Paula Deen's Chickens May Violate Savannah Zoning Laws, Face Eviction

Since rescuing a group of female heritage-breed chickens in 2010, Paula Deen has become a hen-evangelist. She loves her chickens for the soft feathers and the "farm-fresh eggs" they lay. "If you have the opportunity, get out in your yard and build your little chicken coop," she said in a web video introducing her brood. "Because they're just wonderful, calming animals to have around."

County zoning officials apparently don't feel the same way.

According to the Savannah Morning News, Paula Deen's chickens face eviction from their Wilmington Island, GA home. Chickens are allowed in agricultural areas in the Savannah area, but Deen's house is not in one. So when neighbors complained about chickens being kept by another Wilmington Island resident, the county Zoning Administration took action. They issued a letter to the offending resident, and have said that they plan to investigate other infractions, including, potentially, the one at Deen's house.

Comments

[cyberdolfan]

09:39 AM on 07/06/2011

For all you cityfied people, If you have never had fresh eggs from the coop, you dont know what you are missing. Some people have nothing better to do than to go around and make trouble.
What harm could it do to have a few chickens! I am a country boy at heart who now lives in the big city of Virginia Beach. I say live and let live as long as you are not letting your uncontrolable pit bulls , your out of control kids that go rob a store, loud music past 12pm, constant barking dogs, illegal garbage burning, and all the other crap that nasty neighbors do or let happen !!!!!!!!!!! . Some people need to just get a life of their on. And by the way... There is nothing wrong with good old country vocabulary. If you aint been there and lived it , then you dont know what you are missing!

[stevenaboyce]

07:11 AM on 07/02/2011

What's wrong here? The same week in that this article broke a child lays in Savannah's Memorial Medical Hospital in CRITICAL condition after multiple surgeries due to untrained dogs (yes, Pitt Bulls) came INTO a playground, pulled the child off the playground equipment and mauled it. Yesterday, Friday, July 1st, the authorities ruled the owner of the dogs broke NO statutes and there will be NO charges. Yet, a few chickens (hens - not roosters) are kept in a custom built coop (cleaner than MANY humans yards in Savannah) are illegal?

[PilgrimMom]

04:44 PM on 06/29/2011

Martha Stewart raises chickens on her property in tony, high-end Westchester County, NY.

What's wrong with those GA rednecks?

[Dee Cardona]

06:20 AM on 06/29/2011

Don't you just love it when someone points out on the board that
you mispelled a word?

They know what you meant but still they out to point it out.
They are supposed to be so intelligent I guess.

[PerryWhite]

08:32 AM on 06/30/2011

"Mispelled" is misspelled. ( My first spelling correction.)

[seekingrefuse]

06:19 AM on 06/29/2011

Did you seen her chicken coop (in the video)? Nicer than some people's homes here! Lucky chickens, til they hit the frying pan ...

[lswblk]

06:13 AM on 06/29/2011

Just because she's rich she thinks she can have and do whatever she wants. Tell her that she has to comply like everybody else has to and slap her with a hefty fine! I can't stand her anyway with all her poor english speeking "Yallllllllll" crap. And if you cook and eat like her "Yallllllllll" will end up looking fat like her to.

[Makempay]

08:19 AM on 06/29/2011

Eesh, that's a bit of a stretch with the rich comments. I don't know many people that go out of their way to verify all zoning and compliance for everything they do with or around their homes, regardless of income status. Her property is probably so large that her neighbors don't even know the chickens are there. The original complaint that was made on another individual's chickens was probably because they were stupid enough to have a rooster, not simply for having chickens. If not, they've got to be some kind of jerk to call the city on someone for having animals that do absolutely nothing to bother you.

I would rather all of my neighbors have chickens that don't bother me as opposed to having dogs that bark incessantly all day and evening.

[Polly MacDavid]

11:25 AM on 06/29/2011

you have to have a rooster so that the hens lay eggs ... it's called sex ... LOL

[matanzero]

09:44 AM on 06/29/2011

Iswblk; Y'all sound like you got taken b'hind the shed by a southern boy...LOL...

[Al Schrader]

05:25 AM on 06/29/2011

I love Paula Deen. But, right now I just need a little snack. Maybe a piece of red velvet cake, glass of mint julip, a piece of fried chicken, two biscuits, some pineapple upside down cake with butter, a jeroboam of vanilla ice cream. There that's better...Al-

[DrJohnnySkeptic]

05:19 AM on 06/29/2011

Now she's going to go on a Smithfield Spiral Ham binge to help her make it through these tryin' times.

[Jen Liljequist]

04:49 AM on 06/29/2011

well birds do carry certain air born diseases so I guess they want chickens to be in certain regions... but I still think it's kinda dumb though... as long as they are well kepts (which it's paula dean, she has enough money so we know they are)... the only worry I'd say is for the people trying to do chicken fights... those people are the worst! (animal fighters that is)

[alderaforall]

03:36 AM on 06/29/2011

I do hate me some neighbors.

[alpineis1]

02:34 AM on 06/29/2011

We have chickens in our neighorhood, two or three different families have them. they keep their coops clean and when walking around it is kinda nice to hear them making soft clucking noises. The only thing I worry is when one gets out that it will get run over or the wild animals here will get it.

[gumbygirl1]

03:21 AM on 06/29/2011

You're right, chickens rock. The real question is, why are we all still awake? It's after 3am, for God's sake!

[DrJohnnySkeptic]

05:22 AM on 06/29/2011

I have two friends that have chicken coops and love getting fresh eggs in the morning. There's also a chicken coop behind a house on the bike trail near my home.

It's chicken fever!

[automan 57]

02:20 AM on 06/29/2011

Frying time!!!

[Mitch Davis]

01:21 AM on 06/29/2011

My brother brought home some chickens one time. We kept them in a coupe on the patio. Guess who got to clean up the chicken poop after he lost interest in them? I'm sure the neighbers loved the rooster crowing every morning.

[PerryWhite]

08:40 AM on 06/30/2011

The neighbors might have had more of an issue with the car on the patio. How would the sun rise if there were no roosters in the neighborhood?

[racendirt]

01:12 AM on 06/29/2011

Anything can be nasty if not maintained but I'd bet Paula Deen is as neat as a pin. The lady is an absolute sweetheart. And to a previous comment...no roosters, no eggs. Yes, chickens are calming but fresh eggs are key to good cooking. I have no patience for intolerant people. Do they not eat? Such hyprocrites! Unless those chickens are invading your space, lighten up. I'm willing to bet you're neighbors are annoyed with your habits. Things that smell aren't always thru the nose.

[tarskarkas]

01:33 AM on 06/29/2011

the comment 4 hours ago said eggs are produced whether a rooster is present or not.

[Jen Liljequist]

04:53 AM on 06/29/2011

yes eggs are produced but there is no male to fertilize them, thus meaning the eggs will rot (unless eaten) and never produce a chick... therefore the cooking show Paula Dean is saying get a chicken the fresh eggs are the best (for food).

[alderaforall]

03:36 AM on 06/29/2011

no rooster, no fertilized eggs

[almostgeek]

12:48 AM on 06/29/2011

This Lady is so whack that she is a danger to every one, now her self. I saw her talk in Miami (by force). She dropped her pants and was showing off her bum, then thought it was cute. This has got to be a 60 + year old woman, ugh. Please, sombody, move her into politics so the world can eat again.