It’s been a while since I’ve updated y’all on my quest to get the city of Longmont, CO to pass an ordinance allowing backyard hens, but we (the Longmont Urban Hen Coalition) have been making some progress and I thought (for those of you who are interested and haven’t been following my regular tweets on Twitter) a little update was in order.
Back in December we held a public information meeting at the library called “Eggs on the Table” about backyard hens. Attendance wasn’t great due to snow and freezing temps, but we had a fair turnout (and one city council member attended) and got an article in the local paper. By the way, if you want to see a cool comparison of store-bought free-range eggs and (almost) backyard chicken eggs (I say almost because they are from a local farm), check out GreenMe’s post Something to Yoke About.
Longmont and the great chicken debate has also recently made national news – first in USA Today and then, this weekend, it was mentioned on NPR.
On January 6, one of our Coalition members attended the city council open forum, made a good case for backyard hens and received several favorable comments from city council members. It doesn’t hurt that she’s a doctor and, I think, perhaps viewed as more credible than other “chicken ladies” might be. The reactions from city council that night showed me that while this isn’t a done deal, there is definitely hope of getting an ordinance passed.
This past weekend, four of us (including myself and Alison) took turns freezing our buns off standing outside of Vitamin Cottage collecting signatures on our backyard chicken petition. I thought that Vitamin Cottage would be a goldmine when it came to people in support of backyard hens and sustainable living, but I was quite surprised with the number of people who A) walked by so quickly I couldn’t even approach them and B) were against it. Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of people in support of it, but just not as many as I expected. There were also a fair number of people who were in favor of chickens, but lived in neighboring towns and thus, were not eligible to sign the petition. However, the weekend signature collecting was definitely productive. We’ve now collected over 400 signatures, which we will be presenting to the city council at the upcoming study session on Jan. 20, where the chicken ordinance is going to be discussed again. We’re hoping for a good turnout of chicken supporters to show city council that this is an important issue for us.
I find it interesting that our city is making a lot of great strides when it comes to sustainability – there was a Sustainability Fair late last year, we have a good recycling program, curbside compost is in the works for the future, and more – yet they seem quite fearful of allowing us to raise our own eggs. My hunch is that they will come around eventually and give the go ahead for hens, but that it might take some time. I also foresee them authorizing it with the condition that it is reviewed in a year or so to reevaluate. I believe that is what Fort Collins (to our north) has done and I think that’s a reasonable request (so long as they don’t tell everyone to get rid of their chickens after a year!). ;oP
I have a feeling that whenever this is approved, it is still going to take my family probably another year or so before we get chickens of our own just because we’ll want to build our own coop and do a fair bit of research before getting into it. And ideally, I’d like to move before we get chickens.
So there ya have it. We’re still clucking along and are determined to make this happen. :)
For the full details or to stay up-to-date with our progress, visit Longmont Urban Hens (my other blog).
Flickr photo by Barb of Perfectly Natural Photography used with permission. Thanks, Barb!
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Elizabeth says:
Good luck! I hop you get your chickens. :)
January 13th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Cate says:
Hi Amy,
Luckily, I live in rural VA, and I have the freedom to have chickens, no prob. Some of my friends in the “city” of Charlottesville, VA are allowed to have chickens without a problem too.
I do understand your frustration, however, and I hope you get those chickens!
I suggest, once you do, to go for Americanas. They lay those pretty blue, green, pink, and tan eggs. My girls are great with my kids, and I love that I know what I’m feeding to my little ones! Rich orange-y yolks, tough shells…Yep, they’re definitely worth it every day.
Best of luck!
January 13th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Emily Jones says:
My question is this: generally speaking, why are people opposed to the idea? Is it just the looks of it?
I used to live with the ILs and they had ducks in their yard, and those thing were flippin annoying with all their chatter all day and night. But other than the noise, I didn’t think it was a big deal.
