Anyone up for Urban Hen Classes?

Sorry, I've been decompressing since the passage of the ordinance here in Fort Collins.  Now we need to regroup and plan for the spring! I'd like to hear from anyone interested in helping to organize the first in a series of classes for the beginning hen owner.  I was thinking something along the lines of:  Your First Coop:  Making a Cozy Home for the Girls.  Please contact me @ fortcollinshens(at)gmail.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Support our friends to the south...

With Fort Collins, Boulder, Loveland, Denver, and Lyons all allowing urban hens, it came as quite a surprise to me to learn that our friends in Longmont are having a harder time getting their city council to make the change.  Please check out http://longmont-urbanhens.blogspot.com/ to keep tabs on the progress of their efforts to bring urban hens to Longmont.  Please help them out in any way you can.

Chicken Party (Hendig)

When: Sept 27th, 4 pm to whenever
Where: Dan and Rebecca's house

Why: To celebrate more choice in the choice city
Who is invited: Everyone!!!
Please RSVP by Sept 20th with the headcount of your group/family (kidswelcome!). BYOB and a side dish to share. We'll provide veggie and cow-based burgers, hotdogs and drinks.

Thanks,
Rebecca (Dan's wife)

CLUCK YES!!!!!!

The chicken ordinance passed the Fort Collins City Council by a vote of 5 to 1.

I would like to give my most heartfelt thanks to EVERYONE who: wrote letters, made phone calls, sat at booths, gathered signatures, engaged others in conversation, designed t-shirts, donated time and space for meetings, and came to speak tonight. You made this happen. And I want to thank you for all of your efforts.

Council Meeting update...

We are still not sure when, exactly, the chicken initiative will be heard at Tuesday night's city council meeting. It is not likely to be before 8:00, though. One option is, if you don't want to spend your entire evening at 300 LaPorte Avenue, you can keep track of the meeting on Channel 14 and come over when the reservoir discussion is finished. Or, you can come at 7:00pm and join me and others. Whatever you do, we need you there when the initiative is heard!! This is the home stretch! Thanks for all of your efforts and support.

Second and Final Reading...

The second and final reading of the proposed ordinances to allow hens in Fort Collins will be this Tuesday, September 2nd at the City Council Chambers, 300 LaPorte Avenue. We are on the agenda after the Glade Reservoir discussion, so it is estimated that we will be heard around 9:00pm. The council is divided, so it is very important that we have a strong showing! If they see enough support, this will pass. We need to show the council that there is citizen support for hens in the city.
I want to thank everyone who has helped organize, gather signatures, sat at booths, held events, etc. We would not have come this far without many hours of activity. I am grateful for your support.

Big THANK YOU to HSUS and CCHC volunteers

This past weekend at New West Fest, we were honored to be allowed to share a booth with the Humane Society of the United States as they promoted animal welfare in general and the plight of hens in factory egg farming. We would like to recognize Holly Tarry (the CO state director of the HSUS) and Dan Paul (local HSUS grassroots coordinator) for providing the booth space and allowing us to work together with them to advocate for better conditions for our egg-laying friends.

I would like to thank the HSUS volunteers that worked with us: Teresa Redmond-Ott, Hilary Foshee, Marty Hanna, Keiko Krahnke, and Dan Paul

I would like to thank the following folks for staffing the booth for the Choice City Hen Coalition: Teresa Redmond-Ott (doing double duty), Lori Van Skike, Theadora B'ey, Jen Zorich, Duncan Eccleston, Emily Zielinski, Dan Brown, and Barb Lattin

The local HSUS folks have been working to get our local restaurants to make the move to cage-free eggs. As you dine at local eateries, please ask them if they serve cage-free eggs. And if they do not, politely request that they do. Several have said that they would if they saw a concern from their customers.

As a result of our efforts, we have 386 signatures on the petition of support that I submitted to the city on Tuesday. The level of public support that we get the night of Septmeber 2nd will be the deciding factor on whether or not the urban hen initiative passes. Please make every effort to be there at 6:00pm to show your support for urban hens.

Again, thank you so much to everyone that made the booth at New West Fest a success!!

A Big Thank You to the HSUS!!

