The Pros and Cons of Chickens
If city leaders want to present Kent as a progressive college town, they've got to give real consideration to CLUCKent's proposal
I will tell you two things from the get-go about me: I don't like buying eggs from the supermarket, and I'm not the most responsible pet owner out there. These things are related.
On Jan. 5, the Kent City Council health and safety committee will consider a proposal to allow Kent residents to own up to six chickens.
Laurel Hurst, founder of Citizen's League for Urban Chickens of Kent (CLUCKent), wants council to adopt a version of the group's proposed ordinance, which they drafted after looking at urban chicken laws across the country. Essentially, the ordinance would allow any Kent resident with a lot to raise up to six egg-laying hens in the city. Council would have to amend the current law that prohibits farm animals on property less then two acres.
Buying a dozen eggs at the supermarket is cheap. But if you're like me, and you don't want to support factory farming, eggs can get expensive. As Hurst said, "People should have a right to feed their families nutritional eggs that don't cost $5 a dozen." Hurst argues allowing residents to house chickens, "is compatible with a small town community that wants its citizens to live sustainably."
It sounds great. I'd love to house a few chickens in my yard and show my little girl firsthand where our food comes from.
Ward 4 Councilman John Kuhar, chair of the health and safety committee, said "At first everyone thought this was a good idea." Although, now that the concept is getting serious discussion by council, Kuhar said he's "getting flooded with calls in opposition." Kuhar said callers tell him, "It's fine, as long as it's not next door to them." Kuhar said he once kept chickens, and he believes it's not much bother to the neighbors if the coops are kept clean. But if they're not, he said, "It can be pretty ugly."
While I usually don't like the 'Not In My Back Yard' mentality, I understand the concerns in this case. Some lots in Kent are less than 50- feet wide, so a dirty chicken coop could draw flies and some potentially scary predators. As someone who has a tough time making sure my dog is properly cared for, I can see the potential for problems here.
If the Health and Safety Committee creates a chicken ordinance, Kuhar said, a law will need to include, "Setbacks, side yards, building permits, and inspections."
Hurst said CLUCKent and the Western Reserve Farm Cooperative have both volunteered to assist residents to build proper chicken houses. She said the sample ordinance written by her group recommends "predator-proof containment." And one point CLUCKent members are fond of making is six hens produce less compostable waste than a single house cat.
Word around town is that all but two city council members are still opposed to the idea. They think residents are concerned about property values and the "hippie contingent."
None of the other major cities in Portage County allow residents to house chickens. But, as Hurst points out, most of the top university towns around the country do. Heck, even Clevelanders can have a few hens.
But before permitting hen raising, Kent would be wise to establish some ground rules upfront, as suggested by Kuhar.
And CLUCKent would be fulfilling its role as the initiator of this movement by helping people make well-built coops and educating them on hen care — as Hurst has agreed to do — to stop well-meaning folks such as myself from getting chickens without first understanding how to take care of them.
Would you like to have fresh eggs right in your own backyard? Or do you despise the idea of a chicken coop next door to you?
Tell us in the comments.
Jance Lentz Hatch
8:26 am on Monday, December 27, 2010
I think having chickens in back yards in Kent is a great idea, along with vegetable gardens free of chemicals. This and other sustainable ways of feeding ourselves and reducing the carbon footprint of each family by reducing shipping costs of our food is high on my list. By all means have laws on the books for maintaining clean chicken coops.
Rick Hawksley
11:17 am on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
In a day when the average kinder-gardener can't recognize vegetables and the average adult is oblivious to the social, ecological and economic costs of food, it is refreshing that we are finally having the discussion about re-localizing our food economy and what it means. Kent Urban Chickens have become a lightning rod, but I am confident that once people have time to think and catch their breath, they will see that small coops of chickens have far less impact than dogs and cats. Just as the Federal government encouraged all Americans to raise chickens in world war 2, local self reliance and resilience will become increasingly important in the generations ahead. Chickens are a small but important part of that, assuming we want to have eggs as a regular part of our regional diet.
Karen Smith
10:12 am on Thursday, January 13, 2011
I live in Kent. In a former life, I owned chickens. I loved owning chickens. But. When buying peeps, you can't tell the gender. By the time you can, you find you have 2 or 3 hens out of 12 birds. What will you do with the cocks? Are you going to kill and eat them? A one-year old, free-range chicken is almost too old; tough! If you don't eat them, then what?
Peeps are very delicate; they need indoor living quarters until they are old enough to survive outside, they need heat lamps, the right food, grit, and clean water at all times. They poop gallons and it stinks!!! Bird poop is the "foulest" smelling of all the poops I have ever smelled. While they live in your basement, you need some type of absorbent material (NOT kitty litter!!) to help with the mess. Where will you dispose of the mess? In your trash? $$$ Some say "compost it." Fine; do you have a compost pile and a supply of soil to compost properly? What will you do with a ton of compost each year? Do you ALSO have large garden that needs that much high-nitorgen amendment?
Coops are very difficult to make predator-proof. Fox and weasels can get into extremely small holes. Some dogs and cats will be grateful for an easy meal. Wandering chickens don't know about staying out of the streets. Roosters chase people. Neighbors' children won't like that - nor will their parents.
I don't think owning chickens IN TOWN is practical and, even if a few people try it and succeed, most will find it to be not worth it.
