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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Ind. Gov't. - Elkhart police are shocked, shocked, to find chickens in the city

"More than 40 chickens discovered within Elkhart city limits" was the headline to this story March 17th by Ed Ernstes of WSBT, South Bend. Some quotes:

ELKHART — A complaint led Elkhart police to a surprising discovery — more than 40 chickens inside city limits. Now investigators and animal control officers are trying to determine if this is just the tip of the iceberg to a much bigger issue.

“About 7:30, 8 in the morning, you would hear a rooster out here cock-a-doodle-doing, and I always wondered where it would be coming from right here on Cassopolis Street, in the middle of the city,” said Sean Mutchler.

Apparently, they weren't the only ones to hear it. Someone complained to police, so animal control went out to investigate a home on Country Club Drive.

“As he's turning on Country Club, he says he can actually hear the roosters crowing all the way from Cassopolis Street,” Lt. Ed Windbigler said about the animal control officer who responded to the complaint. “He pulls up and sure enough, there are several dozen chickens, roosters on this property.”

City ordinances do not allow such animals within the city limits. Officers seized the animals, which were being kept in the back yard of a residence. Some of them were injured.

“As you can imagine, it wasn't the easiest thing for the city animal control officer and members of the county Humane Society who pitched in to pick up the birds,” said Windbigler. “It wasn't easy to try and corral them.”

“You know, not many people are trained to be able to round up roosters, especially ones that were very aggressive,” said Rachel Dennis with the Humane Society. “All these roosters were very aggressive, you know. They are something that you can't catch quickly and put in a cage.”

Police say the majority of chickens found at the scene were roosters.

“You know, one would have to wonder why they have so many roosters compared to hens,” said Dennis. “You just can’t have 41 chickens running around, you know. It’s not the rural side.

One of the ILB's favorite entries was this one from Sept. 15, 2009, headed "Chicken underground' emerges in Indiana." The entry surveyed several Indiana cities, including Indianapolis, which (unlike Elkhart) permit urban chicken farming.

But there can also be a darkside, as this ILB entry from Sept. 20, 2009, headed "Limits on LA Roosters Get a Green Light," indicates. The presence of a large number of roosters may lead to the discovery of an illegal cockfighting operation. The new LA ordinance limited the number of roosters on one property to three to discourage this.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 21, 2010 02:49 PM
Posted to Indiana Government