Fate of Resident’s Hens Rests With Dearborn Council
Dearborn’s city ordinance allows residents to keep cows, horses, pigs, goats, pigeons, fowl or other harmless domestic pets so long as the homeowner first obtains a permit from the city health officer.
At least that’s what is written into Part II, Section 4-1 in the city’s ordinance books. In reality, the process isn’t as black and white as Dearborn’s code of ordinances would seem to suggest.
Dearborn City Council must now decide whether or not to issue a permit for these hens.
Dearborn resident Syeda Akbari has been waiting since May 2009 for city leaders to make a decision on whether she can get back her 10 pet hens that she kept in her garage so she and her children could enjoy fresh eggs each morning. The city asked her to remove her hens from her garage last summer, apparently after a neighbor complained, one city official earlier told us.
Since then, she, well, has gotten nothing but the runaround. The city’s health officer has pushed her permit request to the city’s legal department and the city’s legal department has pushed the request to city council, drafting a paper telling our group of elected officials they would need to construct a new ordinance. But the council, at the direction of President Tom Tafelski, has decided to sit on the legal department’s paper, apparently hoping the chicken permit request would just go away. And that is where her request currently sits.
“I am feeling a bit frustrated,” said Akbari, whose hens are with a friend who lives nearly two hours away. “Why are they making this so complicated? I really love gardening and fresh vegetables and being able to have fresh eggs would be wonderful.”
Akbari is not alone in her love of fresh eggs from backyard pet poultry. Hens are popping up in the yards of urban homes in Michigan cities and across our country. Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti allow them. Lansing recently approved the same, allowing up to five hens in the city, and even Royal Oak permits residents to have backyard poultry.
Having hens has become the ultimate symbol in being “green” these days. Hens produce eggs, take care of kitchen leftovers and add manure to compost piles. Poultry also are great at controlling cockroaches, grubs, tomato horn worms or just about any other pest you don’t want in your yard or garden, according to poultry experts. There also is a website dedicated to urban chicken owners, aptly named www.urbanchickens.org
An article last fall in the Washington Post said this about urban residents and fowl: “raising backyard poultry has suddenly become as chic as growing your own vegetables. It’s all part of the back-to-the-land movement whose proponents want to save on grocery bills, take control of their food supply and reduce the carbon footprint of industrial agriculture.”
Dave Belanger, publisher of the magazine Backyard Poultry, says that chickens have become America’s cool new pet. When he launched his magazine more than three years ago, he told The Washington Post that he thought subscriptions would be between 15,000 to 20,000. The print run for his bimonthly is now more than 100,000.
The New Yorker magazine in its September 28, 2009 edition did a feature story about America’s renewed love affair with poultry using this headline: “The It Bird.”
“Chickens seem to be a perfect convergence of the economic, environmental, gastronomic, and emotional matters of the moment,” Susan Orlean wrote in The New Yorker. “In the past few years they have undergone an image rehabilitation so astounding that it should be studied by marketing consultants.”
Poultry, minus roosters, are hardy birds (quieter than some neighborhood backyard dogs at 5 a.m.) and can be kept year-round in a chicken coop, which is what Akbari says she did. In fact, her hens became a positive family project, with her husband building a coop for them last summer in their garage and her children feeding and gathering fresh eggs from her backyard birds.
“They are crazy about the hens, my boys,” said Akbari, who is willing to reduce the number of hens she had to just five if necessary. “It is a complete positive project. It can be positive for any family. It is the same hobby as someone gardening. My boys love it.”
Well, elected city council members, what’s it going to be? Does our city ordinance allow hens or not?
January 25th, 2010 at 6:47 am
No wonder this city is in the mess it is now. No one can made a decision regarding chickens?
January 25th, 2010 at 9:10 am
No the bigger problem is getting the residents of the community to clean up after themselves ( taking out the garbage, cutting grass, etc.) with out the government getting involved. I guess the question is: Are we here to set the standard or Are we here to live like immagrants?
January 25th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Typical bureaucracy that spends time and money doing nothing positive.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Shady – first learn to spell. Secondly, if the city has it written that is it okay, then it is okay.
With all the problems that this city is facing, letting a family have fresh eggs doesn’t seem like one that they should be fighting.
City – do your job. Tackle real problems and leave people who aren’t breaking the law alone.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
How noisy are they?? Do they make noise early a.m. or at night? How do they (or the feces) smell on a hot, steamy summer day? Are they rendered flightless? Last farm I was at, they seemed noisy and smelly. I don’t want them next to or behind me!!!
January 25th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
At first blush, ‘Shady’, this would seem to be an inappropriate animal to live in the city. However, Mr. Deep took great pains to demonstrate that many suburban people are raising chickens, and it is a growing trend. I can tell you from experience that a rooster makes a lot of noise, as one of my neighbors kept one for a while behind their garage. They were keeping it for their son, and got rid of it as soon as they realized the noise it made early on a summer morning. Hens, though, do not make similar levels of noise.
