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2013-01-15 PACKET 03.A.
CITY OF MINNESOTA COTTAGE GROVE TO: Public Safety, Health and Welfare Commission Members Craig Woolery, Director of Public Safety Pete Koerner, Deputy Director of Public Safety FROM: John McCool, Senior Planner DATE: January 11, 2013 !N'E: Keeping of Poultry and Fowl in the Backyard Introduction Two property owners have requested the City Council to amend city ordinances for purposes of keeping chickens and ducks in their back yard. The City Council requested that the Planning Commission make a recommendation on this issue. Ordinance Regulations The City's Zoning Ordinance regulations allow farm animals in all zoning districts, but the property must be a minimum of five acres (Title 11, Chapter 3, Section 7). The City's Animal Control Ordinance states that wild animals are prohibited as pets and that no person shall keep a wild animal (Title 5, Chapter 4, Section 6). Any game bird (including pheasants, ducks, geese, quail and grouse is included in the 'Wild animal" definition. This section of the City Code also states that a licensed peace officer is empowered to immediately impound any wild animal found within the City and seek whatever legal process necessary to enter private property to carry out this directive. �• Z In August 2012, the City received a complaint about a residential homeowner keeping chickens and another homeowner keeping ducks. Both properties are located in urban residential neighborhoods and both properties are about % of an acre is size. The City explained the ordinance regulations to both property owners and asked to remove the animals from their property. Both property owners requested the City Council to amend city ordinances so that they could keep their chickens and ducks on their property. To date, the chickens and ducks still remain on these residential parcels. The complainants still object to any ordinance amendment and want these farm animals removed. Memo to Public Safety, Health and Welfare Commission Members, Craig Woolery and Pete Koerner Poultry and Fowl Ordinance Requirements January 11, 2013 Page 2 of 2 Allowing poultry and fowl in the backyard of urban residential lots was discussed at various City Council and Planning Commission meetings in 2012. At the Planning Commission's meeting on December 17, 2012, our office presented a summary of ordinance regulations for poultry and fowl in the backyard of urban lots by other 52 cities, a copy of the emails received from property owners in favor and against ordinance regulations allowing poultry and fowl in the backyard of urban residential lots, public comments posted on the City's Facebook and the results of an opinion survey that had 237 responses. Copies of these materials are enclosed. At the Planning Commission's meeting on December 17, the Commission decided not to proceed in drafting any amendments to the Zoning Ordinance or Animal Control Ordinance for this matter. Some of the Commission members expressed concerns for health risks that these types of animals might pose in urban residential neighborhoods. Presenting their recommendation and the recommendation from the Public Safety, Health and Welfare Commission and the Public Safety Department to the City Council is tentatively scheduled for their meeting on February 6, 2013. A few articles concerning potential health issues are attached. Service Pig Request In December, the Planning Department received a request from a Cottage Grove resident to have a small pig in their home for purposes of helping address some of their son's health issues. The son is autistic and has epilepsy. They are unable to consider other therapeutic pets (e.g. dogs) because of allergies. This resident explained that the pig will be trained and registered as a therapeutic pet. The animal will be kept inside of their home. City ordinances do not provide an exception to the farm animal ordinance requirements. Because of the recent discussion for chickens and ducks, this resident is requesting that the City also consider amending city ordinances to allow a therapeutic a pig in their home. Request I will attend your meeting on January 15 and make a short presentation on this topic. At the conclusion of the presentation, the Public Safety, Health and Welfare Commission and the Public Safety Department will be asked to make a recommendation whether or not amendments to the City Code should be drafted for purposes of allowing poultry and /or fowl in the backyard of urban residential lots. In addition, a recommendation concerning the more recent request by a resident to have a "service pig" in their home for purposes of helping their son's special needs should also be made. This resident states that the pig would be trained and registered as a therapeutic pet. CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE J MINNESOTA TO: Planning Commission Members FROM: John McCool, Senior Planner DATE: December 13, 2012 RE: Keeping Poultry and /or Fowl in Urban Residential Neighborhoods Introduction On November 21, 2012, the City Council requested that the Planning Commission make a recommendation on the idea of amending city ordinances to allow chickens and /or ducks on urban residential lots that are less than five acres in area. Background At the April 4, 2012, City Council meeting, Councilmember Olsen requested information on the City of Minneapolis' recent adoption of ordinance amendments allowing "urban farming." A re- sponse to the City Council was prepared by Robin Roland and presented to the City Council at their meeting on April 18, 2012. The City Council received Roland's report and took no further action. Since that time, the City received complaints of chickens in the backyard of a residential lot and of four ducks in the backyard of another residential lot. The City's Code Enforcement Officer provided written notice to both property owners that farm animals are not allowed on their prop- erty. Several deadlines were set for compliance, but neither situation has been resolved. On September 5, 2012, the owner of the ducks presented a petition signed by homeowners sur- rounding his property that do not object to the four ducks. The owners of the chickens were also present at the Council meeting and requested that the City Council change City ordinances to allow chickens on their property. At that meeting, Council referred both matters to Community Development staff to research and respond to the City Council and also to share the information with the two residents. City staff's response and a copy of the materials regarding urban farming presented to the City Council on April 18 were distributed to the Council and the owners of the chickens and ducks in advance of the Council meeting on September 19, 2012. A copy of the staff memorandum dated September 13, 2012, and the chicken ordinance requirements in 19 other communities in the metropolitan area were provided to the City Council and the owners of the chickens and ducks. At the September 19, 2012, City Council meeting, Council referred this matter to the Planning Commission for comment. The Planning Commission discussed this issue on October 22, 2012. At this meeting, staff reported to the Commission that the City Council requested that they comment on the idea of allowing chickens and /or ducks on urban residential lots that are less than five acres in area. The Planning Commission discussed the following issues relating to potential impacts and regulatory requirements: Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 2 of 9 • Property values • Ordinance regulations required by other communities • Popularity of keeping chickens • Code enforcement issues (e.g. complaints by neighboring property owners, lack of ground vegetation, coop and pen design, etc.) • Minimum lot size requirements • Licensing requirements • Coop and exercise runs and enclosure requirements • Coop and pen setbacks • Licensing and inspection requirements • Number of poultry and fowl • Pigeons, pigmy goats, pot -belly pigs, miniature farm animals, honey bees, etc. The Planning Commission was informed that the City has received two complaints about chickens and ducks in the back yards of single - family properties. Enforcement of current ordin- ance requirements prohibiting farm animals on property less than five acres have been delayed because of the ongoing discussion if current ordinance regulations should be amended. Sup- porters for chickens and ducks in the back yard of urban residential lots attended the Planning Commission meeting and stated their reasons for amending city ordinances. The Planning Commission acknowledged that there are many issues that must be addressed if an ordinance amendment was to be prepared. The Commission generally agreed that other communities are changing their ordinances and that there might be some merit in beginning the process of evaluating this issue. By a 7 -1 vote, the Planning Commission believes there is a growing trend and will need to further discuss this issue. This action by the Planning Commis- sion did not include the updated survey results showing that 67 percent of the communities in the metropolitan area do not allow farm animals in the back yards of urban residential lots. On November 21, 2012, a summary of the Planning Commission's discussion on this topic and the results of the updated survey of ordinance requirements by other cities were presented to the City Council. City Council requested that the Planning Commission make a recommendation on this matter. Ordinance Requirements Cottage Grove's ordinance regulations allow farm animals in all zoning districts, but the property must be a minimum of five acres. The number of farm animals allowed on property greater than five acres is limited by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's recommended animal units per acre. The City's Zoning Ordinance definition for "Farm Animals" and "Household Pet" reads as follows: "FARM ANIMALS: Horses, cows, sheep, bees, pigs, chickens, ducks and other commonly known animals normally associated with farms, but excluding customary household pets." Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 3 of 9 "HOUSEHOLD PET: Animals that are customarily kept for personal use or enjoyment within the home. "Household pets" shall include, but not be limited to domestic dogs, domestic cats, domestic tropical birds, rabbits, or fish." The City's Zoning Ordinance provides the following regulations (highlighted in bold lettering) for residential lots with less than 40 acres of land: Title 11, Chapter 3, Section 7; Farming Operations in Residential Districts: 1. Parcels Less Than Forty Acres: The keeping of any farm animal on parcels of less than forty (40) acres in size shall be permitted, subject to the following conditions: a. The property must contain at least five (5) acres in contiguous ownership or leasehold. b. The property must contain at least one and one -half (1 acres of land per animal unit. This number may be exceeded only by conditional use permit. c. All buildings intended to house animals shall be set back at least sixty feet (60') from all property lines and at least three hundred feet (300') from a dwelling other than the dwel- ling on the property in question. d. All pens, yards or other confinement areas, excluding pastures, where animals are kept shall be set back at least sixty feet (60') from all property lines. e. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency does not require that a feedlot permit be issued. 2. Parcels Larger Than Forty Acres: The keeping of farm animals on parcels larger than forty (40) acres in size is permitted, subject to the following conditions: a. All buildings intended to house animals shall be set back at least sixty feet (60) from all prop- erty lines and at least three hundred feet (300') from a dwelling other than the dwelling on the property in question. b. All pens, yards or other confinement areas, excluding pastures, where animals are kept shall be set back at least sixty feet (60') from all property lines. c. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency does not require that a feedlot permit be issued. The City's Animal Control Ordinance states that wild animals are prohibited as pets and that no person shall keep a wild animal (Title 5, Chapter 4, Section 6). Any game bird (including phea- sants, ducks, geese, quail, and grouse) is in included in the "wild animal" definition. This section of the City Code also states that a licensed peace officer is empowered to immediately impound any wild animal found within the City and seek whatever legal process necessary to enter private property to carry out this directive. Survey of Other Cities' Ordinances City staff updated the survey regarding poultry and fowl ordinance requirements by other com- munities in the metropolitan area. This survey was originally prepared in April 2012 and listed 19 cities. The updated survey now includes 52 cities. Based on this updated information, one -third of the communities surveyed allow poultry /fowl on urban residential lots and the remaining two - thirds of the communities did not allow them on small urban lots, but generally do allow them on Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 4 of 9 large rural and agricultural lots. An interesting fact to note on the updated survey results is that some cities allowing poultry/fowl in residential zoning districts generally have a minimum lot area requirement that is larger than a conventional single - family lot. Examples of the minimum lot area requirement are shown below. Andover also stipulates that the lot must not be served with city water and /or sanitary sewer utilities. City Minimum Lot Area Andover 2.5 acres Brooklyn Park 5 acres Chanhassen 2.5 acres Cottage Grove 5 acres Elk River 5 acres Forest Lake 5 acres Inver Grove Heights 1.75 acres Lakeville 10 acres Lino Lakes 10 acres Grove 1.5 acres - Maple Minnetonka 1.0 acre West St. Paul 5 acres Woodbury 5 acres The table below shows the minimum side and rear yard setbacks and the minimum setback between the coop /pen and any neighboring dwelling: City Coop/Pen Minimum Side Yard Coop/Pon Minimum Rear Yard Minimum Setback Between Coop/Pen and Other Dwellings Anoka 5 feet 10 feet Bloomington 50 feet 50 feet No Requirement Burnsville 10 feet 10 feet 50 feet Duluth Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. 25 feet Eagan 5 feet 10 feet No Requirement Fridley Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. 50 feet Maplewood 5 feet 10 feet No Requirement New Brighton No Requirement No Requirement No Requirement New Hope Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. No Requirement Northfield Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. 