This weekend is the New West Fest; Sat. 10am-7pm and Sunday 10-6.
The Humane Society of the United States (based in Washington, D.C.) aka "HSUS", has bought us a booth (the cost was $350, and they do not ask for any funds from us!!!) at the New West Fest. They fully expect to share the booth with the FC Urban Hen coalition.
Sooooo......Teressa is looking for committed volunteers to staff the booth!!! THIS is a wonderful and mainstream opportunity to clarify and inform Fort Collins residents of our Hen Movement. Alongside with us is the national backing and support of the HSUS who is educating Americans about the plight of Battery-Caged egg laying hens among many other animal cruelty issues.
Help us to dove tail these issues for a WIN / WIN outcome. Who can commit? It's time to step up to the plate. :o)
We're full steam ahead now. Please create room in your schedules while we're HOT. Sept. 2 is only 3 weeks away.
Anyone, feel free to contact Teresa directly, or at least email fortcollinshens(at)gmail.com so everyone is in the loop and sees who's coming this weekend.
This can be done. Never underestimate the Will of a few passionate people.

Up close and personal with a city council member...

The next session of "Community Conversations with Kelly" will be at 6 pm. this Wednesday in the multi-use room at the Senior Center, 1200 Raintree Drive. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend, but I encourage hen supporters out there to show up and chat with one of our "yes" votes on the council to thank him for his vote and to encourage him to continue his support.

Chicken Night at the Bean Cycle!!

Todd Simmons is graciously hosting Chicken Night at the Bean Cycle/Matter Bookstore on August 7th @ 7:00pm. The PBS special "The Natural History of the Chicken" will be shown as well as a panel of speakers yet to be determined.
We will also be selling t-shirts to support our efforts and to spread the word about the benefits of raising chickens in your own back yard. The design has been finalized and is now at the printer. We hope to have them ready for Chicken Night.

Petitioning at Old Town Farmers' Market and Other Good Stuff

I got a report back that the petition drive at the Old Town Farmers' Market went well today. Many thanks to Lori Van Skike and Teresa Redmond-Ott for getting 47 new signatures!!

There are lots of folks with some great ideas out there. Kent is suggesting a "Local Chicken Underground feeds the Hungry" event and working on legitimizing the Tour de Coop. Todd is planning a 'chicken night' at the Bean Cycle. Emily suggested a t-shirt to spread the word!! Several folks gave some great feedback on the t-shirt ideas. It feels good to hear so many great ideas. Let's work together to make sure they happen!!

As always, let people know that the issue is still not resolved, and that they need to contact their city council reps...

Urban Hen Awareness Campaign Underway!!

At our planning meeting before the 4th Holiday, we decided that our main focus should be a "public education campaign" to promote the Urban Hen Initiative.

The petition is being revamped to address FAQs and focus on Fort Collins residents only. This time we want to submit it to the city formally with our info packet. The final date for submissions is Aug 20th, so we need to hit the streets, so to speak. We would encourage people to distribute the petition at as many public events as possible between now and then. The Neighborhood Night Out was brought up as an excellent opportunity to bring up the issue for discussion.

We have an Urban Hen Coalition T-shirt Contest going on until Friday the 18th at 5:00pm. Please submit ideas to fortcollinshens(at)google.com. Details on final prices and the winning design will follow.

Please continue to talk to others about the Urban Hen Initiative, write Letters to the Editor, and contact your City Council reps. We need to keep this issue in front of the public.

Many thanks to all of those who made it to the organizing meeting! Keep up the good work.

Planning meeting set

Several folks have been asking, "When are we going to get organized?" Since you asked, here is the plan:

Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition Planning Meeting

Tuesday, July 1st @ 7:00pm

Bean Cycle Coffeehouse

144 N College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Map to Bean Cycle

Bring your ideas!

A copy of the poster announcing this meeting for you to print out and post around town can be found at:

http://groups.google.com/group/fortcollinshens

under Files as GotHensPlanningMeeting.doc

Second Reading Postponed

I received a call from Ted Shepard at Planning and Zoning saying that the second reading for the proposed ordinance changes to allow for urban hens in Fort Collins has been postponed until the Sept 2nd City Council meeting.

Even though there was no public comment against our proposal at the last City Council meeting, people who have concerns or are opposed have been in contact with their representative.

We need to show the Council members that there is strong support for this issue from their constituents. It is very important that you contact your City Council rep. Here is their contact information:

http://fcgov.com/council/contact-us.php

Get the word out to others that the City Council needs to hear that there are supporters for this issue.