Absent of a connected problem such as noise level or odor from a buildup of manure, I don’t see how the city can refuse this practice under current law. I would guess that this is really a problem of friction between neighbors, and the city is trying to figure out a win-win solution. Incidentally, ‘Shady’, we don’t know from the story if the complaining neighbor is not also a recent immigrant. If you are pure blood American Indian, then your forebears were not immigrants. Otherwise, isn’t that an odd term to use as an attempted insult?
January 25th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
if someone is responsible and takes care of them why not, dogs are much dirtier and are ok, fresh eggs are wounderful
enterprise in these days should be rewarded not punished
If Dearborn continues it’s nonsense it will be worse off then ever
January 25th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I wonder which neighbor complained….some neighbors are SO annoying. I remember I used to have some baby chicks a while back…they’re very low maintenance pets…. I hope the city council can solve this ‘chicken’ problem and let Dearborn citizens raise chickens at home….
Sincerely,
Chickens FTW
January 25th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Pretty interesting issue. Hens I think is a great and healthy way to go green. One can get fresh eggs and it becomes a family project.
January 25th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Too much government involvement in any thing messes it up, either it is on federal level or on a local level, what we see from this article is a typical local government using red tape all the way, it is chickens for crying out loud, they keep on pushing green agendas down our throats having chickens are the greenist of them all, good clean fun for kids so parents do not have to drive kids around for parks, on more insects from back gardens, safest of the companions or pets which doesn’t need to be dragged around neighbourhood every evening, not to mention free eggs and meat, what can be wrong in these things, all urban cities allow it across the global
They have their chicken stored 2 hours away from home, I am sure it is the most cruel thing council can do with the kids
Dearbon council let them have their chickens, do the right thing
January 25th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I think this is a really cool idea and the city council should give the go ahead. Many forward thinking communities are passing ordinances that allow residents to keep a few hens for fresh eggs. These animals are similar to any other pet and must be cared for and cleaned up after accordingly.
January 25th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
She was breaking city ordinances. She didn’t apply for a permit before getting the hens. Now that she knows I agree it should have quickly been approved or denied since the ordinance is pretty straight forward. The fact that it wasn’t is indicative of the problems in this city government and why it’s so hard to get anything done here.
Like Food for Thought says I don’t want chickens next door either. It’s not only a potential noise and odor problem but a potential health issue. What I like in Ann Arbor’s ordinance is it requires the consent of all neighbors before permission is given. Maybe that should be part of a rewrite for future cases.
January 25th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
“Dearborn’s city ordinance allows residents to keep cows, horses, pigs, goats, pigeons, fowl or other harmless domestic pets so long as the homeowner first obtains a permit from the city health officer.”
Today fresh eggs in the garage coop, tomorrow sheep for meat and sweaters in the backyard grazing area. Baaaaaad idea. Next thing you know, the hobby cattle ranchers will be tearing out the fences to get access to the Rouge River and we’ll have an old-fashioned range war going on. Let’s leave the livestock at Greenfield Village. And the rustlers. Has anyone given any thought to how attractive this town would be to rustlers if we let people start raising hens, and by extension, cattle?
January 25th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Even Dogs (allowed pets) are not as safe compared to other pets b/c according to the American Medical Association, dog bites are the second leading cause of childhood injury, surpassing playground accidents.
The most recent OFFICIAL survey, determined there were 4.7 million dog bite victims annually in the USA.A more recent study showed 1000 Americans per day are treated in emergency rooms as a result of dog bites. In 2007 there were 33 fatal dog attacks in the USA, which is roughly double the average in the prior two decades. http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html
My point in writing this is that “dogs are not banned from keeping” but measures are taken to prevent their bites and laws are made to make dog owners more responsible, so people can benefit from their company. Also breeds (most likely to kill) like pit bull or rottweilers are restricted in some states to keep as pets. Therefore chickens which are not only gentle with children, a joy to their owners but are beneficial in many ways by providing organic ,fresh eggs, natural manure to garden and more, shouldn’t be prohibited from keeping in backyards.
Also chickens are smaller in size than horse and sheep and other farm animal. The space requirement for hens according to state law easily fits any normal city backyard. Also any farm operation (keeping of laying hens is also a farm operation) under the umbrella of GAAMPS is not considered a nuisance by any definition. It is the STATE LAW. See RTFA of MI. It applies to everyone in MI.
Also if Hen keeping needs permission from whole neighborhood, than what about dog keeping and Parrot keeping which includes Macaw, Cockatoos and African Greys? Their voice can be heard over a block. I believe the same laws should be enforced for other pets too.
I believe keeping of pet hens for eggs is a great cause. City can restrict slaughtering on property, keeping of rooster and keeping area clean but restricting them completely in not fair.
January 25th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
I recently moved to MI from DC area. My neighbor had five or six chickens in his backyard. Their smell was abominable and we had many black and brown rats. Why city should modify its ordinance for just one person? Like food for thought “I don’t want them next to or behind me!!!”
The chickens in the picture are outside the cage and on the ground I see litter and lots of feces!! and this ends the discussion right there!!