25 feet Oakdale Minimum setback for zoning district property is located in. Minimum setback for zoning district ro ert is located in. No Requirement Ramsey 10 feet 10 feet No Requirement Rosemount 10 feet 10 feet 75 feet Roseville 5 feet 5 feet No Requirement Shoreview Minimum setback for zoning district proper t y is located in. Minimum setback for zoning district propert is located in. 30 feet Stillwater 3 feet 6 feet No Requirement Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 5 of 9 Chanhassen's City Council has discussed this matter several times and each time concluded that farm animals should not be permitted on urban lots that are generally less than 15,000 square feet in area. The City of Columbia Heights had prepared an amendment to their city codes to allow chickens on urban lots seven years ago, but the amendment has not been sup- ported by their City Council because a few residents have asked to allow other farm animals (i.e.; pigmy goats, pot - bellied pigs, miniature horses, honey -bees, pigeons, etc.) on residential lots. Within the last couple months, Eagan and Stillwater have both adopted ordinances allowing poultry and fowl on urban residential lots. Both of these City's ordinances are similar to each other. Each requires a city license for keeping chickens and requires a coop with an attached run area that are both completely enclosed. Stillwater and Eden Prairie have both been asked to adopt ordinances to allow honeybees on urban residential lots. Forest Lake, Brooklyn Park, Golden Valley, Richfield and Crystal have recently started their discussions about backyard chickens. Most cities generally agree that the number of homeowners wanting poultry and /or fowl in their backyard is relatively few. A few cities reported that they still occasionally receive complaints about chickens in the backyard and most of the time found the owner of the chickens is com- pliant with city ordinance requirements. In these situations, city staff and elected officials have dedicated additional time to find compromises that both property owners can agree to. Some cities collect a license fee to cover the administration and initial inspection of the coop and pen, but reported that this fee does not cover city staff time for code enforcement or responding to complaint issues. Some cities have not adopted or amended their ordinances to allow poultry and fowl in backyards because of staffing limitations within animal control, code enforcement, or public safety departments. A copy of the updated survey is attached. Discussion Communities have been discussing and updating their local ordinances to address new trends in raising backyard chickens, bees, miniature farm animals, etc. The Planning Commission has been asked to provide input about chickens and ducks on urban residential lots that are less than five acres in area. In response to this issue, you might think about how other farm animals (e.g. pigmy goats, pot - bellied pigs, and homing pigeons) should be regulated since our office does occasionally receive inquiries for their presence on urban residential lots. Cities have legal authority to regulate pets and domestic animals as a valid use of local police power as long as it is reasonable and not arbitrary. Based on previous complaints about farm animals on urban residential lots, not all property owners will agree that farm animals should be permitted in urbanized neighborhoods. City ordinances regulating "backyard chickens" has been a topic discussed by many cities in more recent years. For some cities, this topic was expanded to include miniature farm animals, domestic fowl (e.g. turkeys, geese, peacocks, guinea fowl, and ducks), bee - keeping, and homing pigeons. If a chicken is allowed on a typically sized urban single - family lot, should a duck, peacock, or some other small farm animal also be permitted? Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 6 of 9 People probably choose to raise chickens as companion animals, for a hobby, egg production, and as a way to promote urban agriculture and sustainability. Proponents cite that the practice of keeping chickens provides natural pest and weed control, a way to recycle kitchen scraps and ultimately chicken waste can be composted into garden fertilizer. Contrary, some believe keep- ing chickens attracts flies, mites and lice, rodents, and can be unsanitary if not properly cared for. Regulatory Considerations Keeping poultry and /or fowl in the back yards of urban residential lots may occasionally create conflicts between small lot owners or between tenants of a multi - family housing complex. Of the 33 percent of the communities that allow poultry and /or fowl in urban neighborhoods, staff time and elected officials were still involved to resolve conflicts between property owners, even if there was no code violation. Most of the discussion has been primarily about keeping chickens in the back yard. Are three chickens any different than three ducks or one pot - bellied pig? A few communities have adopted regulations for pigeons, miniature farm animals, honeybees, pigmy goats, and pot - bellied pigs. The City has received a request from a Cottage Grove resident wanting to keep a "service pig" in their home. The purpose for the "service pig" is to help a family member who has a disability. Apparently the pig has not been trained to help a person with any specific disability. Even though the number of people wanting to care for a small farm animal in their back yard is few, city resources to license, inspect, and enforce could be significant if there are code viola- tions or conflicts between property owners. Even if a "Neighbor Approval or Notice Provision" is required, this does not always guarantee there will not be problems in the future. Some common requirements specific to backyard chicken ordinances that could be included in an ordinance amendment or licensing procedure are listed below. Requirements for other farm animals would have to be addressed. • Zoning districts where they may be Requiring written permission from a located. certain percentage of neighbors. • Coop and /or run requirements. • Limiting the number of hens. • Butchering. • License revocation. • Proposed coop location. • Allowing hens only. • Setback requirements for coops. • Maintenance of coops and /or runs. • Sale of eggs. • Minimum lot area requirements. • Storage of feed. • Licensing and Inspection Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 7 of 9 Enforcement In addition to city enforcement, some neighborhoods have associations that may restrict home- owners from keeping farm animals. Associations have authority to enforce that prohibition via fines and /or court action if necessary. If farm animals are to be allowed in Cottage Grove urban neighborhoods, the City will need to determine licensing, inspection, and enforcement require- ments, and which City department is responsible for these duties. Enforcement for poultry and fowl will take away from other code enforcement priorities. Animal Control Ordinance Chapter 4 of the City Code establishes a license requirement for dogs and cats over six months of age. The annual license fee is $15 for spayed /neutered dogs and cats. A site inspection is not required for dogs or cats. If City ordinances are amended to allow certain farm animals in the back yard of an urban resi- dential lot, City Code Chapter 4 must also be amended if licensing requirements are imposed for fowl. Some communities require a permit or license for backyard chickens and an inspection of the site is typically necessary to insure coop setbacks, fencing, coop structures, sanitary condi- tions, etc. are in compliance with ordinance requirements. If an amendment to the City's Zoning Ordinance is recommended to allow farm animals on urban lots, the City's Animal Control Ordinance must also be changed. The Public Safety staff and the Public Safety, Health and Welfare Commission will be consulted in this process. Public Comment and Survey Results On October 8, Robert Janicek submitted a letter supporting chickens in the backyard of urban residential lots. Included with his letter was a variety of materials supporting chickens in the backyard of residential neighborhoods. One of the documents was a summary of chicken ordin- ance regulations from 15 cities in Minnesota. A copy of that document is attached. David Campbell has sent an email message supporting the idea of allowing chickens in the back yard and suggested five recommendations that the owner of the chickens must abide with. A copy of his email message is attached. Autumn Carlson has sent three email messages expressing her concerns for poultry in the back yards of urban residential lots. Copies of her messages are attached. Angel Popowitz has sent an email objecting to the ducks in the back yard of her neighbor's yard. A copy of her email message is attached. Planning staff prepared an opinion survey about keeping poultry and /or fowl in the back yard of urban residential lots. Survey Monkey's services to post the survey were used. The announce- ment of this survey was posted on the City of Cottage Grove's Facebook page on Friday, December 7, 2012, and a link to access the survey was provided. The survey consisted of 13 questions and was an opportunity for the general public to comment on this topic. From December 7 to December 13, there were 237 survey responses. A copy of the survey was also available at the front counter of the Cottage Grove Public Safety /City Hall. Fourteen surveys were completed at the front counter. The survey responses generally favored poultry and fowl to Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 8 of 9 be only allowed on acreage parcels. A copy of the 237 survey results, the 100 comments received through Survey Monkey, and the survey results from the front counter are enclosed. Staff recognizes that this type of self - selection survey does not accurately represent the opinions of all the citizens in the community. The keeping of chickens in the back yard of urban residential lots in Cottage Grove has received some media coverage (Pioneer Press, Star Tri- bune, KSTP and South Washington County Bulletin). Aside from the five City Council meetings and one Planning Commission meeting where this matter was discussed, there has been little dialog from property owners in urban residential neighborhoods. Posting this topic on the City's Facebook page and announcing that the Planning Commission will discuss this matter at their December 17 meeting was an attempt to inform the general public that they have an opportunity to participate in this discussion and at the same time provide some general feedback about this issue. Decision Resources was contacted to obtain a cost estimate to prepare a survey that would provide quantitative data results about this topic. Decision Resources has recommended that a telephone survey would work best for this type of community issue. The minimum survey sample is 250 calls and 15 questions. Once the survey questions have been prepared, com- pleting the survey and preparing a report on the survey results will take approximately two and a half weeks. The cost for this type of telephone survey is about $4,000. If the survey sample area increased to 400 calls with additional questions, the cost is about $6,000. Conclusion Planning staff will make a brief introduction of this issue for discussion. The City Council is seeking a recommendation from the Planning Commission concerning the City's current ordin- ance requirement that a minimum of five acres is required for farm animals in any zoning district or if city ordinances should be amended to allow certain farm animals on urban residential lots that are less than five acres in area. If the Planning Commission recommends that city ordinances should not be amended to allow farm animals in the back yard of urban residential lots, that recommendation will be reported to the City Council at a future meeting. Reasons for not considering such an amendment should be included in the recommendation. If the Planning Commission decides to proceed with drafting ordinance amendments to allow the keeping of certain farm animals in the back yard of an urban residential lot, the Commission should consider regulations listed on the handout titled "REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS TO KEEP CERTAIN FARM ANIMALS ON AN URBAN RESIDENTIAL LOT." A tentative schedule in preparing a draft ordinance is as follows: January 15, 2013 Public Safety, Health and Welfare Commission meeting January 28, 2013 Planning Commission meeting — Review draft ordinance and set public hearing for February 25, 2013 February 25, 2013 Planning Commission holds public hearing Planning Commission Members Farm Animals December 13, 2012 Page 9 of 9 March 20, 2013 If Planning Commission makes a recommendation at their February 25, 2013 meeting, the City Council will be asked to make a final decision on the proposed text amendment. Attachments: Updated Survey of Ordinance Requirements in other Cities Robert Janicek's letter dated 11/5/12 David Campbell's email message dated 1117/12 Autumn Carlson email messages dated 11/26/12, 12/6/12 and 12/9/12 Angel Popowitz email message dated 11/22/12 City of Cottage Grove's Facebook Comments Survey Monkey 237 Survey Results Survey Monkey 100 Comments Survey Results at Front Counter Poultry and Fowl Ordinance Survey of Other Communities November 2012 City Population Poultry/Fowl Allowed License Req. Permit Amount Inspections Req. Max. No. of Chickens # of Hens Roosters Butchering Coop Required Coop Standards Coop Inspection or Bldg. Permit g' Coop Setbacks Comments on Urban Lot Setbacks for accessory Lot must not be on city water or sanitary sewer. Andover 30,847 No Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited structures in the Lot must be zoned R1, R2 or R3 (Minimum lot zoning district area is 2.5 ac.) located in. Zoning regulations for Anoka 17,331 Yes No N/A N/A 4 4 No No Yes accessory structure in the Building permit inspection. 5 ft. side yard Ordinance since 2006. Do receive some complaints, but typically found compliance. zoning district located in. Chickens still an ag use and allowed only in Ag Apple Valle PP Y 49,801 No Unlimited Yes Ag District Ag Buildings Districts. City Council just re- evaluated ordinance and Blaine 58,331 No decided again only allow chickens in agricultural districts. Only on complaint ess than 120 sq. 50 ft. from property P p Y Solid fence not less than 4 ft, height is required. g q Bloomington 83,671 Yes No N/A basis. 4 4 No No Yes ft. & less than 6 ft. Building permit line. Changed ordinance in 2011. in height. Chickens allowed in city Brooklyn Center 30,204 No Consider ed a farm animal Ord, currently allows in Urban Reservew h" ac. minimum lot area. City is looking at amending Brooklyn Park 76,238 No * Yes ordinance to allow chickens in residential neighborhoods. Coop or run must be screened by solid fence. Maximum coop Minimum of 50 feet $50 for two height is 10 ft., from residential Storage of chicken feed must be in rodent proof Burnsville 60,664 Yes Yes year permit N/A 4 4 No Only in R1 District Yes coop floor must Yes structure. Min. of 10 container. be a minimum of ft. to property line. 12 inches from ground and not greater than 12 inches. Poultry and Fowl Ordinance Survey of Other Communities November 2012 City Population Poultry/Fowl llowed License Req. Permit Amount Inspections Req. Max. No. of Chickens # of Hens Roosters Butchering Coop Required Coop Standards Coop Inspection or Bldg. Permit Coop Setbacks Comments on n Urban Lot Chicken is a farm animal and is allowed only in Champlin 23,223 No Agricultural District. City has very little Ag zoned land. Chickens allowed in Ag District. Minimum of 2.5 acre lot area. City Council has looked at Chanhassen 23,247 No ordinances, but decided not to change ord. Lots only 15,000 sq. ft. in area. Chaska 24,002 No Animal & Fowl Ord. Agricultural district only. No ordinance. Tell people they can't have Columbia Heights 19,619 No chickens. Ordinance proposed 7 yrs. Ago but not supported by CC. Council discussed three year ago. Decided they Coon Rapids 61,766 No do not want farm animals in urban neighborhoods. Cottage Grove 34,828 No Limited by PCA Farm animal. Minimum of 5 acres of land. feedlot regs. Being debated. Only enforce ord. based on Crystal 22,168 No * complaints received. Roof structure, 1 sq. ft, of window for every 15 sq. ft. Yes, building permit Coop and pen area of Floor area. required if coop is must setback a Duluth 86,256 Yes Yes $10 Annual Annually 5 5 No No Yes Minimum coop greater than 120 sq. minimum of 25 ft. and pen area ft from adjoining must not be less residential structure. than 10 sq. ft. per chicken. Poultry and Fowl Ordinance Survey of Other Communities November 2012 City Population Poultry/Fowl Allowed License Req. Permit Amount Inspections Req. Max. No. of Chickens # of Hens Roosters Butchering Coop Required Coop Standards Coop Inspection or Coop Setbacks Comments on Urban Lot Bldg. Permit Minimum coop area is 2 sq. ft. Coop and attached per chicken and 5 fenced area must Initial and annual sq. ft. for pen. setback a minimum Attached fence area is required and must be Eagan 64,456 Yes Yes $50 annually inspections. 