Well, I just added mine from the city of St Charles, IL where we have a few chickens as pets in our yard. ONE guy who lives 4 blocks away has been gossipping about his belief that its illegal to keep poultry. He must have spent HOURS searching the city code for this new code directed at new construction, which specifically states "Agriculture is permitted only on lots of ten(10) acres or more, and the following standards shall be met: 1. No livestock or poultry shall be kept. 2. No retail sales of agricultural products shall be conducted on the premises. 3. Agricultural uses are distinct from private horse stables.
Since we are not conducting an act of agricultural use of our property, on our lot which is less than 10 acres and we do not produce or sell any agricultural product, that code does not apply to us. If he REALLY believes chickens are the same thing as agricultural poultry, I'd invite him to watch our girls dustbathe & eat my daffodils, producing nothing more than the emptiness in my pocketbook. I don't think the IRS can tax the happiness they produce, which is probably worth more anyhow. Is there a legal definition for poultry, livestock, or backyard chickens as pets? I could use a legal definition of the difference. Our fancy, funny little birds were definitely not bred for production of anything more than laughs and oggles.
The code enforcement officer allowed our chickens 2 years ago, based on the wording in the city code which never states chickens are not allowed, but it doesn't have any details about keeping chickens either. We have had his approval for that long, and he helped us get the right permits to build the shed we keep the chickens in. He did say, he was aware St. Charles has had a long history of backyard chickens, hence the wording "...unlawful to sell barter or give away any chick or fowl that has been dyed an unnatural color...", and many old coops can be seen in many old yards.