Baddddddd idea
January 25th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
waitamooooment… hysterical!! your comment just cracked me up and the imagery is priceless.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Wait, why is this issue even before the city council? According to the ordinance, the Health Officer is clearly the individual with any authority here. The city council already delegated this responsibility to the health officer when the city council passed this ordinance into law. Where is this “Health Officer” anyway? What are his initial findings?? Council should stay out of it–unless this is a case of the homeowner appealing the Health Officer’s decision to deny permit.
For those who believe pet chickens=smelly health nuisance, I say that dogs=smelly health nuisance. Case in point-chihuahua man. Therefore, all pet dogs should be outlawed.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I fully support Ms Akbari in her quest forkeeping chickens wtihin her home and for others the world over who are denied the beauty of keeping chickens, its beneficial for all in the evolution and in environment and for children in heloing them appreciate the goodness and importance of fresh food.
I hope the Dearborn council revisits its position on this and offers an overturning. If it is due to the neighbours complaints then may be their concerns are without merit? In any case, the rest of the US cant be wrong in allowing it.
Good luck Ms Akbari in your endeavours and hope your lovely chickens are re-united soon with your family.
Chicken Concern
United Kingdom
January 26th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Please see the various articles about urban chicken keeping, including the one about our place in Ypsilanti, at http://www.cityfarmer.info/2010/01/18/the-thomason-family-urban-farm-michigan/
I believe that once the feathers settle, the whole thing becomes a non-issue. Many of the same questions were raised here. The fact is, people are doing this all over the country so that they can retake possession of their home economy. Raising backyard chickens is just a small part of developing sustainable urban agriculture and being good stewards of the soil and the resources we have been given. There is so much much more that we can do to help ourselves – beautifully, efficiently, enjoyably, cooperatively – in our own backyards, than just grow grass or park a car. It took us three years to get the Ypsilanti City Council to amend our ordinance to allow chickens and, more recently, bee-keeping in the city. Don’t give up, persevere with determination and love!
January 26th, 2010 at 11:17 am
It appears Ms. Akbari has started a movement and all her friends who are not Dearborn residents are supporting her. If few states of US are allowing chickens they are negligent, because they are ignoring the danger of Bird Flu. The world is still suffering from the Swine Flu pandemic and these farm birds can cause Bird Flu.
My dad is sixty seven years old and I do not want to risk his life (www.bird-flu-facts.org). If hen keeping is so crucial this family can move to some other reckless city in Michigan. Read the last entry Dearborn Resident Who Hoarded Dogs Gets Probation.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:22 am
No Chicken……..no peace!
January 26th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Hmmm … as I understand the laws that I have read, if I want to have chickens and sell my eggs, then my chickens fall under Michigan’s Right to Farm Act of 1981. The Right to Farm Act supersedes any city ordinances. I might have to apply for a permit now that I know my rights.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
to non-city resident – I have never met Ms. Akbari nor am I one of her (supposed non dearborn) friends. I really think you should worry about the city that you live in and leave us alone.
I support her and her family. They are not bothering anyone and are making healthy decisions for the family. Home grown eggs are much healthier than what you buy at the store because of what the chickens are fed.
I am 63 years old, live in Dearborn, and am not afraid of getting the bird-flu any more than I am of getting the swine flu.
The fact that you are ignoring is that it is allowed by the City with a permit as are many other farm creatures. Until the city changes the rules, they are there. If enough Dearborn residents object, maybe they will change the rules. Until then, the rules are the rules.
January 26th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
chicken flu_bird flu??
Actually birds CAUGHT from wild may cause Bird flu, NOT vaccinated chicks obtained from any reputable hatchery. In the knowledge of this information already allowed birds and parrots should be banned from keeping, unless one has seen them hatching in front of their eyes. Lol!
Also the link Non City Residents has posted says nothing specifically for chickens.Its about birds.
January 26th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Chickens are not the cleanest animals in the world and there is a major problem regarding the run-off of chicken feces into clean waters of the world; one reason why major egg producers have moved their chicken farms to places like the Amazon River basin.
Where pray tell would indoor chicken farmers be disposing of the chicken feces/waste?
Flushing it down the toilet? Dumping it into the sewer? Into the Rouge River.
We don’t need to legalize chicken farming in Dearborn.
January 26th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
……. I put my name Non City Residents to make people aware of the fact that supporters are non city residents from Ypsilanti and UK. I and my father are residents of Dearborn and that is why I am concerned about his health. I want to know how much Ms. Akbari was fined by the city when they broke the city law and put the citizen’s health at risk. Not knowing laws does not provide immunity from consequences of breaking laws.
I agree with JP Dearborn, this issue has already sparked controversy among Dearborn residents.
January 26th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Tawook for everyone.
January 26th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Sorry Happy, I don’t think the Right to Farm Act applies here. It’s designed to protect farmers from urban sprawl and developers and townships who are trying to force them out.
