Farmington Planning Commission Gives Chickens a Green Light

An ordinance that allows Farmington residents to own chickens crossed the road Monday, and is now headed from the planning commission to the city council. 

Farmington officials took a look at the city's animal control rules after an Ohio man released dozens of exotic animals before committing suicide last October. The incident, in which 48 animals were killed, has led state and local officials around the country to review local ordinances. 

In March, city council members approved an ordinance that dealt with exotic animals and livestock, but did not resolve issues raised by .

During its regular meeting at Monday, planning commission members held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would have effectively kept the vast majority of homeowners from keeping chickens. The proposal's requirement for a 100-foot setback from adjoining buildings, city administrator Vince Pastue acknowledged, would have prohibited chickens on all but a handful of very large lots. 

Michael Weddell, who with his wife, Esther, raises chickens at their home on Manning, said those pets are much less a nuisance than the family's dog. 

"The dog barks whens he wants in," he said. "The chickens make a quiet peeping sound." He added that dogs bite, and because they can be a danger, society regulates them. "We don't just ban them. I'm suggesting we do the same thing with the chickens."

While he favors regulations, Weddell said the proposed rules seemed "quite onerous" and would effectively ban him – and his entire subdivision – from raising chickens.

To resident Hugh McDiarmid, the ordinance seemed like "a solution in search of a problem." He said the 100-foot setback seemed "pretty extreme" and noted raising chickens has societal and educational benefits. 

But Lillian Kelly, who said she grew up around chickens, called chickens "smelly" and "mean." "Chickens belong on a farm, not in a city," she said.

As planning commission members discussed the ordinance, the majority were also troubled by the large setback. Commissioner David Gronbach also felt the required 15-foot setback from the homeowner's residence was too great a distance. The final ordinance included a 50-foot distance from neighbors and a 10-foot distance from the residence. 

The ordinance, which will be considered by the city council at a future meeting, also prohibits roosters, caps the number of chickens at three, requires chickens to be kept in a back yard and sets out requirements for fencing and an enclosure for the birds.