Urban Chickens
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-05-13/urban-chickens
Guest Host:
Matt McCleskey
For some enthusiasts, backyard birds are an environmentally-sound way to create fertilizer, get rid of kitchen scraps, and provide fresh eggs. Others say urban chickens take the "locavore" movement too far, creating a neighborhood nuisance. We explore the growing movement to bring animals like chickens back to cities, and how localities are reacting.
Guests
Caryn Ernst
D.C. citizen advocate for backyard hens
Pat Foreman
Author, City Chicks: Keeping Micro-flocks of Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Makers, Bio-reyclers, and Local Food Producers (Perfect Paperback)
Manny Howard
Author, My Empire of Dirt: How One Man Turned His Big-City Backyard into a Farm (Scribner)
Jason Grant
Communications Manager, Prince William County
Related Links
Manny Howard on His "Farm"
In this video produced by New York Magazine, Manny Howard talks about setting up and maintaining his small farming patch in the backyard of his Brooklyn house:
Comments
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The Honorable Jay Fisette may tell you that Arlington is a diverse, inclusive, world-class urban community. This is true, unless you are a chicken.
Just as a dog or cat isn’t for everyone, neither are chickens. But to have the option is what we ask.
We urge you, the members of the Arlington County Board, to legalize urban chicken keeping in Arlington County, Virgina by adopting an ordinance in line with the City of Portland, Oregon. The City’s ordinance can be found at http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=185339&c=28228.
We ask that you support the legalization of chickens Mr. Fisette, it's not like it's marijuana.
Some additional reasons include:
1. Local food is important to our elected officials, local organizations, and residents. Local foods, like our wonderful Arlington farmers markets support reduced energy intensity through deceased greenhouse gas emissions from associated transportation. Raising backyard chickens fits perfectly into the County's Community Energy Plan.
2. The ability for Arlingtonians to raise backyard chickens fits perfectly with CANN - Children and Nature Network. Help connect our kids to where food ACTUALLY comes from!
3. Backyard hens nearly always have more space and better conditions than those poor factory chickens; hence less animal suffering and higher karma.
4. Backyard hens produce healthier eggs (research available), which benefits the health of Arlingtonians in general, and especially those in lower income brackets. The County Board heavily supports affordable housing -- but what about AFFORDABLE HEALTHY EATING?!
5. Hens (unlike roosters) are quiet and well-behaved; much more quiet than many of the dogs in my neighborhood and more safe than the attack dogs that many of my neighbors keep (legally) locked behind their fences. A small flock of hens (six or less) does not create a smell (unlike large-scale commercial flocks).
6. Backyard hens allow Arlingtonians to produce their own, good quality food at home, saving them money, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, and in general strengthening all those pioneer qualities that made this country great.
7. Sure hens make some noise, but so do squealing toddlers, scrub jays, crows, barking dogs, leaf blowers and chainsaws, presidential helicopters, the flight path to DCA, etc. We hear all these in our neighborhood on any given day. Chickens are hardly audible when compared to the other noises in our 26.2 square mile area of Arlington.
8. Backyard hens eat bugs of all sorts, providing organic pest control. They eat up vegetable scraps which reduces the amount of waste hauled to the incinerator in Alexandria.
9. Poached, over easy, scrambled, omelettes, egg drop soup, deviled eggs, egg salad, hard boiled, eggs benedict... what's not to love?
I respectfully ask that you support backyard chickens and the legalization for residents to feed themselves.
Yours truly and sunny side up,
Legalize Chickens in Arlington
http://tinyurl.com/ArlingtonChickens
Hello, I had chickens for 5 years in Olney MD (no home owners association and friendly neighbors). They were great until Mr. Fox wiped them out. Chickens are very friendly and the whole family enjoyed them as pets which producted eggs.
Yes! Chickens! Wondering if there is any interest in pushing here in Fairfax County to have realistic policy for chickens. Only someone with large property can have them now, I researched it several years ago.
I do a lot of gardening and chickens would make my mulch much improved. Eggs and something really organic would be great as well.