You can read the whole thing here.
http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1566_2311_2313-13052–,00.html
And here’s a reason why I don’t think it would apply to you starting up a farm in the middle of the city.
Section 286.473
(2) A farm or farm operation shall not be found to be a public or private nuisance if the farm or farm operation existed before a change in the land use or occupancy of land within 1 mile of the boundaries of the farm land, and if before that change in land use or occupancy of land, the farm or farm operation would not have been a nuisance.
There have not been farms in Dearborn’s residential neighborhoods for a long time. If you decided to start a farm now you wouldn’t be protected because it did not exist before the land became zoned residential or became urban.
Cloe, you say it doesn’t bother anyone. Well it would bother me if my neighbors had chickens. That’s why I like the provision in the Ann Arbor ordinance. But you’re right this case should be handled as the current ordinance is written and then it needs to be changed.
January 26th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
How the actual code reads:
Sec. 4-1. Keeping of animals–Permit required.
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or allow to be kept within the city any cows, horses, pigs, goats, pigeons or fowl, or any other domestic animals or insects, except birds, dogs, cats or other harmless domestic pets, without first obtaining a permit therefor from the health officer. On the granting of this permit, the fowl or animals in question must not be allowed to run at large or create any condition, affect the conduct or disturb in any way any neighbor or human being, cause any nuisance as herein declared, or cause any condition that might be unwholesome or in any way affect the health, happiness and well-being of the surrounding neighborhood. The health officer shall have the power to suspend the above mentioned permit when a nuisance is being or has been thereby created, and to cause any such nuisance to be abated.
(Ord. No. 81-69, § 2.3, 11-4-81)
It seems to me that the woman with the chickens was wrong not to obtain a permit. However, it seems to me that they have no reason not to give her a permit now that she is attempting to go through proper channels. My guess is that they don’t want to give a permit to her or anyone else and they are now trying to figure out how to legally deny her request. And they can’t ban chickens or without causing trouble for Greenfield Village … the only known holder of a permit for farm animals. Interesting …
Just let her have the dang chickens. As long as she is caring for them properly and they aren’t more of an annoyance to the public than the dog that lives next door to me, then what’s the big deal?
January 26th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Col Sanders says:
January 26th, 2010 at 11:22 am
No Chicken……..no peace!
But Major Tom says:
Know chicken, know piece of chicken.
Yummy.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Recently a permit was issued to a blind woman in east dearborn for a horse that performs the same service as a “leader Dog” or “Seeing Eye Dog” so the city does issue permits. Wth the regulation as included in the ordinance, strict enforcement would be needed and the permit could be revoked if the resident doesn’t properly keep the hens. The only down side to this is how far will this go if the door is opened. Goats, sheep etc. We already know that code enforceement is selective and not done evenly throuout our city.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Friends, thanks to ‘Happy Here’ we have the actual language of the City ordinance. It seems clear that fowl, such as chickens, need to be covered by a permit issued by the Health Officer. The language states that the animal(s) must not “disturb in any way any neighbor.” If there was a complaint by a neighbor then we must assume the neighbor was disturbed by the chickens. By the definition of this Ordinance, a chicken is not considered a ‘harmless domestic pet.’
Mr. Deep, it seems the language is structured to basically require the permission of all one’s neighbors before a permit can be considered to be permanent. Even if a permit were issued, one neighbor’s complaint would require the permit be revoked. I am not saying this is how it necessarily should be, but that is the language we are dealing with. According to this ordinance, the simple fact that a neighbor complained should mean that the permit CANNOT be issued.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:02 am
Actually, my interpretation of the ordinance is that there is very little criteria for obtaining the permit, I see nothing that implies that someone would need the permission of their neighbors … but there is specific criteria under which the permit may be revoked.
To someone … you are right … on further reading the Michigan Right to Farm Act wouldn’t protect someone who didn’t have an existing farm prior to zoning regulations.
Further, a single neighbor complaint does not justify an ongoing problem in my opinion. Neighbors complain about each other for many reasons, often it has nothing to do with the issue that they are actually making a formal complaint about.
And, ah yes, I had forgotten about the woman with the horse! Good point, clearly there are permits issued to individuals.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:15 am
This isn’t even worthy of discussion. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter what other cities allow or don’t allow; I live in Dearborn. If you like the fact that a different city allows you to harvest chickens or even a cow, then my recommendation is go live there. There has been a growing problem with people trying to grow chickens for not only egg’s but for the meat as well. Picture your child witnessing a chicken running around your neighbors yard with it’s head cut off and then hanging on a line with it’s feathers plucked off headless; that’s what could potentially happen. Use common sense, if you wanted to have a couple chick lets for your son or daughter, you could keep them in your home and no one would know. If you need to keep the chickens outside and obtain a permit, you are not raising some innocent little pets.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
With or without chickens … Dearborn has rats, skunks, mice, opossums, and raccoons … if you don’t want those things, live in a bubble in the ocean. Any place that people live as close as people do in Dearborn, there will be rats and other rodents.
