Dear Assemblymember,
As a rooster-rescuer and animal advocate, I am writing in staunch opposition to AB 928, which seeks to severely restrict rooster ownership by private citizens– even those living in the most rural, farming communities where roosters are basically part of the scenery. This bill would be horrible for animal welfare in California because it will essentially annihilate 99 percent of placement options for the hordes of unwanted, homeless roosters that are already struggling to find placement.
I unfortunately missed the March 19 deadline to submit a formal position letter to the committee, but I hope you can review the arguments against AB 928, from the perspective of someone who works on rooster rescue and welfare full time, in a hands-on capacity.
Impact on animal rescues & sanctuaries
The exceptions this proposed legislation provides for animal shelters and 501 c3 rescue organizations are little comfort, because the bill places the entire burden of placement for roosters on the shoulders of the small handful of already overworked, underfunded, and overstressed animal sanctuaries. Already, our animal sanctuary turns away almost every request we receive for rooster relinquishments, simply for lack of space. Every sanctuary and rescue organization I know is in the same situation, as requests to take in unwanted roosters far outnumber those for any other farm animal.
If AB 928 passes, it would make the rooster situation exponentially worse because it would eliminate the ability of individual rescuers – people on whom most animal shelters and rescue organizations rely– to have rooster “bachelor flocks.” Bachelor flocks give people with backyard chickens a reasonable, feasible way to manage when they wind up with more than one rooster in their flock (which is almost a foregone conclusion when purchasing chickens), and they allow people in rural areas to rescue unwanted (but beautiful, healthy and friendly) roosters who are otherwise doomed with nowhere to go.
Impact on urban backyard chicken families
Given the current surge in popularity of backyard chickens, the number of unwanted roosters is expected to concurrently surge, as well-intentioned people who just want a small flock of pet chickens find themselves with one or more “oops” roosters in their batch of spring chicks. Because the known error rate in chick sexing is at least ten percent (and often closer to twenty), it is extremely common for people to wind up with unexpected roosters. In urban counties where roosters are forbidden, placement for these poor pet roosters just doesn’t exist and most wind up dead – euthanized in animal shelters, abandoned in parks, or just killed outright by people who can’t find any other options.
Impact on organized cockfighting
The forces behind AB 928 are the same ones that have already passed severe rooster restrictions in recent years in the counties of Los Angeles, Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Barbara. In particular, the recent rooster ban in Santa Barbara County created an immediate influx of messages to our inbox from people asking us to take in their excess roosters. If these restrictions become statewide, the number of panicked messages from people with doomed pet roosters will undoubtedly skyrocket.
In essence, for every single cockfighting rooster AB 928 would theoretically save, ten more pet roosters will be killed. As an animal welfare measure, this bill is an absolute failure.
Punishing the entire population of pet roosters because some people with gamecocks may be fighting them is about as nonsensical as going after a bunch of poodles and beagles because some pit bull owners engage in dogfighting. It defies logic, is overbroad, and lacks any evidence that it would be effective.
If the legislature wishes to target cockfighting, then it should work on passing a bill that increases penalties for cockfighting. As it stands, California has one of the weakest cockfighitng laws in the country, providing for only misdemeanor charges in most cases. No wonder it’s a haven for cockfighting activity. People who want to tackle cockfighting should focus on improving the state’s pathetically weak cockfighting law, not go after kind-hearted chicken ladies and rescuers who love their pets and have absolutely no connection to cockfighting.
Our organization has poured countless hours and immense effort into advocating for bachelor flocks as the only realistic, humane solution to the chronic pet-rooster overpopulation problem, and AB 928 would completely decimate this option. For the sake of our animal friends, please do not let AB 928 make it through your committee.
Sincerely,
Ariana Huemer
Director, Hen Harbor
info@henharbor.org