5 5 No No Yes Coop and pen With building permit. of 10 feet from rear completely enclosed. Eggs cannot be sold. must be lot line and 5 feet fro connected and m side lot line. completely enclosed. Chickens only allowed in rural areas and only if Eden Prairie 61,151 No legally non - conforming use. CC is discussing honeybee in urban neighborhoods. Edina 48,262 No Chickens considered livestock. Livestock prohibited in residential districts. Elk River 23,101 No Minimum lot area is 5 acres. Faribault 23,409 No Enforce only if complaint received. Has been an issue of discussion, but not widely supported. Planning Commission recommended ord. CC denied ord. amendment because they do not Farmington 21,369 No believe chickens should be in urban residential districts. Allowed only in agricultural districts with a Forest Lake 18,591 No minimum of five acres with a minimum of two grazable acres. 50 feet from all Fridley 27,515 Yes Yes $100 annual Annually None N/A N/A Determined in the Yes None Yes residential review process structures * In process of evaluating. Probably Feb. 2013 Golden Valley 20,427 No* direction from CC will be given. Poultry and Fowl Ordinance Survey of Other Communities November 2012 City Population Poultry/Fowl Allowed License Req. Permit Amount Inspections Req. Max. No. of Chickens # of Hens Roosters Butchering Coop Required Coop Standards Coop Inspection or Bldg. Permit Coop Setbacks Comments on Urban Lot 4 per acre and a 4 per acre and a 25 ft. setback from One acre minimum. Food container required. Hastings 22,217 No Yes minimum of one minimum of one No Not addressed Yes Solid Floor Yes property line 350 ft. mailed notice. School, museum or acre of land. acre of land. agricultural uses only. Fence required. Hopkins 17,701 No Agricultural Districts only. Minimum of 1.75 acre Inver Grove 33,774 No Yes Yes Only if complaint 25 feet from . parcel. Considered ordinance in 2011 but no Heights received property p p y lines Unlimited in Ag Unlimited in Ag Chickens allowed in Ag District with a minimum of Lakeville 56,534 No District but 10 acre District but 10 Yes Yes 10 acres of land. minimum acre minimum Minimum of 10 acres and in Rural, Rural Lino Lakes 20,505 No Executive, and Rural Business Districts. Max. # of hens Max. # of hens Accessory structure Maple Grove 62,436 No 12 chickens per ac. and roosters is and roosters is setback for Ag Allowed in Ag District with a 1.5 acre minimum. 12 per ac. 12 per ac. district. Interior Floor Leg banding required for each chicken. Climate At time of license space a minimum 5 ft. from rear and control maintained between 32 -85 degrees Maplewood 38,374 Yes Yes $75 per year approval and 10 10 No No Yes of 4 sq. ft. per side property lines. Fahrenheit. Runs a minimum of 10 sq. fl. per renewals. bird. Minimum bird. height 6 ft. Minnetonka 50,046 No Minimum of one acre for farm animals. No restrictions. If complaints received, they New Brighton 21,496 Yes No N/A N/A N/A NIA N/A N/A No None No None determine if action is necessary. $0 for up to 3 poultry /fowl Accessory structure Can apply to get permit for more than 3 New Hope 20,486 Yes Yes . No 3 3 No No No N/A Building permit. setback far zoning poultry/fowl. $75 for 4 or district located in. more. Wire fencing in pen must be a minimum of 18 Unlimited but 25 feet from an y inches above the ground. Chickens must be kept Northfield 20,454 Yes No NIA N/A requires a minimum 6 No N/A Yes N/A NIA residential structure in covered structure or fenced enclosure at all of 5 f 5 acres. on adjacent lot. times. Poultry and Fowl Ordinance Survey of Other Communities November 2012 city Population Poultry/Fowl Allowed Urban Lot License Req. Permit Amount Inspections Req. Max. No. of Chickens # of Hens Roosters Butchering Coop Required Coop Standards Coop Inspection or Bldg. Permit Coop Setbacks Comment on Setbacks for Oakdale 27,538 Yes Yes No fee. Periodically Depends on size of Depends on size If approved by No Yes None Building Permit for accessory structure 75 % of owners /occupants within 150 feet. lot. of lot. neighbors. accessory structures. in the zoning district for property. Plymouth 71,263 No Based on State Rural areas only. Statute Prior Lake 23,010 No AL Ramsey 23,865 Yes No N/A Upon complaints 6 6 No No Yes None Building Permit 10 ft. from property Lot size determine how many chickens. line. Richfield 35,376 Yes * No NIA N/A 3 3 Yes No Proposed Ord. Proposed Ord. Proposed Ord, Proposed Ord. *Started process to amend ordinance. Amendment Amendment Amendment Amendment Coop floor a Minimum of 75 feet minimum of 12 from adjoining Must obtain written permission from neighbors inches and not residential shows yards border the property. Maximum loft Rosemount 22,139 Yes Yes $25 annually N/A 3 3 No N/A Yes more than 24 Yes structures and a height is six feet. Must screen loft or coop from inches above minimum of 10 from view by fencing or evergreen plantings. ground. property line. 5 ft. from property Roseville 33,807 Yes No N/A N/A No limit No limit Yes N/A No No Building Permit line and 6 ft. from Not regulated. house Savage 27,147 No Shakopee 37,652 No i Only in Rural orAg Districts 30 feet from Shoreview 25,118 Yes $30 for two years 2 years At the time permit is 4 4 No No Yes Yes residential issued. structures South St Paul 20,275 No St Louis Park 45,505 No Poultry and Fowl Ordinance Survey of Other Communities November 2012 City y o P ulation Poultry/Fowl Allowed License Re Q' PermitAmount Inspections . P Re q. Max. No. of Chickens # of Hens Roosters Butchering 9 Coo Required p q Coo Standards P Coop Inspection or Bldg. Permit Coo Setbacks p Comments on Urban Lot Coop and pen 3 ft. side and rear No chickens in the house. Must provide a secure Stillwater 18,299 Yes Not yet Every two Periodically 5 5 No No Yes must equal at Yes yard setback and 6 and well ventilated roofed structure. An attached determined years. least 10 sq. ft. of ft. from other pen and protective overhead netting is required. area per chicken. structures. West St Paul 19,605 No A minimum of I've acres is required. White Bear Lake 23,820 No Council voted it down two years ago. Woodbury 63,143 No Chickens allowed on five or more acres of land. 52 Communities Surveyed 17 Communities (33)% allow poultry /fowl on urban residential lots 35 Communities (67 %) prohibit poultry /fowl on urban residential lots Five communities in the process of evaluating ordinances. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS TO KEEP CERTAIN FARM ANIMALS ON AN URBAN RESIDENTIAL LOT 1 Which farm animal(s) will be permitted on urban residential lots? 2 Which zoning districts should keeping a farm animal be allowed in? Is a structure required to provide shelter for the 3. farm animal? If so, what are the minimum and maximum size requirements for each farm animal? Should there be a pen area required? If so, must 4 the pen be completely covered to prevent animals from leaving /entering the pen and what is the minimum pen area required for each farm animal? Does the size of the coop or structure required to 5. house other farm animals apply to the maximum size limitations for accessory structures? 6 Is a building permit required for the coop or structure that provides shelter for farm animals? 7. What should be the minimum lot size? $ What is the maximum number of farm animals allowed on the property? 9. Is butchering allowed? 10. Allow roosters? What should the coop and pen area setback 11. requirements be from other residential dwellings not on the property in question? Should there be a written permission requirement from surrounding property owners /tenants? If so, 12. what distance from the hosting property? Is there a minimum percentage of supporters before a license can be issued? 13. Can eggs be sold at the property? 14. What maintenance requirements should be required? 15. Must feces be picked -up every day and properly disposed of? What is the minimum setback for an accessory 16. structure that provides shelter for the farm animal and /or pen must be from a side property line? What is the minimum setback for an accessory 17. structure that provides shelter for the farm animal and /or pen must be from a rear property line? 18 Can a shelter and /or pen for a farm animal be allowed in the side yard of residential structures? 19 Can a shelter and /or pen for a farm animal be allowed in the front yard of residential structure? 20. How should the feed be stored? 21 Should the City Council have the authority to suspend or revoke a license? 22. Prohibit raising or keeping chickens for fighting? Must the coop or structure housing the farm animal 23. have a window of a certain size that is based on the shelter's size? Must the floor area of a shelter for poultry or fowl 24. be raised above the ground? If so, what is the minimum floor height above the ground? 25 Must the vertical support of an elevated coop have to be placed in concrete footings? 26 What is the maximum height of a coop, shelter housing a farm animal, and /or pen on an urban lot? Is a privacy fence required around the coop, pen or 27. shelter that houses a farm animal on an urban residential lot? Should a license be required to have a farm animal 28. in the back yard of an urban residential lot? If so, how much should the license be? If there is a licensing requirement for keeping a 29. farm animal in the back yard of an urban residential lot, must it be renewed each year? Assuming there is a shelter and pen requirement for housing farm animals, is there an expectation 30. that city staff must inspect the shelter and pen for compliance of all the ordinance requirements? Is so, must the inspection occurs each year the license is renewed? 31. Can the animal feces be used to mix in compost or as yard fertilizer? 32 Must animal feces be collected on a daily basis and placed in a covered container? Should the temperature in the coop be maintained 33. at an adequate temperature during extreme winter and summer temperatures? Robert Janicek 8571 Jeffery Ave S Cottage Grove, MN 55016 651- 458 -1021 October 5th, 2012 City of Cottage Grove Planning Commission 7516 80` Street Cottage Grove, MN 55016 Dear Planning Commission et al.: I am a long -time resident of our City, and I am writing primarily to share infonnation regarding the subject of urban chickens. Although I am a supporter of this topic, I have provided both supportive and not so supportive information in the interest of the Committee making the best informed decision possible for all residents in CG. I have also provided some humor, I'm hopeful that this effort does not offend or make light of this situation, but provide a bit of levity that seems to be often missing in our busy lifestyles. The subject of urban chicken keeping and city farming are popular topics of late, with many communities amending existing or adopting new rules for land use including the allowance of what was once considered livestock animals such as chickens. On one side of the fence (no pun intended), you have folks who immediately envision cute fuzzy chicks for their children, or who have a harkening back to their farmstead upbringing, or simply people who have an irrational fear of food borne illness and believe that keeping your own chickens for eggs somehow totally prevents this risk. On the other side of the fence you have folks that believe chickens are truly farm animals with no personality and should exclusively be treated as such and that allowing urban chicken keeping will result in people having cows and horses in their residential backyards and chickens running rampant throughout the neighborhood. Somewhere around the fence line is the truth; in fact both sides of the argument above contain blatant misinformation. If one were to research cities with existing laws the truth would probably be more on the side that urban chicken keeping does succeed and truly is of little or no impact, pro or con, on a city such as ours. I'm hopeful that the Committee can see through the emotion and above the ignorance that seems to be inherently related to this issue and see it for what it really is and that is a handful of people wanting to keep another type of non - dangerous, quiet, non - intrusive animal as a pet (with egg rewards!). The safety net for the City on this issue is revoking a potential amendment to city code; it is truly a low risk proposal with great marketing payoff and revenue generating potential. I urge the committee to make an informed decision based on facts and data, I'm confident that based on facts and data your decision will be a supportive one. I look forward to your recommendation to the Council, and politely ask that you keep me informed on this issue via email at bob @bitstteam.net. Sincerely and with due respect, Fr D 2012 GE GROVE From: David Campbell <davelcamp @gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 5:34 PM To: John McCool Subject: Re: Planning Commission Comments - Report to City Council RE: Backyard Chicken Ord. Thank you for the update. I do not have a problem with keeping chickens. I have a problem with my neighbors keeping chickens, I have this problem because their yard is a dump. If they were clean and their yard was maintained (to the city requirements) I would not have complained. I will not get into what I do for a living but I can assure you that I know about property valuation. Based on my years of experience in this area I can assure you that my property is worth less money and it will take me much longer to sell my home, simply because these people live next door. I have the following recommendations. 1. People who want chickens should not have a legitimate city complaint in the past 3 years. (no hash in the front yard, no high weeds...). They should have a proven track record of keeping their property in good (city acceptable) order. 2. The coop and such should comply with specific standards. I would guess that PETA or some other animal society would have good guidelines. 3. Every neighbor should have to "sign off' on the application. I have rental property next to me so I think that it is unlikely that the home owners really care. 4. The homeowner should have a 6 foot privacy fence installed to at least the standard of a professional around the whole back yard. I have no problem with the home owner installing the fence but it should be of a specific quality. 