I don’t know the woman with the chickens, but the truth probably is somewhere in the middle … she probably got the chickens in order to have the eggs, but like most animals, they become like family to us, but especially to our children.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Mark Dearborn@Do you know chickens are winter hardy birds and do perfect in severe winter as long as they have small kennel size shelter and thermostatically controlled waterer?
Also are you disrespecting a law abiding citizen ,abiding to law by applying a permit request and suggesting to keep chickens INSIDE house?
May be her children have allergies and when they by chance hatched farm fresh eggs in homemade incubator thats when they know that these animals are perfect pets as they dont have to stay 24/7/365 days in enclosed environment of house.Children can go out in their own backyard,have fun and have fresh eggs year round.
What is the purpose of Dogs?They used to be kept for guarding or hunting but over hendred of years man tamed them to be their friends.Still there are 1000 cases of mauling or biting everyday in ER, many of which are Fatal.What should we do regarding this?Can you imagine your toddler mauled by a tall big dog in your neighbourhood? Shall your neighbours give away their dogs??”please imagine” who is important?? A dog or a toddler?…. I hope you vote for toddler.
Dearborn Resident@you say”I live in Dearborn and I live near this lady and I have been told she even said that she has had rats because of the chickens.”
MY question is”why will a person who is seeking permit from city tell people such negative things?”IS THIS A TRUE FACT that she said such a things? or you heard FROM “SOMEONE”?Do chickens really creat mice and rodents?
Lets send our ” questions” and “concerns” to Mr.Deep and ask him to get the facts and truth why this “INNOCENT” LADY kept chickens and what is her “REAL” purpose?
Why not get the truth instead of “assuming” and “accusing”?
January 27th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Although RTFA wouldn’t protect someone who didn’t have an existing farm prior to zoning regulations but we cant deny it do provide us with space requirement for all farm animals.What is the space requirement for 5 to 7 hens? Do it need to be large farm?
January 27th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
I think enough is discussed on the issue and we had very good productive comments from both sides. It seems that the discussion is crossing the civil line as described by Mr. Deep so it is time to close this feed.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
I sent an email to the mayor and 2 council members asking about this subject on Monday (also included the article posted by S. Deep). As of today, Wednesday, I have not heard from any of them. I really didn’t expect to hear from Jack but the council members are people that I have corresponded with before and never had a problem getting an answer. Don’t know if they want the ‘truth’ out there or not.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
RTFA requires you to meet GAAMPs requirements … GAAMPs requires 67 to 86 square inches of cage space per chicken. There is no requirement for outdoor space per chicken … the yards in Dearborn would easily meet these requirements.
There is also, I believe (can’t remember where I read it), a requirement that chickens must be housed more than 25 feet from a residence … once again, most yards in Dearborn would be able to meet these requirements.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
you have to ask yourself would you want to live next to a house that has 10 chickens, would you want to see chickens running around the neighborhood wild because once you allow this for one home others will follow and many residents have a hard enough time keeping their weeds pulled and lawn mowed. chickens are not clean animals and they will attract rats and other animals, that will cause more rodent control for our city, does our city really need this problem?
If this woman would like them as pets then why does she want 10, maybe 1 if they are truly pets???? In Dearborn we are not allowed to have 10 cats, dogs ask yourself why it is too much. I agree with Mark if she would like chickens move to a city that allows them. The city should give her a answer and it should be NO!
January 27th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
I want to comment on the kindness that I sense in the hearts of the replys of people that have responded on behalf of the lady with the chickens and though they do not like my reply I have to tell them I love all creatures and do my best to save them even the skunks and racoons. I always use non killing devices to catch the creatures, even for mice, and return them to nature. This lady has no interest in them as pets and if she did just want them for pets for her children she would have introduced them in a much different manner. I do not assume and I do not intend to step on anyones feelings. Life would be great if we all could have and do what we want but when you live in a city so close to others we need to respect all concerned and I feel some have forgotten there are two sides and there usually is more than what our emotions want us to believe. The city does have to give her an answer and I hope it is no for the sake of the chickens.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
In response to Happy Here Says the reason many years ago the city closed the alleys is due to the problem w/ rats and other animals in and around our neighborhood this is also why they do not allow bird seed on the ground, weeds taller than 6 inches and to keep lids on trash cans in the yard, once again if people want to live with farm animals then they should live on a farm, yes dearborn has rats but the idea is to keep them out of our backyards and having chickens, their feed and feces would only attract more than necessary, this isn’t just chickens it is live stock in general, pigs, cows, goats you name it.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:03 am
No Chickens, I live in Dearborn……………….Not Detroit
January 28th, 2010 at 10:54 am
I can not believe what I am reading. What’s next a cow, or how about some pigs with a goat. This proposal is no different from me moving next to a farm and asking them to get rid of their live stock because of the smell and noise. WE LIVE IN THE CITY PEOPLE, need I remind you.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Mark Dearborn – These are my final comments on this subject. If only the residents of Dearborn could get as worked up on the real issues in the City like the empty commercial buildings, etc.
