Stories
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? To get to I.B.!
By Dorian Hargrove | Published Monday, June 23, 2008
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Last week, the Imperial Beach City Council voted to overturn a citywide ordinance that banned chickens as pets. Coronado is now the only city in San Diego County that is not considered a haven for hens.
The council's decision makes it legal for residents of Imperial Beach to keep up to five chickens as pets, providing conditions are sanitary and the fowls do not pose a risk to human health.
Mayor Jim Janney and council member Fred Mclean were opposed to giving chickens a home to roost, while council members Lorie Bragg, Mayda Winter, and Patricia McCoy were in favor of repealing the ban.
The issue was raised at an April city council meeting when two Imperial Beach residents responded to a citation issued by the code enforcement regarding their four pet chickens. The two were unaware of the ban and argued to overturn the previous ruling.
Many in the Imperial Beach community, however, aren't in favor of the council's decision. Local watchdog website, saveib.com commented on the decision. "Now Imperial Beach will have more of that Third World feel! Local predators are overjoyed!"
A permanent ordinance, changing the rules on zoning, is expected in the next few months. The website for the city council can be found at ci.imperial-beach.ca.us.
Long live city chickens! (And ducks...)
By janeb 11:22 a.m., Jun 24, 2008 > Report it
We kept chickens for about three years in Coronado, and the policewoman who finally cracked down on us said they normally don't enforce anti-chicken code unless there is complaint.
We had all kinds of hens-- Rhode Island reds, white leghorns, araucanas-- but it was some loud australorp cluckers that got the neighbors to call cops.
By jholman 4:31 p.m., Jun 24, 2008 > Report it
The only chickens that belong in IB are the ones they sell at the KFC or El Pollo Loco. Try sleeping when a rooster forgets that the sun went down 6 hours ago.
By jshields76 10:22 a.m., Jun 25, 2008 > Report it
How is a rooster crowing any different than a bus going by, or the garbage truck coming, or a car alarm going off at 5am?
By janeb 10:36 a.m., Jun 25, 2008 > Report it
Car alarms suck too. Im up at 5am so the bus or the truck wouldn't bother me, it's the rooster at 2am, 3am, 4am... get it.
By jshields76 3:09 p.m., Jun 25, 2008 > Report it
Those rooster owners should be covering their pens at night. There's probably too much light around creating a terminal sunrise.
By janeb 2:45 p.m., Jun 26, 2008 > Report it