Chris (Kit) Myers
9:16 am on Saturday, February 12, 2011
Oh boy! Chickens in Kent! Well, if it's going to happen, I would suggest, in order to defray costs to the city, that the chicken owners be required to purchase a chicken license, identification tags, and coop building permits. There will be significant costs to the city for inspections and complaints. There WILL be roosters and people WILL complain about an early morning wake-up crow. And... if you have never been attacked by a loose rooster, you don't know the meaning of real excitement! And... the city MUST be responsible for the dismantling of coops, clean-up, and the disposal of birds when some of Kent's finest move out (or just abandon) their places of residence and leave the chickens behind. I'm sure that the City of Kent Chicken Ordinance will hold landlords responsible for these costs the same as its despicable practice of holding them responsible for the unpaid water bills of those too irresponsible to pay up.
The proponents of the idea don't seem to realize that Kent is not quiet and peaceful Small Town USA, where all the people are responsible, and, I gotta add this one... all the children are above average! I have misgivings.
You want farm fresh eggs not produced in factory chicken farms? Find a nearby farmer and buy from him/her.
Rick Hawksley
9:17 am on Saturday, March 12, 2011
Kit,
If chickens are such a nuisance as to require identification tags, then we would already have discovered this because of the chickens that are already being raised in Kent.
The ordinance as proposed is about as strict as they come (in cities that have come to their senses...indeed, most cities never have outlawed them to begin with) http://cluckentoh.webs.com/
The only reason this is being discussed is that the current ordinance, by limiting chickens to two acre lots, effectively takes away the property rights of most of our citizens.
Jeph
1:24 pm on Friday, March 11, 2011
I live out in Rootstown, which I consider "out in the country-sort-of", and it seems most folks assume you can just drive out this way to get the farm fresh eggs. However, come fall/winter time and the free-range chickens start slowing down production, many of those "Fresh Eggs!" signs along the road side seem to disappear. Trust me - I've even tried calling one of the people who had the sign out, asking if I could still get eggs from her. Nope. She had a very select list of longtime customers that she was providing to - come back in the spring.
While I don't live in Kent, I do work at KSU, and I'm very much for the idea of people getting to raise their own hens. I understand no one wants a rooster living next door to them - I might want hens but I SURE don't want a rooster. I'm hoping Kent DOES allow chickens so I can hopefully point this out to the Rootstown township....right now it looks like we can only have chickens if we own more than an acre. As an added challenge, I live in a housing development.
I know there are concerns about the manure. My guess on this is that if someone's raising chickens, odds are probably pretty good they're also doing some gardening - those just seem to go hand-in-hand... And if you're the kind that gardens and raises chickens, I'm guessing you're probably also doing as much composting as you can...and chicken manure's great at getting a compost pile going.
Mary
2:52 pm on Friday, March 11, 2011
It isn't like everyone in Kent is going to run out and get chickens!
If you get your peeps from somewhere like Meyer's Hatchery, they can tell the boy chickens from the girl chickens just like any other animal and you can order all hens if that is only what Kent allows. You won't get a "ton of compost" each year from just 6 chickens--you'll be suprised how quickly it composts down and if compost piles are done correctly, they have no odor whatsoever.
I am willing to bet that most people who live next door to hens do not even know they are there. Now my neighbor's children and dogs--the remind me every single day that they are next door!!
I think that attending a class on raising chickens/composting that is sponsored by the City of Kent should be a requirement for those considering chickens in Kent (even those against chickens in Kent would benefit). If they allow chickens in Hudson, they can't be that much of a nuisance!
demo rat
9:50 pm on Friday, March 11, 2011
Is a chicken going to produce more poop than my 60 lb. dog?
Jody Byrne
2:43 am on Saturday, March 12, 2011
No. But they won't ask to out either! LOL!
Rick Hawksley
9:18 am on Saturday, March 12, 2011
http://cluckentoh.webs.com/
Jody Byrne
10:12 am on Saturday, March 12, 2011
I have some organic eggs for sale. $3 dozen and bring your own egg container. Email me at soapplease1@aol.com. They're eggs from happy, healthy Cochins who are busting for spring to come so they can get out again.
Jody Byrne, Daybreak Lavender Farm
louislinus
2:43 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
I wanted to correct this statement by the author "None of the other major cities in Portage County allow residents to house chickens."
This is not true. In fact Kent is the ONLY city in our area that prohibits chickens.
Jeph
10:50 am on Thursday, March 17, 2011
When you guys talk about whether or not a city ALLOWS chickens at all, are you guys typically considering any sized lot? I'm just wondering because I know if Kent were to say "ok, you can have chix, but only if you have 1+ acres" or something like that - that really wouldn't help most of the people interested.
louislinus
3:41 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Actually you can have chickens in Kent if you have 2 or more acres. However, there are very few lots of this size so for all intents and purposes the vast majority of folks in Kent are not permitted to have backyard hens. None of our surrounding communities have lot requirements and only one that I found, Hudson, has a setback from a neighbor's dwelling specified. Therefore, even the new proposed ordinance would still be the MOST restrictive in almost all of NE OH. The city of Lakewood does not allow chickens but I have not found any other municipalities with restrictions even close to what we are proposing.
A hen only needs 3 sq feet to be happy so it is very reasonable to expect that even on the smallest lots one could have a few chickens. There are apartment desolate in NYC that keep chickens on their apartment patios. However, the proposed ordinance in Kent includes setback requirements, coop material and building requirements, and only would allow coops in the backyard.
Jeph
3:49 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
I live out in Rootstown where, from what I've found, we have the limitation that you have to have a minimum of an acre...which I don't have in my housing development. So I'm following what you Kent folks are going through, hoping you guys win your battle, with the hopes I can then use your win to do the same out here. ;-) Chickens for everyone!
louislinus
10:49 am on Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Jeph - We are having a Poultry Forum on Saturday, 3/26 from 2-3:30 at the Lucky Penny Creamery in Kent. There will be a panel discussion with Q&A regarding our proposed ordinance and hen raising in general.
Come and bring your friends!