Chicken Ordinance

I'll be attending a city council meeting on the restrictions on chickens in our new city. I can't print from this computer, so I'm writing it here so that I can easily copy and paste and print it on my other computer.

To the City Council:

I have reviewed the proposed chicken ordinance for this city. I am glad that the city wants to allow the chickens in the city and is trying to find a way to make this possible in a way that is acceptable to chicken owners and their neighbors. Part of the reason we picked our lot was because the backyard neighbor had chickens. We decided against another lot where the next door neighbor had 2 yappy dogs.

The only thing that should be regulated is that the chicken structures are so far from the property line-- this should be the same as for any other shed or out building. What it looks like should not be regulated nor have need of approval -- unless it is larger than 120 sq. ft. just like any other out building. This city is considered rural and qualifies for federal funding for rural areas for home loans. We can't accept the 0% down loans because we are rural, and then not allow a few chickens into the area or overregulate them. This is the type of thing that HOA's are meant to cover- not cities. As long as there is no health hazard or other nuisance, the chickens are clean and healthy, and they stay in their own yard, then there should be no problem. I don't think they should even have to be registered with the city as that causes more red tape and cost for the homeowner and more work for the city that is really unnecessary. Also, since there already seem to be plenty of chickens in the city with no complaints, I think it's fair to say those chicken owners have probably been taking good care of their chickens and have done just fine without any regulation.

The current proposed ordinance regulates where on the property, chicken structures can be, also regulates that the chickens can not be allowed out of the proposed approved area designated for them. The healthiest chickens and best eggs come free range chickens. Chickens are great for fertilizing gardens and landscape plants. They can be used as tillers for gardens. They eat bugs, so letting them free in the yard actually keeps bugs down. They are birds just like the wild birds that roam freely throughout nature. When a small backyard flock is well-cared for- there are very few diseases, and the birds are very helpful and useful not just for egg production, but also for gardening and yard maintenance. The birds should stay on their owner's property, but where they are allowed to go on the property should not be regulated. This should allow owners to have their birds as free range as possible if they so desire.

Vaccination should also be left up to the owner. It is unnecessary to vaccinate backyard chickens because they are not exposed to many other chickens who could have disease. Also, there are no guidelines to do so given by the USDA. The chicken diseases that are preventable by vaccine do not pass to humans. They are mostly for big farms who have their chickens in tight quarters without enough air and room to roam. Chickens with space and care don't get sick.

The chicken coop, tractor or other structures should be subject to the same regulation given for other out buildings in the city. The chickens should be required to stay on their owner's property, and should not cause a nuisance as many things can. Roosters are already not allowed- hens are no louder than other birds in nature. Keeping the yard clean should be a given just the same as for anything else. Yard maintenance is not regulated by the city. As long as there is no health hazard, the owner should be allowed to keep their yard however they want. Chickens should fall into this same category.