Lack of rules in past got OB woman’s goat — literally

Laura Hershey wanted goats. Specifically, she wanted her goats back. Hershey, the founding member of San Diego’s Goat Justice League, has fought for relaxed regulations for urban agriculture — that growing phenomenon wherein residents of major metropolises the world over are getting back to their rural roots with backyard chickens, goats and community gardens — since her pet goats, Prudence and Faith, were banished from her Ocean Beach home based on the complaints of a contentious neighbor a couple years ago. Hershey was admittedly keeping goats without the legal backing of a city ordinance, but, she said, she had received the blessing of every homeowner surrounding her property to have them, and only after she had been enjoying the benefits of fresh milk and cheese — not to mention the companionship — for a full nine months did her next-door neighbor decide he no longer wished to live within striking distance of a couple of miniature goats. “He said they were too loud,” she said, “so I used a decibel meter to measure their noise and it turned out they registered about 70 [decibels], which is the same as human conversation.” Hershey pointed this out to the city worker assigned to assess neighborhood code compliance, but she was told the city doesn’t base compliance on such details. It takes into account only the validity of complaints based on existing city ordinance. As her goats were not covered under San Diego’s former regulations on urban agriculture, their noise level wasn’t the issue — they weren’t allowed at all, quiet or not. Prudence and Faith were not legal San Diegans. Hershey was lucky enough to have a close friend in Alpine who agreed to take the goats — “I was able to maintain visiting rights” — but she wasn’t satisfied returning to simple city living, buying her milk from the store. And as much as she missed the fresh dairy, she missed her pets more. “It was a huge blow [when I gave up Prudence and Faith],” she said. “It was heart wrenching. I was in tears and it really broke my heart.” Hershey will not get Prudence and Faith back (“They have a new owner who really cares for them”), but she was able to get the next best thing: David Bowie, a milking mother dwarf goat and Delta Dawn, a kid born on March 1. On Jan. 31, the City Council approved changes to the local urban agriculture regulations, making it easier for residents to have chickens, goats and bees, as well as making it local produce from retail farms and community farmers’ market stands more accessible. Hershey was involved in the months-long process of rewriting the regulations by attending community meetings to promote the practice of urban agriculture and working with city staff to create an all-encompassing ordinance. At a meeting of the Planning Commission in December and again at the City Council’s Jan. 31 meeting, she provided a quick-and-easy how-to demonstration on pasteurizing milk to alleviate fears of food-borne illness. “The government trusts us to buy raw meat,” she said. “So why shouldn’t we be able to handle raw milk?” Under the new regulations, which went into effect on March 23, San Diegans may have up to five chickens with no setback requirement (previously, the setback was 50 feet from any structure, making it nearly impossible for many residents to legally keep chickens). Additionally, two miniature, de-horned (neutered, if male) goats are allowed, as are bees if they are at least 30 feet from an off-site residence. The regulations went through the Planning Commission and two City Council meetings with unanimous approval all the way. The plan, however, was not without its detractors. At a meeting of the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) in January, fears ranged from public health nightmares to concerns about the welfare of animals brought home by people who might be less-than-equipped to care for livestock. One LJCPA trustee voiced concern that those who see urban agriculture as a popular fad might jump on the bandwagon, but county shelters may have to carry the burden once the realities of caring for goats or chickens are discovered. Another trustee, Mike Costello, wondered what would happen to the roosters mistakenly taken for hens as chicks. That particular concern, says veterinarian and owner of the Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital, Dr. Jeffrey Jenkins, should not present much of a problem, especially if eager urban agriculturalists purchase their chicks from a hatchery. Those chicks, he said, are already vaccinated and sexed — meaning their gender is determined by a professional. That doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes, he said, but “it doesn’t happen very often.” As for the possibility of absentee chicken parents, does Jenkins (who raises his own chickens in his backyard, which he says is about the size of a “postage stamp”) expect we’ll see an influx in abandoned or neglected chickens? “It hasn’t been a huge problem in the past, and chickens and ducks have always been available for sale,” he said. “It takes so much preparation to decide you want them and it’s an expensive project to start , so it pretty much deters anyone who might neglect them down the road. It’s a chore … and you have to be somewhat dedicated to do it.” Furthermore, Jenkins said, those with chickens tend to love them as they would any other pet. “The people we see love their chickens so much that if [the chicken] never laid another egg, they would probably keep them forever as pets,” he said, citing the clients he recently saw who paid close to $1,500 to have their hen spayed and given medical attention. “Backyard chickens are great, and they make excellent pets. They’re friendly, outgoing and highly intelligent. My wife even has one that sits on her lap regularly.” Jenkins’ chickens are like family members, he said. They are companions, but make no mistake: they’re also there to provide their human caregivers with fresh eggs. “We do have expectations they’ll lay eggs,” he said. “But we also have expectations of our children — ‘Take out the garbage, dammit!’ — and they’re family members, too.” As for Hershey, she spent much of February and March kid-proofing her home. Goats, she said, are notoriously curious and will chew on or knock down anything they’d like to get a closer look at. To avoid any complications with problematic neighbors, she waited until the regulations took effect to bring home David Bowie and Delta Dawn, whom she purchased from a farm in Inyokern, Calif. “They’re very good pets,” she said. “Emotionally, it’s a good thing to have that companionship, to have someone who’s happy to see you when you get home. And when I drink their milk, I thank them every time.” — This story first appeared in the March issue of San Diego Pets Magazine. Visit www.sandiegopetsmagazine.com for more information. URBAN AGRICULTURE IN A NUTSHELL • Goats: Two — no more, no less — may be kept in single-family zones and on lots developed with single-family homes. They must be de-horned and males must be neutered. Sheds must be predator-proof, have easy access for cleaning and be watertight, ventilated and draft free with minimum 5 square feet per goat • Chickens: Up to five chickens may be kept with no setback requirements. Up to 15 chickens may be kept with no setback from onsite residence, but with a coop at a 15-foot setback. Up to 25 chickens may be kept at 50 feet from any residence. Coops must be predator proof with easy access for cleaning, sufficient space for free movement, water tight, ventilated and with 6 square feet per chicken. • Bees: Up to two hives may be located no closer than 30 feet from an offsite residence and 50 feet from the public right-of-way. More than two hives must be located 600 feet from an offsite residence and 100 feet from the right-of-way. There must be a reliable water source within 10 feet, a 6-foot tall screen unless elevated at least 8 feet above grade, hives must face away from the closest property line, must be located within a secured area to protect the colony and members of the public, and keepers must be in compliance with recognized best practices for beekeeping For a full list of updated urban agriculture regulations, see sandiego.gov/ developmentservices/industry/pdf/ urbansummarytable.pdf.