5. The homeowner should pay a fee and agree 3 or 4 inspections each year. I think that the property owner should pay enough in fees to cover this cost rather than making all of the residents pay for their "hobby ". Thanks again for keeping me in the loop. 11/26/12 To: Myron Bailey, Derrick Lehrke, Justin Olsen, Jell Peterson, Dave Thiede, Jolui Burbank, John McCool, Kathy Dennis From: Autumn Carlson Hello, My name is Autumn Carlson and I am a junior at park High School, I previously sent an email to the city council members and the mayor about the fowl in Cottage Grove topic, I would like to provide more information for them and the also the planning commission. I am interested and concerned about the fowl ordinance issue, I am opposed to allowing fowl in the city of Cottage Grove for multiple reasons including abandoned fowl, unnecessary suffering, upkeep costs, and more. There are a few items that 1 would like to bring up, With every backyard hen there are roosters who are suffering. In many cities roosters are not allowed, Because roosters are not allowed they are seen as disposable and either die or suffer immensely. Also, last sununer I found a young chicken in my Cottage Grove backyard. This chicken was bound by its legs thus having to endure suffering for an untold period of time. The cost to house chickens properly is quite a large amount, Annually individual chickens cost $288 for the extensive amount of supplies needed. On top of that there are start up costs of $3,870 and even more for veterinarian costs, Many families just don't have the financial means to raise chickens properly. The results of uninformed citizens can be shown in the Star Tribune article titled "Cottage Grove debates if fowl is fair ". In this article there is a picture shown of a child who has to bend over in her chicken's coop. This is problematic because chickens are indeed birds and need vertical space to thrive in their living quarters. There would be an increasing amount of costs associated with the city of Cottage Grove to keep the rules in the ordinances upheld city wide. I would appreciate there to be an informed discussion on this topic. For that reason, l am sending some links that show the harmful effects of urban/suburban fowl keeping and that provide examples of what other cities have done with the issue. Thank you for your consideration, http://www.worldpoulUT.net/Layers/Itealth/2012/11/ Backyard - chicken - owners - hurting- birds- 1109147W/ http://www.washingtonpost.comllocaVbackyard-ollicken- boom - produces - fowl - result- unwanted- inosters/ 2 012/ 11/ 23/ 4fd39524- 33de,- Ile2- 9efa- e41bac906cc9_story.html 5/1/20121Jtne Reader Down on Their Cluck: Abandoned Farm Animals Fill Hureane Societies staff' http: / /www environment /humane - societies -zmOz 12mj zros.aspx 2/l/2012 Chow Magazine the Dark Side of Backyard Chickens Joyce Slayton http: / /www.chow news /104627 /the^dark- side -of- backyard- chickens/ http:// www.citytv,com/toronto /Citynews /news /locai/av ir,lc /182978 -- backyard - chickens- debate,- deferred-indefinitely Autumn Carlson 10 /10 39Vd 3a01S 9NIAIia3ISISStl 919L89LI99 8Z :02; 6I06/9Z /TT From: Autumn Carlson <autumnfall555 @yahoo.com> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 5:44 PM To: John McCool Subject: Re: Keeping of Poultry in Urban Residential Neighborhoods Hi Mr. McCool, Thank you for tracking me down and responding. I'm sorry about the email mishap. I appreciate the information regarding the meeting. I hope the links and resources I sent are useful. I will continue to look for resources that may be helpful to aid in having an informed discussion. I will reattach the links I sent before onto this email. My previous correspondence was done by fax so I don't know how many people wanted to type in all of the URL addresses to follow the links. I hope that the planning commission will realize what a detriment having poultry in the backyards of urban lots would be for the animals, neighbors, and the city. I will be attending the meeting on the 17Th. Thank you for your consideration. Here are some links to look into: Increased Demand for Placement of "Urban Farm" Animals http• / /www chickenrunrescue.ory /surrender chg .pdf Veterinary Expenses for Urban Rescues as Indicator of Poor Care http://www.chickenrunrescue.orglyet chart.pdf Casualties of Urban Agriculture httD : / /www.facebook.com/media/set /? set =a. 10150602336545201 .676806.475016785200 &type =3 http:// www. worldpoultry .net/Layers /Health/2012 /11/ Backyard - chicken - owners - hurting- birds - 1109147 W/ http: / /www.wa: roosters /2012/1 33de- lle2- 9cfa- e41bac906cc9_story.html 5/1/2012 Utne Reader Down on Their Cluck: Abandoned Farm Animals Fill Humane Societies staff http : / /www.utne.com/onviromnent/ humane - societies- zmOzl2mjzros.aspx 2/1/2012 Chow Magazine the Dark Side of Backyard Chickens Joyce Slayton http: / /www.chow.com/food- news /104627 /the -dark- side -of- backyard - chickens/ http://www.citytv.comltorontolcitynewslnewsllocallarticlell82978-- backyard - chickens- debate - deferred- indefinitely Autumn Carlson From: Autumn Carlson <autumnfall555 @yahoo.com> Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2012 6:46 PM To: John McCool Subject: Autumn Carlson- Chicken Ordinance presentation Hi Mr. McCool, When a chicken flew into my yard this summer we brought it to a chicken rescue in Minneapolis that has taken in more than 800 chickens over the years. I keep in contact with them and also am a volunteer at The Chicken Run Rescue. The owner of the rescue, Mary Britton Clouse, has offered to give the Cottage Grove planning commission a similar presentation of what they were asked to give to Golden Valley Environmental Commission. They are very knowledgeable when it comes to chicken issues and ordinances. They also have written plans to use for inspection guidelines at the request of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control and St. Paul Animal Control. Having them present would add more information and ideas to the discussion. Let me know if you would want them to present at a future meeting. Thanks, Autumn Carlson This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service. For more information please visit http: / /www.symanteccloud.com From: Angel Popowitz f mailto :angelpopowitz(@vahoo.com Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2012 5:09 PM To: John Burbank Subject: Ducks Hi there. So I was wondering what's going on with this duck situation? I read the star tribune article about this situation. I don't think you all understand that this man has no space for these ducks. His back yard backs up to the whole side of my house. His ducks are in the farthest back of his yard which is the closest to our side of our house by our deck and under our kitchen window. I wish you would come out and see where he has these ducks placed. Of course any other neighbor barely hears or sees them because he is on a corner and they are the farthest from everyone else but us! Please let me know what is happening with this!!! Thank you!! Angel Popowitz Www.a ngel Popowitz. blogspot.com Angelpopowitz@Vahoo.com City of Cottage Grove's Facebook Comments December 7 -11, 2012 Dave LeVake, Terri Tufte, Kim Smrstick Beaton and 9 others like this. Kali Taylor Amanda Kowalski December 7 at 1:48pm via mobile Thomas Carlson Here is an article about chickens in the city. http: / /www.chickenrunrescue.org/ collective %20state ° /u20111809.pdf December 7 at 1:Sipm IN Kevin Johnson I say.... If you wanna be a farmer buy a farm December 7 at 2:34pm via mobile Jeff Rothecker City of St. Paul allows it and most of their lots are smaller than the ones here in Cottage Grove. December 7 at 2:49pm Kevin Johnson Well there you go.... Go live in st Paul .... lol December 7 at 3:12pm via mobile Elspeth Atkinson GREAT article link above! December 7 at 3:17pm r= Kelli Jankovich- McDaniel Chickens (Not roosters) make a lot less noise and mess than most dogs do! A few birds would do no harm. December 7 at 7:36pm 4 a Becky Fox I grew up on a farm raising chickens, ducks and geese -I left for a reason and sure hope my neighbors don't get to raise them in their backyard which is really close to mine! Believe it or not, you really wouldn't need to drive far to buy them from a local farmer and they are more work than most people realize. December 7 at 8:28pm via mobile Jean Jacobs Glaraton Glad to have the opportunity to voice my opinion through the survey. December 7 at 9:28pm � Jill Eriksen Sheppard If anyone is concerned about the inhumane treatment of chickens then they really need to consider where the grocery store chickens come fromhttp: / /www.youtube.com /watch ?v= enwU5jIXSIU Saturday at 4:48am Thomas Carlson Last summer we had a chicken fly into our yard in Cottage Grove. Its legs were bound together tightly with string so it was unable to walk correctly. My daughter caught the chicken and removed the string and found a place in Minneapolis that would take the chicken and find it a home. It took a month or two before the chicken was big enough to determine that it was a rooster and not a hen. Saturday at 7:02am �%' Dennis Breisler I want a goat. Saturday at 8:29am L0 0 Lewis Stein Noll Saturday at 10:32am via mobile 12:20pm Gene LeVake I don't think you want to open "THIS CAN OF WORMS "! 11! 1 Saturday at Will Hohenstein Green acres is the place for me. Farm livin' is the life for me. Land spreadin' out so far and wide Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside. Saturday at 3:58pm 19 Angel Popowitz really ?? i hope this survey on Facebook is not your deciding factor for this problem that has been sitting on the city council for more than 4 MONTHS! 1! are you sending this survey out with our water bill so it can be seen by EVERY person who lives in cottage grove ? ?? Saturday at 5:20pm RN Im Susan Farr Make sure to charge a license fee for each person who wants to do this who lives in urban CG because you will need to accumulate enougth income to offset the cost of constant calls to the police for animal noise disturbance caused by roosters. Sunday at 12:06pm Jen Peterson Roosters would not be allowed. Sunday at 8:58pm via mobile '9KI;%M Natalie Seim Oltman Jr. High had baby ducks that they hatched in science. Daughter brought one home. We raised them (2) from babies, and it imprinted with us. It walked around the yard with me when I watered the garden. It turned it's heads when the jets flew over. They were fun. We made a cage for them, had a small round pool for water, and like others we knew that had them from Otlman, they get too big to keep in our yard. They poop a lot, and that needs to be taken care of. You need to keep them safe because we do have fox around here (so they needed a cage at night). It was a lot of work. I know some people released the ducks to the ponds, we took ours to a friend's hobby farm. I think if they have a proper place for chickens and they weren't noisy I would agree. Ducks, more work! Other cities have these. Would have to address their waste /poop disposal. As long as the parties surrounding the home agree with a signature, I would agree. ( I think that is what some cities do). Sunday at 11:11pm City of Cottage Grove Facebook — Sharing Pages December 7 -11, 2012 Jan LeVake Heriot I would love to have chickens in MY back yard. With the right rules and regulations (no roosters) it can be a great thing!! Many cities are now considering this; just passed in Stillwater. Hoping Hudson will do the same some day. Now having cows, goats or other "farm animals" is a whole other story - ha! I'll have to pass this on to my family living in CG. Saturday at 2:35am via mobile Nicole Tennis I do have farm animals in my neighbors backyard. Don't remind Jesse of the wild boar. Too soon! Saturday at 7:57am via mobile Jill Eriksen Sheppard Jennifer Schottmuller Bierma Here's the survey link.:) December 7 at 9:47pm Jill Eriksen Sheppard via Amelia La Casse Please give your input to the City of Cottage Grove in favor of allowing backyard chickens!ll December 7 at 5:09pm Elspeth Atkinson Amy ... good to knowl! This is all new to me. I love the idea of fresh healthy eggs. I am just too wary sometimes and assume the worst of what some people would do. December 7 at 9:58pm Jill Eriksen Sheppard I think the chicken industry as a whole are the worst offenders of treating chickens inhumanely and those that want to raise a few in their backyards are in a different category http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enwU5jlXSIU Food, Inc. - Industrial Chicken Farmers Clip from Food, Inc. in which small southern farmers are beholden to large corpo... See More Saturday at 6:51 am Anita Morrill I posted the survey link to our local Urban Chicken Farmers group, too. The questions on the survey continue to bother me, though, in terms of private property rights. You shouldn't really have to ask "permission" of any level of government to do as you see fit on your own property..... Saturday at 9:21am Anita Morrill As an example, Des Moines code: http://library.municode.com/HTML/13242/level3/MUCO—CHI BAN_ARTI I NGE. html #M U CO_CH 18AN_ARTI I NGE_S 18- 4AGNOANEXAN Sec. 18 -4. - Agricultural nondomestic animals and exotic animals.(a)No horse, cow, calf, swine, shee library.mun icode.com No person, while herding or driving any animals mentioned in section 18 -4 of thi... See More Saturday at 9:30am Francisco Gonzalez via City of Cottage Grove, MN - City Government mmm ... can I keep an nandu too? See Translation December 7 at 3:34pm Keeping Chickens in the Back Yard Ordinance ! ` g, Survey). Monkey 1. Are you a Cottage Grove homeowner in an urban residential neighborhood? Response Response Percent Count YES 86.1% 204 NO 0 13.9% 33 answered question 237 skipped question 0 2. Should people living in an apartment or townhouse complex be allowed to keep poultry or fowl penned -up outside? Response Response Percent Count YES 13.5% 32 NO 66.5% 205 answered question 237 skipped question 0 3. Do you object to your neighbor keeping chickens in their back yard? YES NO Response Response Percent Count 52.3% 124 47.7% 113 answered question 237 skipped question 0 1 of 5 4. Do you object to your neighbor keeping fowl (e.g. wild ducks, geese, turkeys, etc.) in their back yard? Response Response YES NO 0 Percent Count 62.7% 148 37.3% 88 answered question 236 skipped question 1 5. Would you object to your neighbor keeping a rooster(s) in their back yard? Response Response YES NO 0 Percent Count 72.5% 171 27.5% 65 answered question 236 skipped question 1 6. Should the owner of poultry and /or fowl be allowed to butcher the animal on an urban residential lot? Response Response YES NO Percent Count 38.6% 90 61.4% 143 answered question 233 skipped question 4 2of5 7. Should the owner of poultry and /or fowl be required to provide coops and fences for the poultry and /or fowl in their back yard? Response Response Percent Count YES 88.5% 207 NO 11.5% 27 answered question 234 skipped question 3 8. Should the owner of poultry and /or fowl be allowed to sell eggs from their urban residential lot? Response Response YES NO Percent Count 47.0% 111 53.0% 125 answered question 236 skipped question 1 9. Should keeping poultry and /or fowl in the back yard of an urban residential lot require a minimum lot area? Response Response Percent Count 74.6% 176 25.4% 60 answered question 236 skipped question 1 3of5 10. If you answered YES to question No. 9, what should the minimum lot area be? Response Response 6,000 square foot lot area 0 12,000 square foot lot area 21 One -half acre (21,780 square feet) 24 One acre (43,560 square feet) 19 Two acres (87,120 square feet) 0 Five acres (217,800 square feet) 29 0 Percent Count 11.4% 21 13.0% 24 10.3% 19 13.0% 24 15.8% 29 36.4% 67 answered question 184 skipped question 53 11. Would you support an ordinance amendment that allows residents on an urban residential lot to keep other small farm animals (e.g. pigmy goats, pot - bellied pigs, honeybees, pigeons and other wild game) in their back yard? Response Response YES D NO Percent Count 29.6% 69 70.4% 164 answered question 233 skipped question 4 4of5 12. Assuming the photograph of a coop and pen as shown above complies with all ordinance regulations; would you accept its placement on the urban residential lot next to your property? YES NO Response Response Percent Count 41.4% 98 58.6% 139 answered question 237 skipped question 0 13. Do you have additional comments you would like to say regarding a homeowner keeping poultry and/or fowl in the back yard of their urban residential lot in Cottage Grove? Response Count 100 answered question 100 skipped question 137 5of5 1 Survey Monkey Comments 2 December 7 -12, 2012 4 Poultry stinks. Unless you are a poultry farmer, you should absolutley NOT be able to 5 keep anything like that on your property. Who the hell wants to wake up to roosters in 6 the city!! 7 12112/2012 10:32 AMview Responses 9 If this is allowed all neighbors should have the right to say no. The property should 10 have had zero justified City complaints (tall grass, trash cans...) in the past 3 years. The 11 property owner should be required to have a 6 foot privacy fence installed to the 12 standard of a professional installer. 