Hudson Common Council to Hear Backyard Chicken Proposal

If you haven’t heard, there is a group of Hudson residents hoping to legalize backyard chickens.

Currently, city code does not allow residents to own, harbor or keep any livestock within the city limits, but urban chicken advocates hope the Hudson Common Council will consider passing an ordinance allowing backyard chickens within city limits—at least for a one-year trial period.

The proposal got its first hearing last week before the Public Safety Committee where it was not recommended on a 2-1 vote—Council Members Mary Yacoub and Rich Vanselow voted against the proposal, while Council Member John Hoggatt voted to recommend it.

Although the commission voted not to recommend the proposal, those trying to get the ordinance changed have not given up.

“We are very disappointed in the decision of the two council members—Mary Yacoub and Rich Vanselow—on their stance against backyard chickens,” Jen Heriot, an advocate for backyard chickens said. “We will be taking every opportunity to work with them to educate them on the issues they brought up so they can understand the importance of the issue to those of us who would like to own backyard hens.

"We will continue to approach council to represent all the residents who want to take control of their food sources, introduce their children to concepts like animal welfare and the food cycle, and live a more sustainable, responsible life.”

The Hudson Urban Chickens group provided the committee with a lot of information, facts and data about backyard chickens from other cities that proves there is no additional burden on the city, and very few issues that arise from the public, Heriot said; expressing concerns that the council members had their minds made up before listening to the proposal.

“They brought up issues we have proven through facts and data shouldn’t be issues,” she said.

The Common Council is expected to take up the backyard chicken proposal during the June 3 meeting.

The chicken advocate group will now set out to try to educate Hudson residents and council members on the benefits of backyard chickens, Heriot said, as well as dispel all of the common misconceptions that most people have.

The benefits of backyard chickens include fresh eggs, fertilizer, bug control in your backyard and educational opportunities for our children—including those that would like to participate in 4H, she said. Chickens do not smell, and they are not noisy since roosters are not included in the proposal.

“It is hard to believe that our city council could not be open to the idea of backyard chickens when so many other cities are,” Heriot said. “Many cities that are more densely populated than ours are doing it successfully.”

While putting together the proposal, Heriot said chicken advocates have contacted other cities in the area to ask about their experiences since allowing backyard chickens.

“None of the cities have had any burden placed on them or their enforcement and animal control departments,” she said.

The city of Maplewood told Heriot their only issues over the years has been dealing with residents who already had chickens and just needed to get them permitted.

During the committee meeting, Vanselow said he was concerned about mixing rural with urban areas.

In response, Heriot said: “We're not trying to turn our city into farmland, but if New York City, Madison and Chicago can have chickens, why can't Hudson?”

Vanselow also said there are options for residents to rent farmland, build a coop and raise chickens on the rented land.

“But as a busy parent I know that I don't have time each day to drive out to a farm to pick up the eggs I get from my five chickens each day,” Heriot said. “The cost of gas would most likely be more than the eggs are worth.”

During the committee meeting, Yacoub said she was concerned about residents slaughtering their chickens.

But the proposed ordinance states there would be no slaughtering of chickens, Heriot said.

“Truthfully, it saddens us that this would even be a concern,” she said. “Those of us that would like to have hens would consider them as family pets. We would be investing our time, money and emotions into building a coop and raising them. If someone wanted to slaughter a chicken, I'm sure there are easier and more affordable ways of doing so, but we are not interested in killing our pets.”

Heriot said backyard chicken advocates were “very disappointed” that the committee would not recommend the proposal to try the ordinance change on a trial run for a one-year period.

“But we all feel strongly that this is just the beginning for us,” she said. “We’re not going away. We will continue growing and moving forward with petitions and education about urban chickens.”