Rebecca and I will be working on flyers. I will need folks who can get them out in the community to spread the word.

On the negative side, the City Manager originally wanted to postpone the second reading indefinitely, which would have essentially killed the proposal silently. Ted convinced him to have a second reading in September.

On the plus side, this gives us time to organize better. We will need to have both a solid plan in place for permitting and education, as well as addressing the concerns that were raised at the first reading.

There will be a lot to do between now and mid-August when the supporting documentation for the September City Council meeting needs to be submitted!

We made it past first reading!!

The Chicken Initiative made it past the first reading at the City Council last night by a vote of 5 to 2. Several folks who I have been working with on this issue made very supportive statements on our behalf. But what surprised me was the people who I had never met nor had contacted me prior to the meeting who stepped up to the microphone to speak. I was moved by the passion and true affection for urban hens that was expressed. I want to thank each and every person who spoke last night.

Meeting tonight at Avo's: 5:30

If you are planning on speaking Tuesday night at 6:00 at the City Council meeting, please attend tonight's gathering at Avo's at 5:30.

The council members appreciate having a clear, organized approach to presentations and are put off by repetition of info.

I want to thank everyone who has been working on this issue. We would not have gotten this far without the help of everyone.

Letter to City Council

Here is an e-mail that I sent to the Fort Collins City Council in support of our initiative. And remember, the city council meeting is coming up! Tuesday, June 3rd @ 6:00pm - City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave

Dear Mayor and Fort Collins City Council Members,

On behalf of the Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition, I would like to thank you for your consideration of the Urban Hen Initiative.

Raising chickens in an urban setting is very different than how they are raised on a farm. The practice of keeping a small number of chickens in portable enclosures called 'chicken arks' is very common in England as well as many US cities.

There are three very public and successful models for raising chickens in the city that we would like to see adopted in Fort Collins.

Seattle, WA - Seattle Tilth is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating a sustainable community.

http://www.seattletilth.org/resources/City%20Chickens/view?searchterm=chicken

Portland, OR - Growing Gardens gets at the root of hunger in Portland, Oregon. They support low income households for three years with seeds, plants, classes, mentors and more. This year they plan on adding chickens to their program as well.

http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php

Madison, WI - Mad City Chickens started out as a group of like-minded, pro-poultry people (also known as the "poultry underground"). Their aim is to educate the urban population on the benefits of raising ones own food, and to bring to light the misconceptions people might have about the raising of poultry in an urban setting.

http://www.madcitychickens.com/

I have been in contact with individuals from each of these programs and am very excited about the prospect of having Fort Collins added to the list of progressive cities dedicated to the ideals of sustainability and food security.

I welcome any questions that you may have concerning our proposal and look forward to sharing our vision for Fort Collins at the upcoming City Council meeting.

Regards,

Dan Brown
fortcollinshens@gmail.com
970-391-6561
www.fortcollins-urbanhens.blogspot.com

"Petition of Support"

One energetic member of the Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition took the time to create a "petition of support" for the Chicken Initiative. If you are interested in getting a copy of this to distribute, please contact us at fortcollinshens(at)gmail.com. You can find the text of the petition here: http://groups.google.com/group/fortcollinshens

Please submit any signatures to me by 5:00 on Monday (6/2) so that they can be compiled for the Tuesday night City Council meeting!!

Pics of nice chicken digs

I added some pics showing that urban hens can be very attractive and pleasant backyard pets. Got tired of the negative image that some folks were trying to paint. They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

Urban Hens Make the Front Page

Well, it looks like my hopes for this going through the process quietly were dashed when the Coloradoan put us on the front page on Friday. One of my goals for this project was to spark conversation around local food and sustainability issue. I'm glad that it is succeeding in that respect. Thanks to those people who have publicly shown support by adding positive comments to the article on-line.

We passed Planning and Zoning!!

Whew!! The Fort Collins Urban Hen Initiative passed the Planning and Zoning Board by a vote of 5 to 2!! Many thanks to the people who came out, and to Marti and Curtis for speaking during the public comments section.

Now I really need help getting to the next step. If you want to support this initiative, I need people to:

1. Get the word out to the community - get conversations going to educate others about urban hens. Feel free to use my slideshow.