13 12/11/2012 4:49 PMview Responses 14 15 1 think that is good, as long as the coop is clean. 16 12/1112012 12:01 AMview Responses 17 18 a neighbor of mine had some wild one and then move on to rabbits and stinks and then 19 where do they put the droppings? If you open this it will be a disaster. 20 12/11/2012 11:44 AMview Responses 21 22 If I wanted farm life, I would move to the country. I want my neighborhood to be clean. 1 23 don't want a stinky set -up next door. I don't want to noise pollution from poultry or other 24 fowl. And I don't want chicken, feathers in my yard. It might be fun for someone for the 25 first month or so, and then it would become work. Would there be setback regulations, 26 and other regulations, that would be STRICTLY enforced? Would there be a limit on 27 how many poultry are allowed? Will structures be taken down if not in use or will they 28 be allowed to sit there and rot? If and when they are taken down, will it be strictly 29 enforced to get decent grass growing there or will the owner be allowed to let the 30 weeds take over? Would the fowl be allowed out of their cages? Would this type of 31 thing bring more birds of prey to the area and make it dangerous for small pets to be 32 outside? My husband and I worked long and hard to get what we've got as have lots of 33 other people. I believe it would bring down the property values. We had a former 34 neighbor here in Cottage Grove who, shortly after we moved into our house, tried 35 raising pheasants in his backyard behind, and in, his shed. It was out of his sight, but in 36 plain view of us. The cage was two feet from the property line. The smell was 37 sickening. After failure, everything just sat there for twenty years. It turned into a junk 38 pile. There was erosion on the site and the hillside. No grass has ever grown there and 39 over the years the dirt area has expanded along with some weeds that I have a hard 40 time keeping out of my yard. I know you would have the ordinances in place, but if the 41 fowl owner is in violation, then it most likely would have to be a neighbor who calls and 42 reports them. If the neighbor asks the fowl owner to take care of something, the fowl 43 owner would most likely get defensive (from my own experience), or worse. Why allow 44 something more to create conflict in neighborhoods? If I were looking to buy a home in 45 CG, I would not buy next to a chicken coop property. And if one of my neighbors Page 1 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 decides to go the chicken route, I will regret the day that we decided to buy a home here. 12111/2012 1:17 AMview Responses Keep them like a dog in a kennel, this really puts a green stamp on your home. 12/10/2012 7:15 PMview Responses I have kept chickens and my neighbors never knew about it. 12/10/2012 6:45 PMview Responses DO NOT WANT IT AT ALL. 12/10/2012 4:39 PMview Responses There needs to be a maximum allowable ratio of animals to acreage. A five acre lot can't support a hundred chickens for example. 1211012012 2:08 PMview Responses I would be more concerned that it would be smelly and people would not maintain things as they should. If I wanted to live by a farm I would have purchased near one. It would be hard to regulate. 12/10/2012 12:47 AMview Responses I would be up at every City Council meeting C O M P L A I N I N G! 12/10/2012 11:56 AMview Responses My parents used to purchase a dozen or so live farm raised chickens from a country farmer, and bring them to our residential home and chop their heads off in our back yard, and boil them and pluck their feathers downsstairs in our home. No thought was ever given to the the legality of it back in the 1950s. We had easter chickens that my siblings and I got for easter when we were small children, and we intended to raise them in a residential back yard pen made out of screens on old wood window frames nailed together or hinged, and the neighbors around us never complained, but a dog broke through the screening and had a pleasant meal out of our easter chicks that we had planned to raise and eat ourselves after they were grown. I hate to deny someone else that we did ourselves in a time that doesn't seem so long ago. 12/10/2012 11:37 AMview Responses Farm animals belong on a farm. 12/10/2012 11:35 AMview Responses Just looking at that photo doesn't say much, how close is it to the houses surrounding, what's the smell like, noise? Not muc to decide on from that photo! I wouldn't want that anywhere I could see, hear or smell it! 12/10/2012 9:51 AMview Responses Provides organic eggs! Page 2 92 12/10/2012 9:31 AMview Responses 93 94 If you pass the ability to keep poultry then I'm getting a miniature pony. 95 12/10/2012 9:07 AMview Responses 96 97 1 would not want this messy, smelly, animal attracting nuisance near by home. I would 98 be upset and emberassed to live in a town that allowed this. I BEG of you to NOT 99 ALLOW THIS!!!!!!!! 100 12/10/2012 8:34 AMview Responses 101 102 The picture example is not the style I would find acceptable in town. There are plenty 1 103 would. This looks like it is for more birds than I would feel should be accepted. 104 12/10/2012 6:34 AMview Responses 105 106 Charge a license fee for each person that does this. Also, when I owned a dog in the 107 past, my neighbors called the police at barking constantly, could neighbors call the 1o8 police on rooster noise as well, how would that work? Some questions to consider here 1o9 as each noise disturbance call to the police costs the taxpayer money.... 110 12/9/2012 2:00 PMview Responses 111 112 the only concern is sicknesses that have been associated with chicken coops including 113 respiratory illness emitted from dried poultry/ fowl feces. If the city should allow 114 expanding the ownership of poulty /fowl, they have a responsibility to ensure that all 115 people applying for a permit are educated on the handling and care of poultry /fowl. 116 There should also be high fines if one is caught not adhering to the guidelines. 117 12/9/2012 12:15 AMview Responses 118 119 Gross 120 12/8/2012 10:46 PMview Responses 121 122 i would support it as long as there were rules requiring the pen and area around the 123 coupe were kept clean. that also would require that the POO is disposed of properly 124 12/8/2012 8:02 PMview Responses 125 126 1 would be OK with "a few" animals. my neighbors lots (including mine) are roughly 1/2 127 acre lots. If he wants a goat and 2 chickens or something I wouldn't be ecstatic about it 128 but he pays his taxes and he has to put up with my monster drum set. 129 12/8/2012 5:56 PMview Responses 130 131 My property my rights as long as I comply with reasonable common since standards 132 121812012 4:55 PMview Responses 133 134 How on earth do honeybees get lumped in with goats, pigeons, pot bellied pigs and 135 other wild game? I would be all for neighbors keeping honeybees, they help our 136 gardens and flowers! No thanks on the neighbors having pigs or goats. 137 12/8/2012 3:27 PMview Responses Page 3 138 139 1 am certain that most chicken owners would have much more attractive chicken coops 140 than the one shown in the picture, but I think that the novelty of having neighborhood 141 chickens outweigh the potential dislike of the pen. 142 12/8/2012 3:26 PMview Responses 143 144 If raising farm animals is important to them they should move out to a farm. Poultry and 145 farm animals should not be allowed in the city because of the closer housin situation. 146 12/8/2012 2:28 PMview Responses 147 148 1 don't think you want to open "THIS CAN OF WORMS "M! 149 12/8/2012 2:12 PMview Responses 150 151 Restrict to no less than a 5 acre lot. 152 12/8/2012 1:45 PMview Responses 153 154 Move to the "country" 155 12/8/2012 1:06 PMview Responses 156 157 1 think you open a can of worms when you allow poultry on a common city lot. 158 12/8/2012 12:54 AMview Responses 159 160 Our lots our way to small to have this be allowed. Who would be monitoring that they 161 keep them code? Is that something else we will have to pay for? 162 12/8/2012 11:54 AMview Responses 163 164 This is a great concept! Both green and cutting edge and good for children to witness. 165 As a 60 year CG resident I heartily support this. 166 12/8/2012 11:23 AMview Responses 167 168 There should be limits based on square footage to make sure the animals have 169 adequate space and are comfortable. 170 12/8/2012 10:57 AMview Responses 171 172 If you want farm animals, move to a farm. I live in a city for a reason. 173 12/8/2012 9:19 AMview Responses 174 175 1 think they should have a limit on how many chickens they can have - -maybe only 6. 176 Also, I would like to say the example you posted for a coop and pen area is a very 177 drastic and poor example. I have seen some that look like little dwarf cottages and 178 penned in very nice. It actually enhanced the yard area. 179 12/8/2012 8:32 AMview Responses 180 181 1 love my neighborhood and do not want to see that mess of chicken wire anywhere in 182 it! Not too mention the noise and the oder. People have a hard time picking up after 183 their dog, I can't imagine them cleaning up after their poultry. Do people realize that Page 4 183 they poop all day anywhere they want? Yuck! Support a local farmer a couple of miles 184 away and buy his farm fresh eggs and chickens. 185 12/8/2012 8:23 AMview Responses 186 187 There should be restrictions of course as to the distance a coop has to be to a 188 neighbors property. It should have to be several feet from any property line - 189 12/8/2012 7:39 AMview Responses 190 191 There should be something in here that says if my dog (or cat) kills one of these things 192 because the fowl got loose it isnt the dog owners fault. Also should state that if my dog 193 or cat freaks out and barks meows at the fowl the fowl has to go, not the dog or cat 194 1218/2012 7:29 AMview Responses 195 196 The picture above doesn't seem very representative of a normal coop /pen from what 197 I've seen. I'd support a more standard looking coop but not this "double- dome" cage. 1 198 don't believe hens fly so there would be no need for this type of structure. They can be 199 designed much better and are not much different than an outdoor dog house /kennel. 200 12/8/2012 7:15 AMview Responses 201 202 urban areas are not farms!I!!!I!!! 203 12/8/2012 5:42 AMview Responses 204 205 There is a distinct difference between urban and rural. These animals belong on a farm. 206 12/7/2012 11:25 PMview Responses 207 208 They would have to be kept clean and with no odor. 209 12/7/2012 11:06 PMview Responses 210 211 If someone wants to keep farm animals, they should buy a farm. 212 12/7/2012 11:01 PMview Responses 213 214 1 think the existing ordinance is fine. Minimum of 5 acres to have that type of 215 "domesticated" wildlife is fine. I would not want any neighbor of mine with an urban lot 216 to put up a coop or pen on anything less than 5 acres. 217 12/7/2012 10:43 PMview Responses 218 219 1 think if you would like to have these types of animals you should live ine the country, 220 where they don't bother anyone else. I know I would not like to hear them or smell them 221 everyday. Barking dogs are enough to deal with, I can't imagine rooster crowing in my 222 back yard too. 223 12/7/2012 10:35 PMview Responses 224 225 Free range Chickens in someone's back yard that is fenced in seems perfectly 226 reasonable to me. Louder animals such as roosters, ducks and geese could be very 227 disruptive to neighbors. 228 1217/2012 10:02 PMview Responses Page 5 229 23o Animals need space. Shouldn't have to be cooped up in a small area. 231 1217/2012 9:46 PMview Responses 232 233 1 think that it's ok if it is a farmer that farms land and has at least 5 acres or more! 234 12/7/2012 9:33 PMview Responses 235 236 1 picked 6000sgft as the minimum area to keep chickens. I'm thinking no more than two 237 per every 6000sgft. 238 12/7/2012 9:30 PMview Responses 239 240 1 hope this goes through, thoughts of moving more rural to have chickens have crossed 241 our minds 242 12/712012 9:24 PMview Responses 243 244 This is rediculous, should you have farm animals in a residential area... Absolutely Not!! 245 12/7/2012 9:22 PMview Responses 246 247 Chicks, ducks and other fowl make much less noise and mess than dogs! 248 12/712012 9:22 PMview Responses 249 250 If you want a farm , live on a farm!! Not a city street home!!!!!!! 1 do not want farm 251 animals right outside my damn kitchen window!!! Ugh !!!!!!!!!! 252 12/712012 9:06 PMview Responses 253 254 The noise, waste products, and disease potential is not acceptable. If someone wants 255 to keep what I consider to be farm animals, they should simply buy a farm. 256 12/7/2012 9:04 PMview Responses 257 258 1 live right next door to the person trying to keep his 4 ducks. They are right under, my 259 kitchen window and I smell gross poop every time I open the window. They are so loud 260 that I can hear them throughout my whole house all the time! Especially when we are 261 outside anywhere. Because of the placement of this persons property to mine, his 262 backyard in directly the side of my house where our deck and windows are. I am also 263 concerned about the ecoli issues that go with having ducks as my children have 264 respiratory issues and 95% of ducks carry ecoli in their feces and it is infested by dust 265 particles being blown in the wind. PLEASE LEAVE THE FARM ANIMALS ON THE 266 FARM! 267 12/7/2012 8:53 PMview Responses 268 269 These are dirty noisy farm animals that belong on a farm. Not in a backyard of a city lot. 27o They would bring a whole new set of issues that our city staff. especially police officers 271 would have to deal with. 272 12/7/2012 8:51 PMview Responses 273 Page 6 274 Go by land out in the country if you want farm animals. They are loud, smell and is 275 going to cause lots of other issues down the road! 276 12/7/2012 8:41 PMview Responses 277 278 Allowing our citizens the opportunity to raise a sustainable resource is a step in the 279 right direction for Cottage Grove. I've seen many lovely, aesthetically pleasing chicken 280 pens and coops. The photo choice seems as if it was selected to sway people's opinion 281 in a less than favorable direction. 282 12/7/2012 8:14 PMview Responses 283 284 This will totally hurt resale of properties, I would conceder selling if this happens. 