Local News
Group asks council to allow backyard chickens in Cedar Rapids
Posted on Nov 11, 2009 by Rick Smith.
Rhode Island Red chickens forage in the yard of Kate and Rob Hogg at their home in rural Cedar Rapids Aug. 14. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Citizens for the Legalization of Urban Chickens — CLUC — last night asked the City Council to allow up to six hens in the backyards of single-family homes.
A similar move is afoot in Iowa City, and representatives of the group note that a growing list of cities now allow urban chickens in backyards, including Spokane, Wash., Madison, Wis., and Des Moines, they said.
The group’s Rebecca Mumaw told the council that raising a limited number of egg-laying hens will allow residents to raise their own food just as they do in vegetable gardens now.
Mumaw suggested three ways that the council might proceed: consider chickens as pets, not livestock; create a new chicken ordinance allowing up to six hens; instituting a one-year trial to allow 50 homes to have chickens.
Mumaw said an urban-chicken ordinance would prohibit noisy roosters and the outdoor slaughter of chickens.
Brendan Owens said chickens in the backyard provide nutritional value and educational value for families. Chickens can be fun, he told the council.
Matt Mayer added that today’s chicken coops are small and attractive, and he added that a five-pound chicken doesn’t produce any more waste than a five-pound dog. He said backyard chickens are a growing trend, and he pointed to a 42 percent increase in the circulation of Backyard Poultry magazine as an indication of increased interest in urban chickens.
The comments came during the council’s public comment period, and the council does not respond to such comments. Mumaw said she thought council members Monica Vernon and Jerry McGrane supported the chicken idea.
KO65
11. Nov, 2009
this would be cool.
greenat50
11. Nov, 2009
Cedar Rapids Citizens for the Legalization of Urban Chickens is conducting a survey to gauge community support for chickens in Cedar Rapids. To participate in the survey, go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6RJSogYIxY0... I't only four questions. Thank you for helping to make Cedar Rapids a more self sustaining and healthful place to live.
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
Done and done! Thank you and GOOD LUCK!
OwenHarper
11. Nov, 2009
Done and done too. I would like to have chickens, both for eggs and roasting.
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
I'd be after the manure, for composting, as I garden organically.
mathman72
11. Nov, 2009
If the chickens are less noisy than my neighbor's annoying dog, then I have no problem with it.
NomerBull
11. Nov, 2009
Hens (female chickens) make only quiet clucking noises that are barely audible even up close. They're the ones that lay eggs.
Roosters (males) don't lay eggs and are the only ones given to bouts of noisiness.
Unsung
11. Nov, 2009
If I had chickens I would keep them in the house. One less thing for stray cats to eat and thieves to steal.
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
I dunno, I'm thinkin a p i s s e d o f f chicken may be a bit too much for a stray…
Iowarch
11. Nov, 2009
You are assuming thieves even know what to do with a chicken once they stole it, most I doubt wouldn't . If a chicken is free range it might take a bit of doing for a cat to catch it. If it is caged then the cat has to figure out how to get inside , I'd be more concerned with other varmints.
COOKIE
11. Nov, 2009
I have a better idea. For the people that want the eggs/food how about the city let each of them have a goose!!! That would save the city money because they would have to round them up in the summer to try to relocate this dirty animal!!!! Then maybe we would see so many people think that they need to be feed. They are a public nuisance and health hazards.
lobosolo
11. Nov, 2009
why don't the chicken heads move to the county ? there are still plenty of spots outside the city limits that allow chickens. chicken poop is a carcinogen that should not be allowed inside the city limits.
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
If someone is going to take the trouble to raise chickens I am pretty sure they will be wise enough to handle the issue of the waste.
Chiton
11. Nov, 2009
Hmm.. Chicken poop a carcinogen? How is that? Do you have a reference for that, I would like to check it out? Thanks
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
Second attempt at reply (wth, admin?)
"Chicken manure
Poultry manure (chicken in particular) is the richest animal manure in N-P-K. Chicken manure is considered "hot" and must be composted before adding it to the garden. Otherwise, it will burn any plants it comes in contact with."