As far as children seeing animals being prepared for food, what do you think they think when they are eating at McDonalds and they eat Mcnuggets or chicken strips or hamburgers. Children should know what they are eating. When they go to the supermarkets with their parents, they think that the food just magically gets there. When more people where working on farms, people were much more realistic about life in general.
Have we really become a better society because we rely on others to raise and prepare our food while we stock up on unneeded gadgets and hardly know our neighbors.
If you are really serious about this matter, write City Hall to change the rules instead of writing on this blog.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
I believe there are dual sides of several things.
Like a knife can be used in kitchen to cut vegetables, fruits and other kitchen uses or it can be used to hurt someone (don’t want to describe this-)
Tongue can be used to soothe, comfort or teach or it can be used to hurt or insult.
Hands can be used in helping others or pushing others.
Similarly, we can train a parrot to do tricks, talk and entertain or leave him unattended to scream and mutilate itself and end in animal shelter. A dog can be trained to be a companion, guarding and helping purpose or left unleashed to run in neighborhood, hurt a child or annoy who don’t like others dog on their property.
There are two sides and dual usage of many more things.
One side of having winter hardy animal outside house, children who cant have dogs, cats or desired pets due to severe health issues don’t have to keep something inside in ENCLOSED environment and breathe their dust, hair and dandruff all the time. Otherside is that one can have a slaughter house for chickens in backyard.
I believe wisdom should be learnt from anywhere and anyone instead of being resistant to positive changes. One who thinks he knows everything surely suffers on account of his ignorance. If other communities have provided guidelines and allowed their residents to benefit from green pets like chicken. Than it can be learnt from them what are their guidelines. Some communities require chickens to be only contained in covered pen or coops .Others do require coop to be 20 feet from residence or 10 feet from adjacent property line. This requirement can be waived too with written consent of neighbour, if distance is less.
I appreciate the patience of the family to wait for so long especially children who miss having fun in their backyard. Also I believe our council is wise enough to make a balanced and educated decision sooner.
Also people should stay away from personal judgments which cant be confirmed about family . This is the gloabl issue not some family issue.
Mr.Said must delete such personal comments.CLOSE this feed and Council should response sooner .
January 28th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Cloe, There is no connection with empty commercial buildings and allowing a city resident to harvest chickens in their back yard. Cloe, nice effort in trying to twist the facts. It is the people who want to harvest chickens who need to write city hall to change the rules, not I. Have you forgotten what started this thread? I prefer my children to not grow up in a society that has neighbors in your words “preparing food”. The rules are already in my favor for this kind of life style, thus why I live in Dearborn. Further, you do not need to use a barbaric way to teach your children where food comes from, I choose to use a more logical way; books and plain old words. As stated by others, if I wanted to raise my children in a society that allowed this, I would move to that neighborhood, not try to change the current one I live in. It looks like it is not me who needs to not write on this blog. With that being said, “Close it Now” I have read every blog entry and have yet to read a hateful comment directed at a person with intent to hurt or belittle. I feel this forum is serving it’s purpose quit well by allowing the residents to speak their concerns. Besides, have you not noticed that before each blog is posted it is checked for bad intent. Closing this blog would only put a mussel on the residents of Dearborn giving their opinion; I believe that is your true intent.
Lastly, there are plenty of other pet’s that are allergy free that can live in a house all year round. Fish is the first that comes to my mind. Having 10 chickens living in a pen or your garage and calling them your pets, that’s laughable. That’s the best you have to make your case. I recommend a Zuhh Zuhh pet, you can get them at Toy’s R US for 10 bucks.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Really? Our Mayor and City council are afraid to say no and lose a vote? Afraid of being called racist? Just be big boys and girls and do the right thing and say NO. It is silly to waste all this time on chickens when the rest of the City is falling apart.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
Do you clean up after your dog or let it run around in its feces in a cage? Of course not. If you neglect any animal, it will become a health hazard and attract rats. That is why a person who owns a dog in this town are required to have a dog license. That is also why people who own dogs get ticketed and fined when they neglect their animals, keep them in unsanitary conditions,let them run loose, or if their dog bites someone. That is the purpose of city regulations. Why do people assume if the city issues a permit for chickens, that means it gives a free pass to the chicken owner neglect it, abuse it, or create unsanitary and hazardous conditions for neighbors? Does granting a dog license give a dog owner a pass to these things? Of course not, quite the opposite. Quite frankly i’d much rather live next door to someone who keeps 4 hens in their fenced yard in a portable “chicken tractor” (not running free), than to someone who keeps a rottweiler and a german shepard running free in their muddy grass-free back yard, which greet me by charging the fence everytime i go out onto my patio, dogs that bark nonstop from 7am to 11pm.
The Health officer can write any requirements and restrictions onto the chicken permit. He may restrict the number, specify the nature of their housing, not allow roosters, stipulate how feed must be stored and kept off the ground, and can explicitly prohibit any outdoor slaughtering activities. Any violations of the permit restrictions can be grounds for revocation of the permit. I don’t see how issuing a chicken permit could be a bad thing.