285 12/7/2012 8:09 PMview Responses 286 287 Would there be an ordinance on how many animals can be present on specific land 288 areas? Will there be some kind of recommendation on pen sizes? Roosters 289 cacadoodldoo'ing each morning? I would live more in the country if I would want that. 290 I'd really prefer this ordinance to not be passed. What is the proper disposal of carcass' 291 if they are allowed to kill the birds onsite? I'd assume that some people would still defy 292 the ordinance and kill their animals on their property which to me could be disease 293 spreading. Thank you. 294 12/7/2012 8:05 PMview Responses 295 296 This is not acceptable. Please read the article attached to your fb post regarding this. 297 This is not for a city lot. This is not ok. 298 12/7/2012 7:48 PMview Responses 299 300 1 do not want any of this next to me. But, if you do allow it a limit on the number animals 3o1 has to be set. Like 4. Roosters should not be allowed. Drive a chicken or turkey farm 302 and smell it. We don't need that in a neighborhood. If you want to farm, buy a farm. 303 12/7/2012 7:39 PMview Responses 304 305 Sounds like a good idea. 306 12/7/2012 6:56 PMview Responses 307 308 1 really don't want farm animals around my home. It would be most frustrating for the 309 people who do not follow the rules and my guess is CG does not have the proper staff 310 for funding to enforce any ordinace allowing such things. Please don't allow chickens 311 nor other farm animals around here. 312 12/7/2012 6:29 PMview Responses 313 314 1 <heart> free range birds 315 12/7/2012 5:41 PMview Responses 316 317 PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals 318 12/7/2012 5:38 PMview Responses 319 Page 7 320 While there are many who who do it in compliance with the law, I have a huge concern 321 about those who will not. Can the City afford the cost /manpower to policing it? What 322 about fowl that get loose? Can animal shelters handle found birds? I think that during 323 these times of tightening government budgets, Cottage Grove cannot afford to take on 324 this additional cost. 325 12/7/2012 5:26 PMview Responses 326 327 1 think any homeowner in Cottage Grove should be allowed to keep chickens in the 328 backyard. I don't think the noise is an issue as I am sure my two small children are 329 noisier than the chickens would be. Also, I have had many occasions where my 33o neighbors have noisy dogs. I also have had neighbor cats do their business in my yard. 331 1 think raising chickens is a great way to be "green" and support raising your own food 332 and also bed educational for my children. I think of Cottage Grove as more rural than 333 suburban and I know that St Paul and Minneapolis allow for chickens in residential lots 334 so I am surprised that Cottage Grove has not allowed them up to now. 335 12/7/2012 5:08 PMview Responses 336 337 If I wanted to be near these animals I would live on a farm. This is the City. Not 338 acceptable. 339 12/712012 5:06 PMview Responses 340 341 Buy a Farm, I dont want to smell or hear these animals all day and night 342 12/7/2012 4:56 PMview Responses 343 344 This is ridiculus that you are even thinking about this. 345 12/7/2012 4:48 PMview Responses 346 347 The thought of a couple chickens next door doesn't bother me. But looking at the coop 348 and pen makes me feel property values would be affected. It looks trash to me. Not 349 sure how to come to terms w/ the paradox of it. 350 12/7/2012 4:46 PMview Responses 351 352 What's behind done to prevent the spread of disease bringing poultry into the city? 353 12/712012 4:46 PMview Responses 354 355 My aunt and uncle in laws have chickens, they are noisy, you have to have lights on 356 inside if the coop(typically ran by extension cords) which would be against state fire 357 code. This would be a horrible idea! 358 12/7/2012 4:39 PMview Responses 359 36o There needs to be a minimum lot size so the noise and smell from livestock doesn't 361 infringe on their neighbors. There's also the issue of lower saleability of a home next to 362 someone with livestock. 363 12/7/2012 4:27 PMview Responses 364 Page 8 365 Allowing chickens or geese would not hurt anyone. Everyone is so concerned about 366 what is going on in someone else's yard, worry about your own yard. Dogs can be 367 noisier and more of a problem and actually hurt people vs a few chickens or geese. 368 Please allow them, what a great educational option for parents /kids as well. Teaching 369 our youth to grow some of their own food is a wonderful idea! 370 12/7/2012 4:18 PMview Responses 371 372 Dogs barking at all hours of the night can be much worse than a few chickens. Maybe 373 don't allow roosters as they can be more noisy than chickens. People want to grow 374 their own food, let them... it is their own backyard after all, not their neighbors or the 375 citiesll! 376 12/7/2012 4:12 PMview Responses 377 378 People should be able to put whatever they want in their backyard, so long as it is not a 379 real danger to anyone 380 12/7/20124:10 PMview Responses 381 382 A citizen should be allowed to keep these animals in their yard as long as they don't 383 harm their neighbors. 384 12/7/2012 3:56 PMview Responses 385 386 This is not acceptable unless you have the space. I am ok with the ducks that live in a 387 pond on a residents but noisy dirty chickens no thank you! If I wanted to live near farm 388 animals I would have purchased a hobby farm. 389 12/7/2012 3:52 PMview Responses 390 391 Keeping urban animals is a detriment to the animals along with the neighbors and 392 citizens. Countless numbers of chickens and ducks are abandoned every year. We do 393 not need to add to that number in Cottage Grove. 394 12/7/2012 3:51 PMview Responses 395 396 If you allow chickens please lower my property taxes when my neighbor builds a 397 chicken coop. Absolutely "no ". Enforce the rules as they are written now. 398 12/7/2012 3:48 PMview Responses 399 40o They belong on a farm. 401 12/7/2012 3:46 PMview Responses 402 403 In regards to coops and fences I feel petiole just need to have at the least a fenced in 404 yard. The chickens should bee allowed to have a grassy area to run around in to bee 405 able to eat grass and bugs. Thank you for considering this. 406 12/7/2012 3:43 PMview Responses 407 408 If you pass it please limit the number of animals /chickens. I thnk it is sure to initate 409 more police calls by cranky neighbors if allowed on smaller properties. 410 12/7/2012 3:42 PMview Responses Page 9 411 412 1 think they should only be allowed if you have the space (5 or more acres) to support 413 them, just as things are now. I did not purchase a lot in a residential neighborhood to 414 smell and look at farm animals every day! 415 12/7/2012 3:23 PMview Responses 416 417 Animals, when not in the coops, must have the owner right next to them in order to 418 ensure they do not find a way into others yards or injure other community members. 419 12/7/2012 3:21 PMview Responses 420 421 1 do not want to hear or smell my neighbors farm animals! If I wanted to live next to a 422 farm I would move there. I will be moving if this passes and my neighbors implement it. 423 Filthy horrid idea that will only deteriorate my property value 424 12/7/2012 3:18 PMview Responses 425 426 Allowing neighbor to keep poultry and farm animals could result in noise that would be 427 disturbng, injurious to sleep patterns and would interfere in my right to enjoy my own 428 property. 429 12/712012 3:18 PMview Responses 430 431 ABSOLUTELY NOT TO THIS AMMENDMENT. I grew up on a FARM in the 432 COUNTRY. That is where this kind of thing belongs. UNACCEPTABLE. PERIOD. Want 433 to see property values decrease even more? This would be the way. I want to build the 434 image of CG, not allow this to happen. 435 12/7/2012 3:17 PMview Responses 436 437 If it a farm that's cool if it's a residence I dont think so .... do what Woodbury does ... case 438 closed....... 439 12/7/2012 3:14 PMview Responses 440 441 A limit should be put on the number or "for personal / family consumtion only" should be 442 apart of the ordinence. 443 12/7/2012 3:10 PMview Responses 444 445 1 think it is a good idea 446 12/7/2012 3:08 PMview Responses 447 448 There is no way I think chickens /ducks should be allowed in a traditional neighborhood. 449 The coops are very unattractive, chickens /ducks smell horrible, and they are loud. They 45o belong on a farm, not in a neighborhood! 451 12/7/2012 3:07 PMview Responses 452 453 The amount of excessive noise should be included in the ordinance, the same type of 454 policy for a dog. 455 12/7/2012 3:07 PMview Responses 456 Page 10 457 Raising out own food without hormones makes all the sense in the world... nothing 458 better that fresh eggs Not to mention the keep the eat their weight in bugs 459 12/7/2012 3:03 PMview Responses 460 461 1 am ALL FOR poultry being allowed in a residential backyard but I think the number of 462 adult poultry/fowl or small farm animals should be limited if the animals are in a 463 residential lot. 464 12/7/2012 3:00 PMviewResponses 465 466 If I wanted animals in my yard (or next to me), I would move out to the country - or at 467 least more land area. If my neighbor has chickens - what happens if MY dog eats one 468 or more? I do not want that responsibility. I also do not want the noise of the animals. 1 469 grew up on a farm - animals make noise and smells. 470 12/7/2012 2:59 PMview Responses 471 472 Chickens and ducks are no worse than annoying constantly barking dogs that are 473 never dealt with by the city or wandering cats. 474 1217/2012 2:53 PMview Responses 475 Page 11 Poultry and Fowl Opinion Survey Cottage Grove, MN OVER QUESTION: YES NO 11. Would you support an ordinance amendment that allows residents on an urban residential lot to keep other small farm animals (e.g. 0 14 pigmy goats, pot - bellied pigs, honeybees, pigeons and other wild game ) in their back yard? 12. Assuming this photograph of a coop and pen complies with all ordinance regulations; would you accept its placement on the� urban residential lot next to your property? 7 n# V� O/,2 0 13 AA 13. Do you have addit omments you would like to say regarding a homeowner keeping poultry and /or fowl in the back yard of their urban residential lot in Cottage Grove? RESPONSES: 1. No chickens, poultry, pigs ... Move- 2. Buy rural land for all livestock on 5 acres. 3. 1 can see a lot of tension amongst neighbors, stink, noise, attracting other animals. These people need to live on acreage to do such a thing! 4. This should not be allowed. 5. Should not be allowed. G. Don't allow anv farm animals in the city. Rats will come. Thank you for participating in this Opinion Survey. Some of the results from the survey may be presented to the Cottage Grove Planning Commission on December 17, 2012. The Planning Commission will meet in the City Council Chambers at the Public Safety /Fire and City Hall; 12800 Ravine Parkway at 7:00 PM. This meeting is open to the public. If you have questions, contact John McCool, Senior Planner at 651- 458 -2874 or 0 mccool(a) cottage- g rove. org Health risks associated with raising chickens Many families raise a small number of chickens, particularly in rural areas. In recent years, however, raising chickens has become a popular hobby for people who live in urban areas as well. Information that promotes raising chickens touts the birds as being good pets, stress relievers, and easy to keep. Most people though, choose to keep flocks because they believe the meat and eggs they grow will be safer and less expensive than store purchased products. Whether they are pets or a source of food, there are some issues that need to be considered before deciding to raise chickens. In addition to the fact that many urban areas will not allow chickens to be raised within city /town limits, keeping chickens poses a potential health risk. Chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other poultry frequently carry bacteria that can cause illness to you and your family. Baby chicks may be especially prone to shed these germs and cause human illness. Young birds are often shipped several times before they reach a permanent home. Shipment and adapting to new locations causes stress on birds and makes them more likely to shed bacteria in their droppings. While anyone can become ill from exposure to these germs, the risk of infection is especially high for children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems; for example, people receiving chemotherapy or who are HIV - infected. One of the most important bacteria you need to be aware of is Salmonella. Birds infected with Salmonella do not usually appear sick. Salmonella lives in the intestine of infected chickens, and can be shed in large numbers in the droppings. Once shed, bacteria can spread across the chicken's body as the bird cleans itself and throughout the environment as the chicken walks around. Therefore, it is especially important to carefully wash hands with soap and water after handling young birds or anything that has come in contact with them. If you ingest Salmonella, you may become ill. People accidentally ingest Salmonella in many ways, including eating after handling chickens or by touching their hand to their mouth while working with the birds. Typical symptoms of Salmonella infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. These symptoms generally develop within one to three days of exposure and may last for up to a week. Individuals with weaker immune systems commonly have more severe infections. There have been several outbreaks of human Salmonella infections resulting from handling baby chicks. See our CDC website: http: / /www.cdc.gov /mmwr /preview /mmwrhtml/mm4914al.htm Many of the outbreaks involved young children and most occurred in the spring around Easter. Some outbreaks have been associated with keeping chicks in the classroom. I still want to raise chickens. How can I reduce the risks to myself and my family? 1. Keep baby chicks and adult chickens away from persons with weaker immune systems, including the elderly, pregnant women, diabetics, patients receiving chemotherapy, and people who are infected with HIV. 2. Do not keep chickens if a household has children less than five years of age. 3. Make sure that any interaction between chicks or chickens and small children is supervised and that children wash their hands afterwards. Children less than five years of age tend to put their hands and other potentially contaminated objects into their mouths. 4. Supervise hand washing for small children to make sure that it is adequate. See our CDC website for proper hand washing guidelines: 5. Always wash your hands with soap and water after touching chickens or anything in their environment. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Bacteria on your hands can be easily transferred to objects and other people in your home. 6. Wash contaminated items with hot soapy water or with a mild bleach solution. 7. Do not eat or drink around your chickens. 8. Keep chickens away from food preparation areas. 9. Do not wash items from chicken coops like water and food dishes in the kitchen sink. 10. Do not allow chickens to roam freely around the house. 11. Frequently clean the area where chickens are kept. 12. Visit your physician if you experience abdominal pain, fever, and /or diarrhea Additional resources: Salmonellosis associated with chicks and ducklings - -- Michigan and Missouri, Spring 1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. April 14, 2000; 49(14):297 -29. http: / /www.cdc.gov /mmwr /preview /mmwrhtml/mm4914al.htm Salmonella serotype Montevideo iInfections associated with chicks - - Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, Spring 1995 and 1996. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. March 21, 1997 / 46(11);237 -239. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046940.htm Salmonella hadar associated with pet ducklings - - Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania, 1991. