **Joined:** Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:28 pm **Posts:** 3

You fight for your rights Jack

Sebducks · **Joined:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 812

The two sides to this story have a human being in the middle of them who happens to be 81 years old, whether he is within his rights to keep his chooks (which by the way I think he should be) or not really, to me is council regulations gone mad. Here is a man who has lived there doing his own thing for over 50 years perhaps he could choose a few roosters to keep and dwindle down his chook population to the "special ones". Who are we (or anyone else for that matter) to say it looks dirty or diseased, we can't see from that one photo how he keeps his chooks and we must remember this is one photo and one article with one tilt in the newspaper.

The point I am trying to make is this fellow is 81years old, I don't know too many people of his age that aren't a little set in their ways and who find it hard to change, alot of people are saying he'll just have to adapt, why should he have to do all the adapting? How about the owners of the unit blocks put up one of those block fences or other type of fence between his place and the units so that the noise is buffered? He is an elderly gentleman who has lost his wife and now faces losing the one and only thing that may be keeping him interested and alive do we not have any hearts anymore?

just my two cents.

TheLongFamily · **Joined:** Sun May 01, 2011 8:30 pm **Posts:** 1

Well written sebducks I 100% agree with you

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Jack Hutton in his fight to keep backyard fowl.

Who is on the Forum