Depressed Maine man, 25, who was born without eyes and his heart on the wrong side of his body, wins months-long fight to keep his flock of emotional support chickens
A Maine man born without eyes and with a heart on the wrong side of his body has won a months-long battle to keep his flock of chickens with emotional support.
C-Jay Martin, 25, found companionship and comfort in his animals, but the family faced a problem when residents of Bangor, Maine, wouldn’t allow chickens to be kept in their backyard.
The pandemic was particularly hard on Martin, who became isolated and a recluse. His mother Amy was determined to help and through research discovered that supporting chickens would be a good option.
C-Jay was born completely blind and had a bilateral cleft palate and lip. The man is missing a third of his brain, half of his right lung, and his heart is on the right side of his chest instead of his left side.
C-Jay Martin, 25, found companionship and comfort with his animals, but the family faced a problem because Bangor, Maine doesn’t allow residents to keep chickens in their backyards
Much to the happiness of mother Amy and her son, the appeals board voted unanimously to allow C-Jay to keep his emotional support chickens.
He has named the pets Stella, Salty, Popcorn, Cheeks and Pepper, but he has yet to decide what to name the sixth
He also has autism, epilepsy and ADHD. C-Jay Martin’s doctor therefore recommended that the family purchase chickens because of the unique combination of his problems.
They bought chickens in April through a Facebook group called Maine Backyard Chickens, and they live in the family’s backyard where they can roam the yard until C-Jay Martin puts them in a chicken coop overnight.
But Amy has since had to fight to keep the beloved animals on her property.
Martin’s favorite activity is taking care of his six chickens in the backyard. Cuddling them and feeding them seeds can help ease his depression and anxiety, his mother said.
He has named the pets Stella, Salty, Popcorn, Cheeks and Pepper, but he has yet to decide what to name the sixth.
The blind man knows where they are by their noisy ‘chicken chatter’, and the animals are not deterred by his self-stimulating hand clapping.
It also gives Martin a reason to go outside every day, establishing a routine and giving him a purpose as he walks them in the morning and puts them to sleep at night, the family says.
Martin’s favorite activity is taking care of his six chickens in the backyard. Cuddling them and feeding them seeds can help ease his depression and anxiety, his mother said
Amy Martin fought for her son’s chickens
And all their neighbors are happy with the pets, and no complaints have been filed in six months.
His mother told him Bangor News Daily: ‘His doctor wanted to be able to go to court and defend her prescription and say, “This is the only viable option specifically for him.”
‘It may not work for everyone, but it works for him.
‘Since the chickens arrived, he has been enthusiastic, feels more involved and has more of a purpose.
“He’s much happier and goes outside more often because he comes out in the morning to let them out and puts them to bed at night.”
Amy added: “We have no plans to sell eggs or raise meat birds at the weekend. They are a therapeutic device for C-Jay.”
The mother was forced to contact city officials at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in February to request the rule be bypassed, and then had to reapply with the Bangor Board of Appeals.
One of the beloved chickens that live in Maine
C-Jay was born completely blind and had a bilateral cleft palate and lip. The man is missing a third of his brain, half of his right lung, and his heart is on the right side of his chest instead of his left side.
Then, in April, she filed a complaint against the city with the Maine Human Rights Commission — claiming the city discriminated against her son. They found no discrimination whatsoever – so Amy went to the Bangor Board of Appeals again.
The family was given a hearing on October 5 and had neighbors and friends come out to support them.
Imke Jandreau, who lives near the family, told the hearing: ‘How on earth did we cause this family months of pain and fear wondering if they were going to keep these pets?
“That’s stressful for C-Jay, it’s stressful for Amy, and I just didn’t think it was necessary,” the Washington Post reported.
Jeff Wallace, code enforcement director for the city of Bangor, told the hearing that he had not received any complaints about the chickens in six months.
And much to Amy and her son’s happiness, the appeals board voted unanimously to allow C-Jay to keep his emotional support chickens.
Two days after the hearing, their chickens laid their first eggs.
In addition to the chickens, the Martins have other pets at home: a cat, a dog and four tanks of fish.