2. Contact your City Council representative - you can find your rep here: http://www.fcgov.com/council/?departments

3. Contact me with your suggestions or questions -
phone - 391-6561
e-mail - fortcollinshens@gmail.com

4. Go to the City Council meeting on June 3rd and voice your support

Posting the slideshow and some other goodies

Look at the bottom of the page for the slideshow of my presentation to the Planning and Zoning Board. There is also a video from a local backyard flock, as well as a mini-documentary about the urban chicken process in Missoula, MT which passed last year.

Schedule update

Things are moving fast.

Thursday evening is the Planning and Zoning Board meeting. This hearing is open to the public. Please come if you are available. I will be giving a 5 to 10 minute presentation on our initiative.

Planning & Zoning Board Hearing
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave., Council Chambers
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 12:00AM
Web address: http://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/planning-zoning.php
Contact Information: Angelina Sanchez-Sprague asanchezsprague@fcgov.com
Phone: 221-6525


After that are two City Council meetings. Here are the details:

City Council Regular Meeting
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave.
Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 10:30PM
Web address: http://fcgov.com/council
Contact Information: City Clerk's Office sagonzales@fcgov.com
Phone: 970-221-6515

City Council Regular Meeting
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave.
Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 10:30PM
Web address: http://fcgov.com/council
Contact Information: City Clerk's Office sagonzales@fcgov.com
Phone: 970-221-6515

It is time to get people talking about the Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition and discussing local food issues!!

Step one complete.

I sat in on the Planning and Zoning Worksession and listened to the concerns raised by our proposal.

All in all, I'd say that the P&Z worksession on Friday went well. It does seem that there will still need work to be done to educate folks on chickeny matters, but it feels doable. I was a bit disheartened that the representative from the Police Department just repeated the earlier concerns about noise, disease, 'gateway animal', etc. I'm not sure if Ted on the P&Z board did not pass our responses on to them, or if they just ignored them.

Their concerns are:

>> Disease of the birds
>> Disease of the remains
>> Precedent setting for ducks, geese, pigs, pygmy goats, etc.
>> Noise,
>> Predatory issues of acceptable pets in the neighborhood

In addition, it was asked that I try to find out if complaints about urban hens increased after the passage of similar measures in other cities.

Addressing these concerns will be my focus this week, as the P&Z meeting is on Thursday...

If any of you have ideas or would like to help prepare for Thursday, please let me know.

Chickens inspire logo

I received an e-mail from Dave Bartecchi saying that after reading the blog he "was inspired by the urban hen movement and put together a logo". Wow!! You can see what he made in the sidebar on the right.

The Schedule

Well, now we need to see this through the process of Fort Collins city government. The schedule is as follows:

Planning and Zoning Board Worksession - Friday, May 9th, Noon, 281 North College Ave. conference room A.

The public may attend this Worksession, but may only observe the process unless asked for input by the chairperson. The public will have every opportunity to participate in the last 3 steps of the process:

Planning and Zoning Board Hearing - Thursday, May 15th, 6:00 p.m. City Council Chambers, 300 LaPorte Ave.

City Council First Reading - Tuesday, June 3rd.

City Council Second Reading - Tuesday, July 1st.

I will be attending the worksession to be available for any clarification of the proposal and also to judge the reception of the proposal. After this meeting the real organizing work will start.

Not so easy there, boy...

Well, I submitted my proposal to the city and figured that it would be a good idea to see if there were others who had an affection for chickens who would be supportive, if push came to shove. I contacted Gailmarie Kimmel with the Local Living Economy Project and Kelly Falbo with the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association. Through them, I have found a very supportive group of folks who have helped me see this as bigger than a goofy idea for one guy to enjoy hens in his yard. Even the Planning and Zoning folks were surprisingly supportive. The only opposition so far has come from the Police Department during the Neighborhood Task Force meeting where this issue was raised by the Land Use staff. As a result of the concerns raised by Chief Harrison of the Fort Collins Police Department, we decided to offer a set of regulations for the keeping of hens in the city. There went my idea of sticking with decriminalization... This is what Ted Shepard and I came up with:

CITIZEN INITIATED TEXT AMENDMENT

Item 801 – Amend 5.1.2 – Definition of Farm Animals – to allow up to six chicken hens in the City.