January 13th, 2009 at 9:37 am
lilbet says:
I guess I don’t get the controversy. When economic times are tight, you’d think it would be beneficial for those struggling to have their own chickens, learn how to care for them, etc. Also, teach those that are challenged about raising your own food in small garden plots. It drives me crazy that there’s so much red tape involved in something that will have minimal impact (and most neighbors will work together to figure out peaceable compromises if there are issues).
I’ve mentioned it before, but can’t you have chicks as pets? That’s how area communities have gotten around it in my neck of the woods. I’m assuming you’re linked in online to others that have been successful.
Would you be willing to teach others how to do this once you’ve got it up and running? I’d be that would be helpful to offer.
Windchills are minus 33 here today (Minnesota). My concern would be the hardiness of the chicks, the ability for me to keep them warm. I’m assuming you will have to build a coop with at least a warming lamp to provide heat?
January 13th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Tara says:
Great news, Amy! Getting chickens sounds like such a big deal, but it isn’t :) It is a lot of fun, and they are pretty easy to have as pets. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have. Our girls are about a year and a half now – this particular batch came along just before Colin’s first birthday.
January 13th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Abbie says:
Good luck! We’re planning our coop now and will be getting chicks this spring. I feel lucky that they’re allowed here (we could have up to 20 on our property if we wanted… which we don’t!)
January 13th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Crunchy Domestic Goddess says:
Thanks all. :)
Emily – People are primarily concerned about the noise and the smell. I think many of these ppl grew up around chickens on a farm (think 10s and 100s of chickens) which is a great deal different than 4-6 chickens. Also, the barking dogs in this city (at all hours of the day and night) are a lot louder than a handful of chickens (who go in their coop on their own at night). No roosters would be allowed.
The city’s concerns are that it will make more work for code enforcement if there are a lot of complaints. It just makes sense to be a good neighbor and address neighbor’s concerns before getting chickens, and of course, bribe them with eggs. ;)
Lilbet – No, we can’t have them as pets or we wouldn’t be going through all of this. ;) Some cities around here can, but they are explicitly outlawed in Longmont as they are defined as livestock. That’s not to say that ppl in Longmont don’t have them, because I’ve talked to many who do, but if someone complains, you may be forced to get rid of them.
I don’t know that I’d personally be willing to teach others about hen ownership, but I’m guessing some of the others in the coalition who’ve had hens in the past or have them now might. I’ll ask them about that. Good tip. Thx!
And yes, a heat source would be necessary. A 60 watt light bulb can do the trick depending on how many hens and how big the coop is.
January 13th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Greenstylemom says:
I’ve been silently rooting for you! I still can’t believe they don’t let you have hens. We are allowed up to 10 hens per home lot but no roosters. I hope it passes soon. I have always wanted chickens and really hope we can get our act together to do it next summer.
January 13th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Stephanie - Green SAHM says:
That’s great! I was just looking at chicken rules for my city, and the biggest challenge would be keeping the coop 35 feet from neighboring residences. We’re renting, so no pets, but I like to think ahead to whenever we can buy.
January 13th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
ctdaffodil says:
I don’t see what the big deal is about having some chickens….think of all the ticks they would eat! That is why I entice all the wild turkeys to my yard all summer – (yeah i feed them corn) made my neighbor mad but – he can pull ticks off my kids and see how he likes it
January 14th, 2009 at 7:54 am
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[...] decided I’m over getting chickens for my backyard. Sure, eggs would be nice and chickens would be fun, but eggs aren’t THAT expensive to buy at [...]
April 1st, 2009 at 10:50 am
Anisa says:
Your neighbors down here in Englewood, CO enjoy their backyard flock! We have 3 adult hens right now, and four more pullets that are about a month old. We’re rooting for you!
April 1st, 2009 at 3:58 pm
The backyard chicken saga continues in Longmont | Crunchy Domestic Goddess says:
[...] My last update on the process of trying to get backyard chickens legalized in Longmont, CO [...]
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Gen says:
So…my hubby and I are looking to move to Englewood and I cannot find whether or not they allow chickens in residential areas. Anyone know? Looking in the area of Swedish Hospital between Old Hampden and 285. THANKS
July 7th, 2010 at 11:32 pm