January 29th, 2010 at 9:36 am
I don’t see the connection people are trying to make with harvesting chickens and having pets. Using a pet dog as and example to be equal with having 10 to 20 chickens for eggs and meat is ridicules. If you want to have one chicken as a pet, ok I get that. But comparing a single dog, or single cat with a pen full of chickens is idiotic. You wouldn’t be allowed to have 10 – 20 dogs in a pen in your back yard, so no chickens either. As stated before, lack of common sense is flowing strong through this thread.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Mark Dearborn – Okay, had to answer you. Please, someone correct me if I am wrong. Does not the current rule allow, with a permit, the keeping of chickens. Like I said before, write your mayor and council people if you want it changed. As for now, it is allowed. The rules are not “in your favor” at present.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
I called the health department and the only permit in Dearborn that allows chickens belongs to Greenfield Village. That makes sense. The state law to my understanding requires permision from each neighbor around. That’s good because I would tell my neighbor no way.
January 29th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
I have lived in Dearborn all my life infact my gandfather use to be the dog cather without title and my grandmother had a home in the country aswell and over 50 years ago pets like chickens were never allowed. Maybe you can try to get a permit but having chickens is something I have never known of and I am old. When my grandfather had animals that did not belong we took them to the country and found them homes.
January 29th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I think it is not as complicated. The way I understand the story, one family put some chickens in the garage, and they were unaware of the fact that they need permit to keep chickens. Some neighbor complained. City asked them to remove chickens. They removed the chickens. Kids were attached to chickens. The lady tried to get permit to keep those chickens. Some city residents think it is ok and some think it is not a good idea. It is mentioned in the article that some cities close to Dearborn do allow chickens. The lady according to the ordinance tried to get permit. I see no harm done yet in trying to get permit. If the permit requires signature permission by neighbors, it is each neighbor’s right to reject or give permission. Let’s see what city has to say. City should not have prolonged it so much.
January 29th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
The average chicken lays 1/2 a egg a day. 10 chickens would yeld 35 eggs a week, 140 a month, and 1800 a year. Is this lady really eating that many eggs?
January 29th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
As Deep said in the beginning of this post keeping chickens has become an increasingly popular practice. As a resident of Dearborn I support a permitting process for the rearing of chickens. We have bee keepers within city limits. We have organic community gardens. We have maple syrup tapping. “Agricultural” activities are already happening within our borders. What is not happening within our borders is easy access to fresh organic produce year round.
The nutritional quality, taste, and texture of eggs of free range chickens with a varied diet is superior to grocery store varieties. Head to Ann Arbor this Saturday and buy eggs at the Kerrytown farm market. They don’t even crack quite the same way. It’s nice that Dearborn has a farm market in the summer… although it is very small and limited. But for families that have chosen a different lifestyle but have chosen to live in this city it isn’t sufficient.
The poop doesn’t have to be a nuisance. It is a great source of nitrogen in compost. You can buy chicken poop in Dearborn at a premium price. They sell it as organic fertilizer at English Garden and Home Depot. Great for asparagus.
Learn a little more before you condemn the process.
January 29th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
City doesn’t know how to make important decisions!!!!!
January 29th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
10 chickens x 1/2 egg per day = 5 eggs per day. Just enough for a couple to have eggs for breakfast daily. Since they have kids they could easily use that amount.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
@G_Man. Lol! ha ha ha..what is 1/2 a egg??
) 35 eggs a week.. ok lets reduce the number 
as the article says she would be happy with 5 too. So is 5 or 7 ok??
I beleive city doesnt have any restrictions on 3 cats and 2 dogs (altogether 5)? or do they?
January 30th, 2010 at 7:53 am
State law requiring permission from neighbors … does anyone know where I can find the wording of that law? First I’ve heard of it.
January 30th, 2010 at 10:11 am
No matter how you slice it, chickens are dirty animals and don’t belong in the city. Just go visit a petting zoo, they always smell; and those are cleaned daily. This would’t be a fair practice for ones neighbor’s for some fresh egg’s. Even with just 5 chickens, I highly doubt this family would eat 18 eggs a week or about 1000 a year; that’s a lot of eggs. One thing you need to keep in mind, most of the cities mentioned above that allow chickens like Ann Arbor have areas in the city that have lots that are a few acres large. Dearborn’s average lot size is 50 ft x 100 ft, far smaller than a few acres. I do know this from personal experience, Dearborn is very strict about bird feed getting on the ground because it attracts rodent’s including rat’s. I ended up getting rid of my bird feeder because it was impossible to keep the birds from getting feed on the ground while they eat. After actually seeing a rat one night, that was the end of that. No way would chickens be any different.
January 30th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Maybe the people above who support the chicken family would be so kind to offer them to keep the chickens at their home. That would save them a 2 hour drive. I wonder if their position would change if their neighbor was the one wanting chickens; I bet it would. My elderly mother was forced to get rid of her bird feeder by the city. I will have a huge problem if they are allowed to have the chickens. I wonder what a animal rights group would have to say about this?
