Over two years after a similar motion was shot down, Chatham-Kent council will once again look at the idea of allowing chickens in residential neighbourhoods.
Under the Responsible Animal Ownership Bylaw, chickens are only allowed on properties zoned as agricultural.
Chatham-Kent resident Jane LaBute has launched a petition in favour of residential chickens says there are a lot of misconceptions about having a backyard brood.
“I think what people don’t understand is that even if they think that chickens don’t belong in the city, they don’t realize that even rural homes that aren’t zoned agricultural are prohibited from having chickens,” LaBute explains. “Even if you have a number acres out in the middle of nowhere in Chatham-Kent, you’re not supposed to have chickens.”
The issue is expected to be on the agenda for the February 6th council meeting.
Council last discussed the chicken issue back in June, 2020, but the motion to allow chickens in residential areas ended in a 9-9 tie, and didn’t pass. Some of the concerns raised around the council table included noise, vermin, and smell.
A similar motion came to council in 2013 as well, but was voted down.
LaBute hopes some minds have changed since the last debate in 2020.
“At that particular meeting, Councillor (Anthony) Ceccacci did not support it and this time he brought the motion forward.”
Ceccacci’s motion asks administration to look into what other communities in the region allow and requests input from Chatham-Kent Public Health.
CLICK HERE to see the petition. Paper copies are also available at a number of locations across Chatham-Kent.