Chickens in the City: Love is a Hen

Introduction

Concerned about the economy, household budgets, food safety and the environment, people are rediscovering the skills and pastimes of prior generations. These include vegetable gardening, home preservation of foods and chicken raising. As interest in these activities has grown, municipalities across our state and country have kept or adopted ordinances allowing residents to keep a limited number of egg-laying hens.

• Urban chickens, when provided with appropriate living space, are pets not livestock.
• Chickens are considered pets all over the United States, in cities as well as in suburban and rural areas.
• More than 65% of major US cities allow chickens to be kept as pets.
• Complaints concerning backyard flocks are the exception, not the rule.
• Female chickens (hens) make slightly more noise than regular conversation, they do not make noise at night, and they are 13 decibels quieter than the average barking dog.
• Chickens are educational; chicken-keeping teaches responsibility and self-sufficiency, and above all, it is good for the environment.

What Am I Doing Here?

I want my chickens back.

I want my chicken-keeping friends not to live in fear of their neighbors.

I want the residents of Pickerington to be able to keep hens as pets.

There really isn't any reason not to include hens in the city's definition of pets.

And I can prove it.

One blog post at a time.

Welcome!

We used to have chickens. They lived in our backyard here in Pickerington, but now they live about 50 miles away at a friend's house. The city of Pickerington does not allow chickens on lots of less than 5 acres, because according to Pickerington, chickens are not pets.

I'd like you to meet:

Ranelle

Night-night

Zoe

Chickenardo and Specky

Sure look like pets, don't they?