I am very close to having a permit in DC. I had 6 chickslast spring. By summer I lost 2, 1 to a fox? 1 just didn't make it the first week they were brought home. My neighbors all seemed to be in favor of the chickens. I tried to look into getting a permit, but made the error of searching the DC Gov website under chicken. In the fall someone reported my chickens to the health department. I had to remove all 4 within 7 days. The 2 hens went into hiding at an undisclosed location. The 2 roosters were turned into Coq-a-vin. I found out in DC you can obtain a permit if your coop is more than 50 ft from any dwelling and you can get permission from all parties within 100ft of your property. It took about 2 months, because the house next door was for sale, but I was able to apply for the permit. I had my inspection the day before the big snow storm in December 09. The inspector seemed pleased with what I had done and she even allowed me to have the 2 hens there for the inspection. Over the weekend she called with concern regarding the cold. She asked that I make some modifications for the chicken's safety and well being. However, before I could make the changes, a fox pulled through the chicken wire and ate my last two hens. My husband and I are planning a new coop and hope to be official chicken owners by this summer!
The city really needs to design clearer and more sensible guidelines. I don't think people should have the chicken in their house, but I do think that they should be able to have 1-6 even attached to the side of their house. The 50' from a dwelling is ridiculous. I was told it was for health reasons, but it is my thought if you have the structure closer you will take more efforts to keep it clean. I've seen many people on www.backyardchickens.com convert utility rooms or side additions into coops. This way they were able to have a continuous water source and energy source to keep the chicken warm in colder months.
My family loves birds, and after years of contemplation we finally decided to raise a small flock of pet chickens behind our home in Kensington, MD. Before ordering the birds we took extensive time to research about proper care, which breeds make good pets, possible zoning issues, etc. We took additional time to get permission from all the adjacent neighbors. My wife even got consent from one of our town council members to proceed. Our son joined 4H and participated with the local chicken club, and his pet rooster named Danzig was selected Grand Champion of the 2009 Ag. Fair in Gaithersburg!
Unfortunately, once we had the coop built and the birds installed...two of our neighbors (you know the fussy kind of people with plenty of time on their hands) changed their minds and complained to the town office about our birds. Next, and although he vehemently denies this, the Town of Kensington's Mayor Pete Fosselman promptly initiated "a plan" wherein the town code enforcement officer would contact the Mont. Co. Animal Control, the E.P.A., and the Montgomery County Dept. of Permitting Services lodging complaints on 5 different items including one about a small, temporary firewood shed I made! What does a firewood shed have to do with chickens?!
Soon after, a Mont. Co. Animal Control officer called us and told us there is nothing illegal about housing chickens in our backyard, and the two EPA officers who visited my home simply asked me to move a small composting container I had placed behind my yard -which I immediately did- and left us with their blessings for doing such a nice job on the coop and around our home. However, despite my family's and many of our neighbor's intense efforts to prove them wrong, the DPS still says we're housing fowl illegally and refuses to change its position.
Now get this, after a public hearing over a similar case where one fussy neighbor attempted to ban backyard poultry, on April 19, 2010 the Mayor and Council for the City of Gaithersburg, MD unanimously agreed to continue allowing small flocks (max. of 6) within only 30 feet of a neighbors dwelling.
I have been ordered to stand trial in the Silver Spring District Court at 8:30am on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Apparently, the DPS just doesn't know the differences between pets and commercial animals. Pretty sad, huh?!
Does anyone want MORE chickens? At the school where I teach the Kindergarteners are hatching chicks this week and the babies need a home. Please shoot me an email if you are interested: lola@cityblossoms.org
I garden in Fairfax as well and have been itching (scratching?) for chickens. I'd love to see the law in FC changed, but haven't a clue as to how to start. I'm in, but any ideas?
dhaney, I am going to contact John Cook's office about it. But, we need to get more people who can add some voice to the issue! Why not contact Cook's office too, even if you live in another district.
We need to get some change in the rules that allow hens within 30 ft of neighbor's property. I am sure someone will complain, but the fox who is always cruising my yard will certainly approve of it. ;)