| | | Neighbors make noise over chicken proposal | | January 18, 2010 |  | | | Voice Correspondent | | A quest to change city rules to allow more people to raise chickens in their backyards has spurred a tense debate in Hill East online forums.
In the fall, Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells introduced legislation that would allow residents living on narrow lots to raise hens for eggs if they have the consent of at least 80 percent of their neighbors within 100 feet. Wells hoped the legislation would simply prompt the D.C. Department of Health to change its regulations, which essentially prohibit keeping chickens in residential areas. Now the department is, in fact, looking into a possible change.
Recently, local listservs and blogs have been lighting up with fighting words on the issue.
“I gasp at the thought that after chickens, we will be faced with a discussion on the benefits of backyard pigpens. I am sure that in 1859 BC, people had many urban practices that we all would be repelled by today, too,” wrote Patrick on the newhilleast Yahoo group.
After one newhilleast poster said chicken supporters might be “wallflowers and social misfits,” another retorted: “I’d bet you that the people most interested in raising their own chickens are the people most likely to shop at farmer’s markets. This isn’t about being a hermit, it is about getting cheap, safe, delicious food that’s good for the environment.”
While there are already rules on the books that allow for raising hens in the city, those regulations are so restrictive — chickens must be kept at least 50 feet away from human livings spaces — that the vast majority of D.C. residents cannot keep them.
The impetus to change the regulations came from one Hill couple who unknowingly violated D.C. health codes last spring. As part of a school science project with their two daughters, Caryn Ernst and husband Josh Silverman started raising several hens.
The hens were shooed away by D.C. Animal Control officials and are now living on a farm in Fauquier County, Va. The family hopes to be reunited with them.
Wells’ chief of staff, Charles Allen, said the legislation was intended to “start the conversation” about backyard hens, which some people want to raise to produce eggs.
“Where Tommy is coming from on this is there is a large group of younger and educated [residents] who feel that this is important. They’re very concerned about what’s in their food — hormones, antibiotics — as they are looking to raise their family,” Allen said.
He said the proposed new rules were crafted with enough flexibility to allow wary neighbors to block hens from moving in next door. He also emphasized that the measure would prohibit residents from keeping roosters.
Instead of the council passing a new law, the Health Department could choose to adopt Wells’ recommendations wholesale or to amend the chicken ordinance in another way.
If the Health Department issues its own proposed changes, there will be a public comment phase, followed by another review.
Meanwhile, Ernst has been advocating for the regulation change through local media and an online petition.
While the chicken reform campaign has attracted many Capitol Hill supporters who want a regular supply of fresh and sustainable eggs, it has also generated opposition from residents who worry about noise and dirty hen coops.
“For any D.C. resident desiring to raise chickens, they should consider moving nearby somewhere within Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania (where it’s the norm in many portions of these states) ... . Washington, DC is a ‘City!,’” wrote Hill resident Michael on the newhilleast Yahoo group.
Resident Catherine Smith said she does not see the point of changing the regulations, since people can already buy fresh, locally produced eggs from Eastern Market and other farmers markets.
“I just don’t think they’re clean,” she said. “I really don’t want them next door.”
Smith said after she posted a comment on the newhilleast listserv opposing the changes, her inbox was flooded with comments.
“I’ve had hundreds of e-mails about it,” she said. “I don’t read all of them, but it seems to me that most people are against it.”
Resident Everett Volk said he would support the reform, since it requires residents who want to raise hens to be proactive in order to earn and maintain the support of their neighbors. He added that there are already rules in place that deal with noisy animals.
“If you’ve got a couple of chickens running around your yard and you keep after them, I don’t know what the big deal is,” Volk said. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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