Ideas for New Chicken Zoning Regulations

I drafted these zoning changes because in the of my last people asked me to propose my own changes and get a forum started.

The following proposed zoning laws would change Table 17.10.30B 4. The current law states that fowl are only allowed in HL and R1, with a maximum of one animal for every two thousand square feet of property. My proposed changes are as follows, but keep in mind this is not written in exact legal lingo:

• Allow hens on any property with a single family home
• An enclosed coop to house chickens is required with a minimum distance of 25 feet from a neighbors home
• Absolutely no roosters
• Limit to 5 (or 6) chickens
• Noise or smell complaint it will be handled in the same way as with cat and dog complaints

Why I Chose These Rules

Single family homes should be allowed to raise a small number of egg laying hens because the majority of them have the space to do so. The twenty-five foot distance barrier is there to protect neighbors. It will allow single family homes with space to have them, but bar houses that do not have enough space (such as the houses behind between Halburns, and similar developments). Furthermore, chickens cannot be heard from more than twenty feet away. This is probably why that is a standard among most cities that allow urban hens. Only their male counterparts make noticeable noise, and for this reason, roosters would not be allowed in newly zoned homes in Santee.

Families choosing to raise hens should be allowed to have up to five or six hens. This is a good number of hens because depending on the breeds of chickens the typical flock of five or six will lay about four eggs a day, providing a family of four with one egg per person a day.

Chickens are more then just a sustainable food producer gracing your backyard, they are pets just like cats and dogs. In the rare occasion that a neighbor does end up complaining about someone’s hens, due to the fact that dogs are louder then chickens and ten chickens will leave less dropping in one day then a 40 pound dog, it is only fair that the complaint be handled in the same way as other pets.

Other Points of Interest

Since most backyard chickens are owned by people with gardens I wanted to mention that chicken poop can be and be used as a great nitrogen fertilizer. If the owner is unable or unwilling to compost the waste it can easily be added to the (dog and cat feces cannot because they eat meat).

Chickens are also excellent garbage disposers they love kitchen scraps, leftovers gone bad (as long as they’re not all moldy), expired food, garden clipping, weeds and bugs you don’t want around your house; like pincher bugs, cockroaches, mosquitoes and flies.