Problem Statement

The Current Planning Department has accepted an application for a Text Amendment to change the definition of Farm Animals in order to allow up to six chicken hens in all zones of the City. Chickens are presently included in the definition and, therefore, are allowed only in the zones which allow Farm Animals (RUL, UE, RF).

The applicants state:

Given the current climate of awareness of the issues surrounding local food production, food security, and sustainability, we propose to amend Section 5.1.2 of the Fort Collins City Land Use Code definition of Farm Animals so that Chicken Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals from a Land Use Code perspective.

Whereas responsibly raised chicken hens in an urban setting are less disruptive to the public than outdoor dogs and cats (1) (2) (3) (see below); and

Whereas locally raised eggs for personal consumption are a part of the sustainable lifestyle promoted by the Fort Collins/Belleview based Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association, the Northern Colorado Local Living Economy Project; and

Whereas there have been positive and public steps taken toward the responsible raising of urban chicken hens in such cities as Seattle, WA (4); Portland, OR (5); Cedar Falls, IA (6); Missoula, MT (7); and Madison, WI (8); and

Whereas allowing the raising of urban chicken hens would fit well within the Fort Collins City Plan values of Sustainability, Choices, Fairness, and Fulfillment; and

Whereas in 2000 the Sondburg House Chicken Coop was granted Historic Landmark designation by the city of Fort Collins (9) for its representation of the property's early history, thus showing a long-standing tradition of urban chicken raising in Fort Collins; and

Whereas the only impediment to allowing the urban raising of hens in the city of Fort Collins is in the prohibition of Chickens in Section 5.1.2 of the Land Use Code.

Therefore, we propose the Section 5.1.2 of the Land Use Code be amended to include the following:

Chicken Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals.

(1) U.S. Humane Society reports that 4.7 million Americans, mostly children, are bitten by dogs. http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/dog_care/stay_dog_bite_free/questions_and_answers_about_dog_bites/

(2) The American Bird Conservancy reports that domestic cats can have a significant negative affect on native wildlife populations, including songbirds.

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf

(3) An Internet search for injuries caused by chickens resulted in no statistics. It appears that chickens do not cause a significant number of injuries to make the news.

(4) Seattle, WA
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2002/0120/cover.html

(5) Portland, OR
http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=13510

http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php

(6)Cedar Falls, IA
http://www.waterloocourier.com/articles/2006/08/28/news/top_story/6755e264e431a422862571d8004c7e08.txt

(7) Missoula, MT
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/urban_chick_raising_chickens_in_the_city/C520/L40/

(8) Madison, WI
http://www.madcitychickens.com

http://www.tarazod.com/filmsmadchicks.html

(9) Sondburg House chicken coop

http://fcgov.com/cityclerk/pdf/0321ag.pdf

Proposed Solution Overview

Staff has worked with the applicant and researched other cities to find a reasonable compromise that would allow the responsible raising of chicken hens and yet protect the peace and quiet of residential neighborhoods. Amending the definition of Farm Animals in the Land Use Code would address the land use issue.

The enforcement issue, however, is covered under the Animal Control section of the City Code. The City of Fort Collins Police Department contracts out animal control services to the Larimer County Humane Society. These two entities would be responsible for responding to any complaints regarding chicken hens in neighborhoods. Based on input from these enforcement agencies, Staff will forward to City Council additional restrictions with regard to chicken hens as an amendment to Section 4.117 of the City Code:

Land Use Code:

Amend Section 5.1.2 definition of Farm Animals to retain the prohibition on roosters but allow up to six chicken hens. And, amend the Animal Control Section of the City Code.

Farm animals shall mean animals commonly raised or kept in an agricultural, rather than an urban, environment including, but not limited to, chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, cattle, llamas, emus, ostriches, donkeys and mules. Chicken hens, numbering six (6) or fewer, shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals.

City Code

Section 4-117(a)

Up to six (6) chicken hens may be allowed for the purpose of producing eggs, subject to the following restrictions:

1. No roosters are allowed.

2. No slaughtering is allowed.

3. Chicken hens shall be kept within a secure enclosure.

4. Enclosures shall be located at least fifteen (15) feet from the nearest property line.

Others have done this...

So, my research started on-line. Danged, there were other folks who had faced this same issue before. And successfully. There were reports of urban chicken wranglers from coast to coast. From New York City (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/dining/19yard.html?ref=style) to Seattle, WA (http://www.seattletilth.org/resources/City%20Chickens/view?searchterm=chickens). Most inspiring to me were the efforts in Missoula, MT and Madision, WI. The Cheddar Heads did it with flair and humor (http://www.madcitychickens.com/).

