What's a good argument on why my county should allow us to keep backyard chickens?

[fiefs20]

My county is setting up a zoning ordinance change and they are having hearings to hear from people why or why not our county should allow hens. I want to speak at one of the hearings but I'm not too well versed on chickens so I'd like some input from others on good arguments on why they should allow us to have hens.

Thank you
Fiona

 

[Araucana16]

Sure! Okay, so I find the best things to do are to go over a few main points, and then have replies for the most common arguments.

1. Chickens As Pets

Always point out how absolutely lovely chickens are as pets. They are attentive creatures, very animated, fun to watch, they can make as good pets as dogs, and are fairly easy to keep. There are tons of pictures out there of small children hugging chickens, and even this video that still makes me smile of a little boy who hugs a chicken, then the chicken wraps her head around her neck and curls up against his chest. It's precious! Anyway, chickens are some of the best pets you can have in my opinion.

2. Practical Reasons

The eggs of these birds, while they do come at a higher price than the store eggs, are a million times more humane, and they taste so much better. The quality is so much there, in every way. There is something so special about sitting in your back porch eating eggs, and watching your birds pecking around 10 feet from you that laid them yesterday. They are also great fertilizers, so if you are an avid gardener, or like a fresh green lawn, having chickens around is really great! Just make sure that they aren't loose on your prize plants, since they do have sharp beaks...

And they aren't modest about where they stick them. Furthermore, they are actually pretty cheap and easy to keep.

What people say about why they shouldn't be around :

"They are messy."

Chickens are actually not very messy creatures. Yes, they poop. Yes, they can kick around hay or feed. That being said, it's not as if they can help the poop thing (I mean, even we poop) and it's not as messy as you think. If you use the right bedding and take care of them properly, they aren't any more dirty than any other pet.

"They smell."

I find that my chickens have smelled less than my dog, in fact. Again, they do poop, and it's not exactly a bundle of roses, but you can use bedding that prevents smell, like sand, which is a very clean way to keep chickens, and if you clean up the coop properly and dutifully (about once a week, and it's only about a half an hour) then the smell is only going to bother you if you are sitting in the coop next to them. You would have trouble identifying smell from a well maintained coop from 10 feet away.

"They lower property values."

If you have an HOA who is talking to you about this, I think the best thing to say is : "HOAs lower property value." It's true. But for a slightly less passive aggressive argument... chickens are becoming a new fad. They are very popular in a lot of suburban places and becoming a little "chic" I guess. There are a lot of people I know who want chickens, or who are raising them in suburban climates, and have neighbors who are fawning over them with something a whole world away from disgust. I live by a country club, and the only people who minded were a couple of HOA folks. While they probably don't raise property values, they certainly don't take them down enough to even notice.

"They are loud."

Roosters are loud. I won't even try to argue that. But if you ban roosters, then you will only end up with hens. It's true that sometimes a hen will try to crow or make egg songs, but it's actually very rare for a hen to be even half as loud as a rooster. The noise of my chickens is exactly 0% of how loud my dog is, and I have a fairly quiet dog! They are very quiet animals, although hands on owners will appreciate that if you hold a hen or are sitting by the coop, they coo lightly as though attempting to speak to you. It's very charming.

"They attract predators."

This is all depends on the owner. IF your chicken coop is secure, the animals will be attracted to them, yes, but they won't be able to get in, and they will leave. It's hard to argue that a well defended animal that a coyote can't get to is attracting predators. They don't attract predators any more than small dogs, cats, wild birds, and wild rabbits. Unless they want to go banning all of those things, most of which are not at all defended against chickens locked up behind metal wire, they can't really argue that we should ban chickens for the sake of a coyote wanting to eat them.

I can't think of anything else right now, but if I do, I'll post again!

 

[fiefs20]

Thank you so much! I just wrote them a lengthy letter and plan on going to the hearing this Thursday. I hope they over turn their laws. I'm tired of being a law breaker