Public supports poultry

Many members of the public showed up in strong support of a proposed chicken ordinance during a public hearing at the May 14 Saratoga Planning Commission meeting.

During a previous Saratoga Town Council meeting, resident Jon Nelson presented a proposed ordinance that would allow people to own chickens on residential lots within town limits, which is currently mostly illegal.

Under Saratoga municipal code 18.42.150, the owning of chickens is prohibited in residential zones with a few exceptions. These exceptions are outlined for animals raised for 4H or FFA purposes, or for areas greater than five acres in size. Permits are required under these exceptions.

This discussion was brought to the planning commission, where it was decided to hold a public hearing on the issue.

Members of the public seemed united during the hearing, emphasizing the self-sufficiency owning chickens would bring, as well as pointing out the inconsistency of the current ordinance compared to other areas in Wyoming. Additionally, it was consistently argued dogs pose more of a nuisance than chickens.

Resident Marie Christen discussed multiple reasons in favor of allowing chickens in residential lots. She said chickens were "a great educational tool for children to learn about responsibility."

"I know that with 4H we are allowed to have animals, but what if we don't want to do 4H? I'm really busy, I don't really want to do it, but I do want to teach my children about responsibility," said Christen.

Christen also listed the use of chicken waste as fertilizer, pest control, reducing food waste and the benefits of eating eggs as reasons to let residents own chickens.

Joe Parrie pointed to Cheyenne, Laramie, Casper and Rawlins as towns with ordinances that allow chickens.

In Cheyenne, up to six chickens can be owned on an eligible lot under municipal code 6.08.020. Eligible lots are defined as "any lot that contains no more than one detached single family residential dwelling unit that is occupied as a personal residence by at least one adult who shall be responsible for compliance". Additionally, chickens must be kept in a covered and clean coop. Roosters are explicitly disallowed.

Casper allows a maximum of six chickens as well, under municipal code 6.04.270. Casper has almost identical requirements to Cheyenne, with some differing requirements in that coops are only permitted in the rear yard of a home.

In Laramie, residents can have up to twelve chickens under municipal code 6.06.030. In addition, "the enclosure, fence, or pen in which animals are kept shall be at least twenty feet from all neighboring residences, unless the owners of said residences waive this requirement in writing."

The City of Rawlins allows residents to apply for a permit to own chickens.

"It's a small town in the middle of rural Wyoming, I just can't believe you can't have a few chickens in there. Ones that are controlled," Parrie said. "I don't want them running all over town, like the dogs do."

Beth Penner said, during her research, she called the Rawlins Police Department to ask about chicken complaints.

"[The woman at the desk] said that since she started working at the PD that they have had more dog nuisance calls than they ever did chickens. I asked her if maybe she could give me an estimate about how many chicken calls they get per month ... she said maybe one," Penner said.

Outside of general support, several members of the public discussed the idea of the limit on the number of chickens being based on the size of the property, rather than being a set number.

No comments were presented in opposition to the proposed ordinance.

Christen asked the commission what the process and timeline would look like for the ordinance. Mayor Chuck Davis said the planning commission would vote to give the recommendation of action to the town council. Then, in the next town council meeting, the council would have a discussion and call for a vote to change the code. If passed, the ordinance would need to go through three readings before going into effect.

"I can't speak for the entire council, but honestly I don't think there would be any issues," Davis said.

During the planning commission meeting itself, a motion was made to have Director of Public Works Emery Penner create a draft ordinance, which would then be discussed and voted on for recommendation to the town council during the next planning commission meeting.

The next meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission will be at 5:30 p.m. on June 11 at the Saratoga Town Hall.