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. March 20, 1992 / 41(11);185 -187. http: / /www.cdc.gov/ mmwr /preview /mmwrhtml/00016299.htm Backyard chicken basics : Small Farms : University of Minnesota Extension Wq � JRL UNIVERSITY OF WNNESOTA EXTENSION Small Farms 7 n W1 Betsy Wieland, Extension educator Nora Nolden, intern PDF version (436 K) As people are becoming more and more interested in knowing where their food comes from, the trend of raising backyard chickens is growing. Raising backyard chickens can be a rewarding experience and a great way to teach kids about nature, agriculture, and responsibility of caring for animals. Since most backyard chickens are raised for laying and not for meat, this fact sheet will focus on layers. There is a wide a variety of chicken breeds, developed for egg production, meat production, and/or good looks. While many breeds are adaptable to a backyard setting, certain breeds are better than others for backyard conditions. Medium to large breeds are good for cold winters. A mellow temperament and good egg laying are also pluses. If you see reference to a bantam bird, that is a small version of any particular breed. It will look the same, but be smaller. Here are a few examples of great, mellow breeds for the backyard. Popular backyard chicken breeds RHODE ISLAND RED Hens weigh about 6.5 lb Lay brown eggs Dark red feathers Dual purpose breed, but most often used for laying Hardy breed that does well in small flocks 0 A 14 V - 0A 0 Many different color varieties Lay green eggs Great long-term egg production Dual purpose breed Tolerant to all climates Easy to handle . Hens weight about 6.5 lb . Lay brown eggs Dual purpose breed Great for small flocks and rugged conditions • Hens weigh about 8 lb • A larger dual purpose breed • Lay brown eggs • Many color varieties http:llwwwl.extension.umn.edulfoodlsmall-farmsllivestocklpoultrylbackyard-chic 1/1 1/2013 Backyard chicken basics : Small Farms : University of Minnesota Extension romm . Heavy size is ideal for cold weather . Many color varieties Diet Chickens are omnivores. They eat grains, fruits, and vegetables as well as insects. Chickens should typically be fed a prepared feed that is balanced for vitamins, minerals, and protein. A healthy laying hen diet should also contain crushed oystershell for egg production, and grit for digestion. A 6-pound hen will eat roughly 3 pounds of feed each week. They love fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen and garden, as well as bread. Scratch-cracked corn and oats are a nice treat for the chickens that does not supply all their nutritional needs, but is fine in moderation. Feed consumption may increase in the winter when burning more calories, and decrease in the heat of the summer. A critical part of a chicken's diet is continual access to clean, fresh water. This is especially true in the summer as they cool themselves by panting. A quality coop is essential to backyard chicken production. Layers need nest boxes—one per 4-5 birds. Chickens are descended from jungle birds, which means they like to be up high, so a place for them to roost is important. Coops must provide protection from the weather and predators. There should be a well-insulated area with a light bulb or heat lamp for the winter months as well as ventilation for fresh air. Be sure to have a minimum 3-5 square feet per bird, including outdoor space. Their main predators are raccoons, rats, owls, hawks, and cats. An enclosed space for them to stay at night is essential to their protection. Ensure that the coop is free of small holes for predators to sneak in. There is an endless variety of coop designs with just as much range in cost. Find a design that provides easy access and otherwise suits your situation. There are many books and websites with coop designs. The image at right shows a simple chicken coop schematic. The space should be free of unnecessary objects like woodpiles or equipment, as they attract predators. Page 2 of 5 Chickens need to be fed and water changed daily. They need to be let out of the coop each morning and put into the coop at dusk each night to protect them from predators. Eggs should be picked up twice a day. The coop and pen should be cleaned out weekly to maintain sanitation and odor control. http://Wwwl.extension.umn.edulfoodlsmall-fartnsllivestocklpoultrylbackyard-chicken-basi 1/11/2013 Backyard chicken basics : Small Farms : University of Minnesota Extension Page 3 of 5 Bird health Healthy birds will be active and alert with bright eyes. They will be moving around — pecking, scratching, and dusting— except on hot days when they will find shade. Chickens that are healthy and active will also talk and sing quietly throughout the day. As far as laying and eating habits, each chicken is different, so monitor each chicken to get a feel for her normal production and consumption. Healthy droppings will be firm and grayish brown, with white urine salts. Roughly every tenth dropping is somewhat foamy, smellier than usual, and light brown. Chickens raised in backyard settings generally stay healthy and are not easily susceptible to diseases. The easiest way to find disease in chickens is to know what a healthy bird looks like. When a chicken isn't acting normal, for instance if she doesn't run to the food as usual or she wheezes or sneezes, start investigating. Credit: Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow Sanitation An important element to bird health is sanitation. In order to maintain a clean, healthy environment, the coop and outdoor area should be cleaned out weekly or as needed to control manure and odor build up. Feeders and waterers should be regularly cleaned and disinfected. Dust baths should be available, as they help control mites. It is important that at least once a year, usually in the spring, a thorough cleaning is done on the coop and yard. Also cleaning before introducing new birds to the area will limit the spread of disease. A fall cleaning is also helpful with mite control over winter. During this cleaning, safety precautions must be taken in dealing with dust. Wear a dust mask and mist the walls surrounding the area to control dust movement. Inhalation of dried chicken manure can be harmful to humans. Rake and clean out the yard. All feeders should be removed and bedding completely cleared out. It is important to remove dust and cobwebs from corners of the coop. The inside of the coop needs to be disinfected a €" including troughs, perches and nests. To disinfect, use one - tablespoon chlorine bleach to one gallon boiling water. Manure management Chicken manure is made up of feed residue, intestinal bacteria, digestive juices, mineral by- products from metabolic processes, and water. In fact, 85% of chicken droppings, by weight, is water. This leads to issues with humidity and odor. So what are the options for managing manure? http: / /wwwl . extension. umn. edu / food /small- farms llivestocklpoultrylbackyard - chicken - basi... 1/11/2013 The table below lists some possible causes of illness to chickens. Backyard chicken basics: Small Farms: University of Minnesota Extension Page 4 of 5 One option is to complete thorough cleanings of the coop more than once a year. This will control the odor and fly populations. Another option is to pasture the chickens. Moveable shelters are a valuable tool for pasturing chickens and reducing cleaning time. Simply move the location of the house when manure begins to build up. It offers new space for chickens to graze and peck, and free fertilizer for the lawn! A third option is composting. Composting can be done right in the chickens' bedding. To start this process, lay down about 4 inches of bedding. Regularly stir up the bedding to prevent clumping, and add fresh bedding until it is 10 inches deep by winter. Continue this process until the bedding gets 12 to 15 inches deep. At this depth, composting actively begins and after 6 months can kill harmful bacteria. This composting releases heat, which keeps chickens warm in cooler months and attracts natural fly predators. To maintain the compost, it must be stirred regularly to prevent crusting. The same process can be done outside of the coop in a separate bin. SMIMMi= Hens begin laying at around six months of age and can continue for 5-10 years, with peak production occuring in the first 2 years. They will lay roughly 6 eggs each week. Egg production drops each year when the hens molt (replace their feathers in the early fall) and as daylight hours are lost. Hens need at least 12- 14 hours of light each day to continue laying eggs. A regular lightbulb is sufficient to supply this light. Regulations There are several regulations that you may encounter with chicken ownership. Raising chickens in the backyard may require a permit from your city, and each has different requirements and restrictions. It is not legal in some cities to keep poultry. Some cities may also limit the number of animals you can keep. If you begin selling eggs or meat, you will encounter additional regulations. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture Dairy and Food Inspection Division manages and enforces these. Contact them for information regarding these rules at 651-201-6027. There are several places to purchase chickens. The list below has major chicken hatcheries and links to their websites. There are also many individuals breeding and selling poultry. Local farm supply stores may also order them for you. Major chicken hatcheries: Murray McMq[[qy'IF Strombe[g' Hoover's Hatche Additional information Online resources http://wwwl.extension.tunn.edulfoodlsmall-farmsllivestocklpoultrylbackyard-chicken-basi 1111/2013 Backyard chicken basics : Small Farms : University of Minnesota Extension Page 5 of 5 University of Minnesota Extension Small Farms program Backyard Chickens.corrf . Poultry resources — Oklahoma State University Small flock information — University of Arkansas Extension Publications ® Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow American Standard of Perfection by American Poultry Association Questions or comments? Contact Betsy Wieland at eliza003(cD-umn.edu or 612 - 596 -1175. © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. http: / /www l .extension.umn.edulfood /small- farms llivestocklpoultrylbackyard - chicken - basi... 1/11/2013 The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer Backyard chickens can be a joy as long as owners follow some hygiene rules, health expe... Page 1 of 4 .- - - _ - NEWS_ All Sections V Home > Featured Articles Tips for raising backyard chickens to avoid getting egg on your face Owners should follow hygiene rules, health experts say August 29, 2012 1 By Leslie Mann, Special to the Tribune Recommend ' 0 € Tweet 0 1 8591 * 2 Owners of backyard chickens are quick to rattle off the pros of keeping live poultry at home 2r: a regular supply of tastier, healthier eggs, hours of entertainment watching the antics of friendly hens and a chance to experience a seemingly lost way of life. But they risk salmonella poisoning if they don't take precautions, warn health officials, who cite recent outbreaks from handling live poultry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer issued a warning after 37 cases of salmonella in 11 states, including Illinois, were traced to chicks bought from a mail -order hatchery in Idaho. And a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in late May tracked 316 cases of salmonella poisoning from handling live chickens in 43 states from 2004 through 2011. Most of the infections were traced to an unidentified mail -order hatchery. "A perfectly healthy chicken can shed salmonella bacteria," said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a veterinary epidemiologist for the CDC. "People know to wash their hands after they handle raw chicken from the grocery store, but forget that live chickens can carry salmonella germs too." That's especially true with children, who have the highest rate of salmonella infections because of their young immune systems and their tendency to skip hand - washing, said Barton Behravesh. The median age of salmonella victims in the New England Journal study was 4. Also vulnerable are people with suppressed immune symptoms such as the elderly and chemotherapy patients. http: // articles. chicagotribune .com /2012- 08- 291healthlct -x- 0829 - backyard- chickens - salmon... 1/11/2013 Backyard chickens can be a joy as long as owners follow some hygiene rules, health expe... Page 2 of 4 Despite the scare, however, chicken owners shouldn't panic, experts say. They can avoid salmonella infection by washing their hands with soap and water after handling the birds, washing the birds' bowls outside and not allowing children to bring chickens into the house GT. "Tell the kids the chickens do keep warm outside in the chicken coop in the winter," said Barton Behravesh. The CDC also does not recommend eggs or chicks in kindergarten classrooms ?T. The bacteria can be on chickens or their eggs, manure, food dishes or cages. "Some of the kids at that age are still sucking their thumbs, so their hands are always in their mouths." said Barton Behravesh. "Better to wait until the older grades when they can learn to raise the chickens and keep clean." The hallmark symptoms of the infection are diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after contact. The symptoms usually last four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment. For veteran chicken owners, careful hand-washing is a given, as it is with other pet owners who regularly change cat litter boxes and scoop up after their dogs during walks, they say. They also emphasize its importance with new owners. "We always wash our hands after handling them," said Julia Govis, of Chicago, who has kept chickens for 30 years. "We wash the eggs before we put them in the refrigerator. And we don't let the chickens run freely in the vegetable garden during the growing season. So we've never had a (health) problem." Keeping the chickens' quarters clean is a chore, Govis said, but worth the effort. "Mostly," she said, "It's a matter of using common sense." None of the people on the Chicago Chicken Enthusiasts forum (chicagoehickens.org) website have reported salmonella infection, said forum moderator Martha Boyd. Most of these backyard chicken owners are not only up-close-and-personal with their birds daily, said Boyd, but also "consider them pets." But the group does recommend hand-washing, Boyd said. In addition to covering hygiene, her forum helps newcomers choose products and poultry, helps owners locate missing chickens and finds homes 2f for birds whose owners can no longer afford to keep them. It's all about education 9, said Boyd. On Sept. 22 and 23, the group will host its third annual Windy City Coop Tour in Chicago and some suburbs (see its website for locations), so wannabes can learn how to set up coops. No state or federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, keep a tally of the number of backyard chicken fanciers, but the growth of grass-roots groups like Boyd's show an increase in the hobby. Since its 2008 inception, her group has grown to 40 members. Rob Ludlow, who runs the backyardehickens.com forum, said his group has 125,000 members nationwide and gets loo new members a day. Meanwhile, more Illinois towns have OK'd chicken raising within the last few years. http://articles.chicagotribune.coml2Ol2-08-291healthlct-x-0829-backyard-chickens-salmon 1/11/2013 Backyard chickens can be ajoy as long as owners follow some hygiene rules, health expe... , Page 3 of 4 Besides Chicago, enthusiasts have prevailed in "chicken wars" with local opponents of backyard coops in Batavia, Brookfield, Elgin, Evanston, Oak Park and West Dundee. Most "chicken laws" limit the number of hens allowed and prohibit roosters. Some towns, including Evanston, require a minimum of two hens because they are social animals, Boyd said.. Why keep backyard chickens? Govis likes having a ready supply of fresh eggs and her chickens' ability to keep her yard grub-free. 11 2 1 Next Decoding the diabetic diet until a relative raised questions Steps can be taken to relieve or prevent night leg cramps Winter boot showdown Website gives Illinois customers power to compare electricity rates Republican Sen. McConnell rules out more taxes in U.S. fiscal