Babylon will not allow ducks and chickens to be kept in cramped backyards

For the past three years, the Town of Babylon has been considering slashing its setback for keeping fowl from 100 feet to 10-15 feet, a change that would not only allow nearly everyone in the town to keep birds in cramped, filthy spaces without adequate space to roam, forage, and enjoy their lives, but would also create an unprecedented number of birds abandoned within the township – birds that Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION), not the township – rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome.

 

During this same period, LION has attended both private and public meetings urging Babylon fowl keepers to get into code and vigorously opposed any reduction in Babylon’s setback, arguing that if the law should be changed at all, it should not only hold the current setback but require additional common-sense protections, such as predator-proof and climate-proof housing, pools or ponds for waterfowl, and a ban on the acquisition of baby birds under two months of age in order to reduce impulse buys and the acquisition of roosters and unsafe ratios of male to female ducks.

LION has also continued rescuing dozens and dozens of domestic ducks, roosters, hens, pheasants, and domestic geese abandoned within Babylon township – some of whom suffered from staph, parasitic, bacterial, and fungal infections, collapsed eyeballs, egg yolk peritonitis, predator-attacks and more. Just last month, we also worked with Inside Edition on an undercover investigation to expose the Barn Pet & Feed Store for illegally selling underage ducklings and chicks in quantities less than 6 ahead of Easter. This Babylon poultry dealer previously served as an “expert” for those petitioning to change the code. We also erected a billboard around the corner reminding the public that animal exploitation breeds killer diseases and to keep animals off their plate and out of their classroom.

 

LION would like to thank Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer, the Babylon Town Council, and the Town of Babylon Animal Shelter for hearing our concerns and protecting birds in Babylon by holding the current setback. We would also like to thank all of our supporters within the Babylon township for magnifying our concerns with their own.

𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗮 $𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝗮𝗶𝗹. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘸𝘭-𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.