If people want chickens chances are they will use the manure on their gardens…
OwenHarper
11. Nov, 2009
That would be my plan. Adding chicken manure to the compost pile improves the compost greatly.
NomerBull
11. Nov, 2009
"Chicken poop is a carcinogen"? Well, don't eat it!
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
LOL!
OwenHarper
11. Nov, 2009
Yeah, what was he thinking?
a3fan
11. Nov, 2009
Move to California you hippies!
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
You are probably one of those people that have to have a perfectly manicured lawn and spend hundreds of dollars on chemicals to keep it that way. Why don't YOU move to a 3rd world country where there are no restrictions and people are dying of chemical related illnes?
a3fan
17. Nov, 2009
No, I don't have a perfectly manicured lawn. I just hate people wasting the council's time on stupid stuff like this when they have way more important things to worry about. Or maybe your "one of those people" that were not effected by the flood and think the city should stop spending so much time on helping out the flood victims.
Ann_Onamouse
17. Nov, 2009
No, I am not "one of those people", other than taking in 15 people, and having family members and friends losing everything they own, but they don't think that every moment of every day should be spent on them, I guess they think of themselves as "flood survivors" rather than "victims".
OwenHarper
11. Nov, 2009
California is so passe'. No true hippie would live there.
a3fan
17. Nov, 2009
Your right, we should send them to Oregon.
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
+1ooo!!!
(cat person here, surrounded by dawgs!)
((Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but they require more work than cats))
CRNATIVE
11. Nov, 2009
Does anyone remember Avian or Bird Flu? This results from people living in close proximity to infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys). Is this realy what we want to set ourselves up for?
Ann_Onamouse
11. Nov, 2009
You vaccinate your animals, just as you do people.
That would probably be a requirement.
Chiton
11. Nov, 2009
Animal to human transmission of visuses such as the bird flu come from animals and humans sharing the same living and sleeping quarters, not the same property. Otherwise bird flu would be rampant, as most yards already have several birds living in or around them.
CRNATIVE
11. Nov, 2009
Avian flu (also known as H5N1 which we might want to become familiar with if this is passed in Cedar Rapids) is spread from close contact with domestic birds and would not necesarily have to be from the same sleeping quarters though that would definitely increase the risk. Having chickens share the same yard with children and other familiy members would be enough to concern me.
Chiton
11. Nov, 2009
Thats a good point about H5N1. There are many strains of H5N1, and most are spread through wild birds and are not of concern to humans. The asian strain that is of a big concern is HPAI A(H5N1), becuase even in the rare instances it spreads to humans it is extremely severe. Fortunately HPAI A(H5N1) has never been detected in the United States. If it came to Iowa though, backyard chickens would proabably be the least of our concerns. Backyard chickens would have to be eradicated, along with commercial chickens.
So the point is well taken that people would have to get rid of backyard chickens if HPAI A(H5N1) spread to the area, even though bird to human transmission is ineffecient. Lets hope that does not happen though, if for no other reason for our commercial egg production industy, which is of huge. Of course for this reason there are great efforts being taken to keep this virus out of our country.
jjustsaid
11. Nov, 2009
I want a pet horse in my back yard….
One of the miniature variety of course.
GrandpaR
11. Nov, 2009
My cats LOVE fresh chicken…here chicky, chicky..
23streets
11. Nov, 2009
Grandpa that is the truth. If you own chickens in town watch out for the angry bird lovers when a neighbors cat does what they are designed to do!!! I like chickens but I hope my neighborhood does not have them in coops lined along the property fence line.
iowafoodgeek
12. Nov, 2009
If the bird flu was going to be an issue, then we would have seen it in Des Moines by now, where they have never had a rule against backyard chickens. There haven't been disease/noise/complaint problems in Madison, Des Moines, Fort Collins, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston…..to name a handful of the many cities that DO NOT have the problems that people seem to be concerned about.