fight Mirko Jurkovic as positive as always entering final days Explore Tribune archives back to 1852 http://articles.chicagotribune.coml20l2-08-291healthlct-x-0829-backyard-chickens-salmon 1/11/2013 Lottery winner's death was blamed on natural causes — Age gap: She's old enough to be his ... wife Backyard chickens can be a joy as long as owners follow some hygiene rules, health exile... Page 4 of 4 Terms of Service Privacy Policy Index by Date Index by Keyword www.chicagotribune.com Connect M Like us on Facebook C Follow us on Twitter http:/ /articles.chicagotribune.coml20 l 2- 08- 291healthlct -x- 0829 - backyard- chickens - salmon 1/11/2013 Illinois Fact Sheet: Human Health Concerns About Raising Poultry Page I of 4 An increasing number of citizens want to raise chickens in urban environments as a hobby or they may believe this method of raising birds for food may be safer or less expensive. Citizens should check to make sure that flocks are allowed in the area where they reside before purchasing poultry. This document examines the public health significance of some common concerns about urban poultry farming. Bacterial diseases Salmonella and Campylobacter are common public health hazards potentially associated with chicken contact. These bacteria are carried by healthy chickens and are communicable to people through direct contact, exposure to manure, or consumption of undercooked chicken and eggs. Infection is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and/or abdominal cramps; small children, elderly persons, and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to severe illness. Young birds may be especially prone to shed these organisms in their droppings. This poses a hazard to anyone who comes into contact with the droppings. The public health hazards associated with Salmonella and Campylobacter are expected to be limited to those who are in contact with the chickens or their droppings or consume their meat or eggs without thorough cooking. There have been several multi-state outbreaks of human Salmonella infections from handling baby chicks. These hazards could be mitigated by avoiding contact with poultry feces, carefully washing hands with soap and water after handling the birds, avoiding hand-to- mouth contact while working with birds and education about food safety. Histoplasmosis Histoplasmosis can cause a respiratory disease with cough and shortness of breath. The fungal organism causing this disease is present throughout the Midwest but can be concentrated in areas with quantities of bird droppings. Persons acquire the disease by inhalation of the organism from the environment. Therefore, it is critical that flock owners have a method to maintain the property to minimize the accumulation of bird droppings. Animal waste should be disposed of in a safe manner. Avian influenza (bird flu) Avian influenza is a theoretical public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming. Birds can shed the organism in the saliva, nasal secretions and feces. Avian influenza is a viral disease of birds that is communicable to people http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/Poultry.htm 1/11/2013 Illinois Fact Sheet: Human Health Concerns About Raising Poultry Page 2 of 4 through exposure to respiratory or fecal secretions. The risk of human avian influenza infections in the United States is extremely low and is expected to be limited to those who are in contact with infected chickens. Exotic Newcastle disease Exotic Newcastle disease, a viral disease that is not normally found in the United States, is not a significant public health hazard in this context. While exotic Newcastle disease can cause mild eye infections in people, the greater concern is that the introduction of exotic Newcastle disease in privately owned chicken flocks can cause major economic damage in communities where commercial chicken farming is an important industry. Attraction of predators The attraction of predators is a public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming. The presence of chickens on a property might attract urban predators such as stray dogs, foxes and coyotes. This would increase the probability of conflict between humans and predators in the urban environment (e.g., animal bites). This hazard could be mitigated by requiring flock owners to provide sufficient structural protection to prevent predator access to their flocks. Attraction of rodents The attraction of rodents is a public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming. Failure to maintain a clean environment for the chickens could attract mice or rats to a property. This hazard could be mitigated by educating flock owners on the proper care and maintenance of chicken flocks including the proper storage of bird feed. Nuisance issues The odor and noise that might be associated with urban chicken farming are not public health hazards. Poultry may escape into neighbors' yards. Flies might be attracted to the area unless adequate fly control is practiced. Communities are advised to have a system in place for handling public complaints regarding these issues if they allow urban poultry flocks. Management and handling of poultry in small backyard flocks Keep baby chicks and adult poultry away from persons with weaker immune systems, including the elderly, pregnant women, diabetics, patients receiving chemotherapy and people infected with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that person not keep chickens if the household has children less than five years of age. Make sure that people who handle the chickens or their droppings, wash hands properly with soap and water following contact. 1/11/2013 http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/Poultry.htm Illinois Fact Sheet: Human Health Concerns About Raising Poultry Page 3 of 4 . Do not eat or drink around the poultry. . Keep poultry away from food preparation areas. . Do not wash items, such as water or food dishes, from chicken coops in the kitchen sink. . Do not allow poultry to roam in the house. . Maintain the area where the poultry are present in a sanitary manner. . See your physician if you experience fever and diarrhea. Conclusion The public health hazards potentially associated with urban chicken farming should be weighed against individual and community benefits. Public health infectious disease hazards can be mitigated by education and regulation and are expected to be limited to those who are in contact with the chickens or consuming their meat or eggs without thorough cooking. Communities that permit urban chicken farming are advised to ensure that flock owners receive educational materials on infectious diseases, animal husbandry, food safety and biosecurity. These communities also should have a system in place for responding to community complaints. References CDC. Keeping Live Poultry. Available at hftp://www.cdc.gov/Features/SalmonellaPoult Preliminary FoodNet Data on the Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food -10 States, 2009. MMWR 2010;59:418 -422. CDC. Multistate Outbreaks of Salmonella Infections Associated with Live Poultry - -- United States, 2007. MMWR 2009; 58: 25 -29. CDC. Three Outbreaks of Salmonellosis Associated with Baby Poultry from Three Hatcheries - -- United States, 2006. MMWR 2007;56:273 -276. CDC. Salmonella Serotype Montevideo Infections Associated with Chicks -- Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, Spring 1995 and 1996 . MMWR 1997;46:237 -239. National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings, 2009. MMWR 2009;58(RR- 5):1 -21. Scallan E et al. Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States —Major Pathogens. Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 Jan; [Epub ahead of print]. http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/Poultry.htm 1/11/2013 Illinois Fact Sheet: Human Health Concerns About Raising Poultry Swayne DE and King DJ. Zoonosis Update: Avian influenza and Newcastle disease. Jour Amer Vet Med Assoc 2003;222:1534 -1540. United States Department of Agriculture. Biosecurity for Birds. Available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal health/birdbiosecurit . March 2012 http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/Poultry.htm Illinois Department of Public Health 535 West Jefferson Street Springfield, Illinois 62761 Phone 217 - 782 -4977 Fax 217- 782 -3987 TTY 800 -547 -0466 Questions or Comments Page 4 of 4 1/11/2013 Illinois Fact sheet Human Health concerns About Raising Poultry.txt Illinois Fact sheet: Human Health concerns About Raising Poultry Human Health concerns About Raising Poultry An increasing number of citizens want to raise chickens in urban environments as a hobby or they may believe this method of raising birds for food ma T i be safer or less expensive. citizens should check to make sure that flocks are allowed n the area where they reside before purchasing poultry. This document examines the public health significance of some common concerns about urban poultry farming. Bacterial diseases salmonella and Campylobacter are common public health hazards potentially associated with chicken contact. These bacteria are carried by healthy chickens and are communicable to people through direct contact, to manure, or consumption of undercooked chicken and eggs. Infection is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and/or abdominal cramps; small children, elderly persons, and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to severe illness. Young birds may be especially prone to shed these organisms in their droppings. This poses a hazard to anyone who comes into contact with the droppings. The public health hazards associated with salmonella and Campylobacter are expected to be limited to those who are in contact with the chickens or their droppings or consume their meat or eggs without thorough cooking. There have been several multi-state outbreaks of human salmonella infections from handling baby chicks. These hazards could be mitigated by avoiding contact with poultry feces, carefully washing hands with soap and water after handling the birds, avoiding hand-to-mouth contact while working with birds and education about food safety. Histoplasmosis Histoplasmosis can cause a respiratory disease with cough and shortness of breath. The fungal organism causing this disease is present throughout the midwest but can be concentrated in areas with quantities of bird droppings. Persons acquire the disease by inhalation of the organism from the environment. Therefore, it is critical that flock owners have a method to maintain the property to minimize the accumulation of bird droppings. Animal waste should be disposed of in a safe manner. Avian influenza (bird flu) Avian influenza is a theoretical public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming. Birds can shed the organism in the saliva, nasal secretions and feces. Avian influenza is a viral disease of birds that is communicable to people through exposure to respiratory or fecal secretions. The risk of human avian influenza infections in the United states is extremely low and is expected to be limited to those who are in contact with infected chickens. Exotic Newcastle disease Exotic Newcastle disease, a viral disease that is not normally found in the United states, is not a significant public health hazard in this context. while exotic Newcastle disease can cause mild eye infections in people, the greater concern is that the introduction of exotic Newcastle disease in privately owned chicken flocks can cause major economic damage in communities where commercial chicken farming is an important industry. Attraction of predators The attraction of E f predators isa public health hazard associated with urban chicken arming. The presence o chickens on a property might attract urban predators such as stray dogs, foxes and coyotes. This would increase the probability of conflict between humans an predators in the urban environment (e.g., animal bites). This hazard could be mitigated by requiring flock owners to provide sufficient structural protection to prevent predator access to their flocks. Attraction of rodents The attraction of rodents is a public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming. Failure to maintain a clean environment for the chickens could attract mice or rats to a property. This hazard could be mitigated by educating flock owners on the proper care and maintenance Page 1 Illinois Fact sheet Human Health Concerns About Raising Poultry.txt of chicken flocks including the proper storage of bird feed. Nuisance issues The odor and noise that might be associated with urban chicken farming are not public health hazards. Poultry may escape into neighbors' yards. Flies might be attracted to the area unless adequate fly control is practiced. Communities are advised to have a system in place for handling public complaints regarding these issues if they allow urban poultry flocks. Management and handling of poultry in small backyard flocks Keep baby chicks and adult poultry away from persons with weaker immune systems, including the elderly, pregnant women, diabetics, patients receiving chemotherapy and people infected with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that person not keep chickens if the household has children less than five years of age. Make sure that people who handle the chickens or their droppings, wash hands properly with soap and water following contact. Do not eat or drink around the poultry. Keep poultry away from food preparation areas. Do not wash items, such as water or food dishes, from chicken coops in the kitchen sink. Do not allow poultry to roam in the house. Maintain the area where the poultry are present in a sanitary manner. see your physician if you experience fever and diarrhea. Conclusion The public health hazards potentially associated with urban chicken farming should be weighed against individual and community benefits. Public health infectious disease hazards can be mitigated by education and regulation and are expected to be limited to those who are in contact with the chickens or consuming their meat or eggs without thorough cooking. Communities that permit urban chicken farming are advised to ensure that flock owners receive educational materials on infectious diseases, animal husbandry, food safety and biosecurity. These communities also should have a system in place for responding to community complaints. References CDC. Keeping Live Poultry. Available at http: / /www.cdc.gov /Features /SalmonellaPoultry. CDC. Preliminary FoodNet Data on the Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food -10 States, 2009. MMWR 2010;59:418 -422. CDC. Multistate outbreaks of salmonella infections Associated with Live Poultry --- United States, 2007. MMWR 2009; 58: 25 -29. CDC. Three Outbreaks of salmonellosis Associated with Baby Poultry from Three Hatcheries - -- United states, 2006. MMWR 2007;56:273 -276. CDC. salmonella serotype Montevideo Infections Associated with Chicks -- Idaho, washington, and Oregon, Spring 1995 and 1996 . MMWR 1997;46:237 -239. National Association of State Public Health veterinarians. Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public settings, 2009. MMWR 2009;58(RR- 5):1 -21. scallan E et al. Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States —Major Pathogens. Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 Jan; [Epub ahead of print]. Swayne DE and King DJ. zoonosis update: Avian influenza and Newcastle disease. Jour Amer vet Med Assoc 2003;222:1534 -1540. United states Department of Agriculture. Biosecurity for Birds. Available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal—health/birdbiosecurity. March 2012 Illinois Department of Public Health Page 2