I researched the local ordinances and discovered that all that really stood between my and feathered friends was the definition of Farm Animals in the Planning and Zoning Code for Fort Collins. Aha! I figured that if I could get the definition of farm animals changed to exempt a few hens, heck, that would be all that was needed. Decriminalize chickens, not legalize them as the had in other places. That suited me just fine. But where to start. This is where the e-mail to my city council rep comes in. She pointed me to a contact within Planning and Zoning. I called Peter Barnes and asked him what it would take to amend the Zoning Code. He was very helpful. Through some trial and error in discovering the correct process, I finally worked with Ted Shepard to file the correct forms and submit my proposal. It went like this:

Supporting Documentation for the Proposed Text Amendment for Definition of Farm Animals

Given the current climate of awareness of the issues surrounding local food production, food security, and sustainability, I would like to offer the following proposal to amend Section 5.1.2 of the Fort Collins City Land Use Code definition of farm animals to include the following:

Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals for the purpose of the city land use code.

************************************************************************

Whereas responsibly raised hens in an urban setting are less disruptive to the public than outdoor dogs and cats (1) (2) (3), and

whereas locally raised eggs for personal consumption are a part of the sustainable lifestyle promoted by the Fort Collins/Belleview based Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association, the Northern Colorado Local Living Economy Project, and

whereas there have been positive and public steps taken toward the responsible raising of urban hens in such cities as Seattle, WA (4); Portland, OR (5); Cedar Falls, IA (6); Missoula, MT (7); and Madison, WI (8), and

whereas allowing the raising of urban hens would fit well within the Fort Collins City Plan values of Sustainability, Choices, Fairness, and Fulfillment, and

whereas in 2000 the Sondburg House Chicken Coop was granted Historic Landmark designation by the city of Fort Collins (9) for its representation of the property's early history, thus showing a long-standing tradition of urban chicken raising in Fort Collins, and

whereas the only impediment to allowing the urban raising of hens in the city of Fort Collins is in the wording of the Land Use Code definitions,

Be it proposed that the Fort Collins Land Use Code definitions be amended to include the following:

Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals for the purpose of the city land use code.

(1) U.S. Humane Society reports that 4.7 million Americans, mostly children, are bitten by dogs. http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/dog_care/stay_dog_bite_free/questions_and_answers_about_dog_bites/

(2) The American Bird Conservancy reports that domestic cats can have a significant negative affect on native wildlife populations, including songbirds.

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf

(3) An Internet search for injuries caused by chickens resulted in no statistics. It appears that chickens do not cause a significant number of injuries to make the news.

(4) Seattle, WA
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2002/0120/cover.html

(5) Portland, OR
http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=13510

http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php

(6)Cedar Falls, IA
http://www.waterloocourier.com/articles/2006/08/28/news/top_story/6755e264e431a422862571d8004c7e08.txt

(7) Missoula, MT
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/urban_chick_raising_chickens_in_the_city/C520/L40/

(8) Madison, WI
http://www.madcitychickens.com

http://www.tarazod.com/filmsmadchicks.html

(9) Sondburg House chicken coop

http://fcgov.com/cityclerk/pdf/0321ag.pdf

I just wanted to have a few hens in the back yard...

I never intended to make any changes to the world when I decided that I wanted to have some pet hens for eggs and my own entertainment. Chickens have always made me smile and I wanted to share that amusement and the appreciation of where food comes from with our children.

First, I asked our neighbors if they minded. They looked at me kind of funny, but shrugged and said "ok". I could tell that they thought I was nuts. Relatively harmless, but nuts. I think that the raised garden beds and fruit trees in suburbia were their first clue.

I started out calling the city over a year ago and initially got directed to the Planning and Zoning who said "only in certain zones". Even if it is only a few hens. And even if they are pets. I thought that this needed to change. Sure, I could go underground. Say that they were for the kids' 4-H projects. Things like that. But it became the principle of the thing in my mind pretty quickly. "Who are they to tell me that I can't raise my own eggs" kind of an attitude.

Next, I tried contacting my city council rep with questions about the legal status of urban hens. Got pointed back to Planning and Zoning and in a direction which I am still traveling.