Chickens, rainwater and line drying - I'm ranting

I try to maintain a balanced view in my life and on my blog and I generally believe that what others do is their own business and not anything that I should be bothered with, but this is wrong. I want to shout this as loud as I can. Everyone who has some land at the back of their home should be able to keep chickens! Everyone should not only be allowed, but should be encouraged, to collect rainwater from the roof! Everyone should have the right to hang their washing in the sun to dry!

Joanne's comment the other day really surprised me. She said: "Love your new water tank. I've done some checking & found out that it's illegal in Colorado USA to capture water. Can you believe it? I also live with a HOA that doesn't allow clotheslines much less chickens! We're supposed to have all landscaping approved also, but think we can "sneak in" some square foot beds next spring as our land is on a downward slope & we don't have bad neighbors. " I've been thinking about that comment since it was made and I feel I have to say something about it. In doing so, I mean no disrespect.

I don't want to be critical but those regulations are just plain wrong. Is this only happening in the USA or do other countries have similar laws?

There was a time when all those things were so common no one questioned them. All of our great great grandparents would have raised chickens, had vegetable gardens, line dried their clothes and collected rainwater to drink and wash with. Why are you able to carry a gun but not raise chickens for eggs? As far fetched as it may sound, both are linked. From my understanding, guns are still allowed for self protection and hunting. Chickens will help you feed your family just as much as hunting wild game will; raising chickens in the backyard is a form of sustainable protection against hunger and debt. So why are guns allowed but chickens aren't? If they want to regulate, let them regulate the number of chickens allowed, not just ban them outright.

Read this: city residents seek relaxed rules on keeping chickens.

I have no idea why harvesting rainwater would be illegal. Have we removed ourselves so much from the natural world that the things we do to stay clean and hydrated must come from inside the house? We should be asking why these regulations are in place. Here is an interesting article about this very topic. If the argument is that rainwater collection will not allow enough runoff into streams, that's hogwash. Landowners will only collect as much rainwater as their barrels will hold. If they have two 5000 gallon tanks, when they're full, with each fall of rain they will just be topping up. They won't collect 10,000 gallons every time it rains. If they want to put controls in place, regulate the number and capacity of barrels or tanks allowed, but residents should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own water collection is they choose to do it.

Line drying clothes in the sun must be one of those regulations that seemed like a good idea at the time. I doubt there are any valid reasons for not allowing anyone to hang clothes in the sun if they're on their own property. What is wrong with that! Does everything have to be processed by a machine for it to fit within the norms we've set for ourselves?

Regulations like these make residents dependent on their regulators when what is needed in these current times is for all of us who are capable of it to be as self-sufficient and sustainable as we can be. We need to be independent and encouraged to do as much for ourselves as we can.

I don't think it's right to look backwards, and I know that we are far better off now than we were in 1950, 1900 and beyond that, but our ancestors knew how to look after themselves long before our chickens were frozen and delivered to us in plastic bags. We are all here because they kept themselves alive with the things they grew to eat and the water they collected to drink. Why has that right been taken away now?

If I was told I couldn't keep my chooks, harvest rainwater or hang my clothes out to dry in the sun, I'd complain loudly to my politicians, I'd write letters to the editor of my local newspaper and I'd form a group of like minded people to help fight against those controls. I hope I've encouraged those who live with these incredibly stupid regulations to find their own voice and protest. It is your right to do so, it is also your right to keep chickens, save rainwater and hang your clothes in the sun.