January 30th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Noooooo, what reason did the city give to your Mother? I know you can’t put the food or seed on the ground. My neighborhood is filled with feeders for the birds and the squirrels.
January 30th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Alllowing chickens would decrease the value of houses in Dearborn, we don’t need anymore of that. It’s not the waste that is the problem with chickens, it’s the feed. Can you emagine what would happen if every pet in Dearborn was fed out side? That would create a huge mess. We would have more than a rat problem. This seems harmless up front, but in the end, a bad idea.
January 30th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I do not believe that Dearborn has restrictions on the number of dogs and cats that an individual can have … I believe that the rule of 5 (number of cats and dogs combined) that was referred to is a Dearborn Heights ordinance.
By the way, dogs are dirty too and we allow them. Just saying … it’s not about the type of animal, but about the care that the animal is given by it’s owner that makes it an issue.
I have a family of 5, we go through about 2 dozen eggs each week.
NOooooooooooooo … animal rights group? I’m confused as to why they would have any opinion on responsible individuals caring for animals in a way that is more humane than the industry that most of us support when we buy our eggs at the grocery store.
January 30th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Ann Arbor’s chicken ordinance:
9:42. Keeping of chickens.
(1) Any person who keeps chickens in the City of Ann Arbor shall obtain a permit from the City prior to acquiring the chickens. No permit shall be issued to a person, by the City, and no chickens shall be allowed to be kept unless the owners of all residentially zoned adjacent properties (as defined below in subsection (3)j.) consent in writing to the permit and this consent is presented along with an application for a permit. Written statements waiving the distance requirement in subsection (3) below shall also be submitted at the time of application and become a part of the permit if issued. Application shall be made to the City Clerk and the fee for the permit shall be as determined by Council resolution.
Permits expire and become invalid 5 years after the date of issuance. A person who wishes to continue keeping chickens shall have obtained a new permit on or before the expiration date of the previous permit. Application for a new permit shall be pursuant to the procedures and requirements that are applicable at the time the person applies for a new permit.
(2) Notwithstanding the issuance of a permit by the City, private restrictions on the use of property shall remain enforceable and take precedence over a permit. Private restrictions include but are not limited to deed restrictions, condominium master deed restrictions, neighborhood association by-laws, and covenant deeds. A permit issued to a person whose property is subject to private restrictions that prohibit the keeping of chickens is void. The interpretation and enforcement of the private restriction is the sole responsibility of the private parties involved.
(3) A person who keeps or houses chickens on his or her property shall comply with all of the following requirements:
a. Have been issued the permit required under subsection (1) of this section.
b. Keep no more than 4 chickens.
c. The principal use of the person’s property is for a single-family dwelling or two-family dwelling.
d. No person shall keep any rooster.
e. No person shall slaughter any chickens.
f. The chickens shall be provided with a covered enclosure and must be kept in the covered enclosure or a fenced enclosure at all times. Fenced enclosures are subject to all provisions of Chapter 104 (Fences).
g. A person shall not keep chickens in any location on the property other than in the backyard. For purposes of this section, “backyard” means that portion of a lot enclosed by the property’s rear lot line and the side lot lines to the points where the side lot lines intersect with an imaginary line established by the rear of the single-family or two-family structure and extending to the side lot lines.
h. No covered enclosure or fenced enclosure shall be located closer than 10 feet to any property line of an adjacent property;
i. All enclosures for the keeping of chickens shall be so constructed or repaired as to prevent rats, mice, or other rodents from being harbored underneath, within, or within the walls of the enclosure. A covered enclosure or fenced enclosure shall not be located closer than 40 feet to any residential structure on an adjacent property provided, however, this requirement can be waived as follows:
(i) If the principal use of applicant’s property is for a single-family dwelling, to obtain such a waiver the applicant shall present at the time of applying for a permit the written statements of all adjacent landowners that there is no objection to the issuance of the permit.
(ii) If the principal use of the applicant’s property is for a two-family dwelling, to obtain such a waiver the applicant shall present at the time of applying for a permit the written statements of all adjacent landowners and of the occupants of the other dwelling stating that there is no objection to the issuance of the permit.
j. For purposes of this section, adjacent property means all parcels of property that the applicant’s property comes into contact with at 1 or more points, except for parcels that are legally adjacent to but are in fact separated from the applicant’s property by a public or private street.
k. All enclosures for the keeping of chickens shall be so constructed or repaired as to prevent rats, mice, or other rodents from being harbored underneath, within, or within the walls of the enclosure.
l. All feed and other items associated with the keeping of chickens that are likely to attract or to become infested with or infected by rats, mice, or other rodents shall be protected so as to prevent rats, mice, or other rodents from gaining access to or coming into contact with them.
m. If the above requirements are not complied with, the City may revoke any permit granted under this section and/or initiate prosecution for a civil infraction violation.
(4) A person who has been issued a permit shall submit it for examination upon demand by any Police Officer or Code Enforcement Officer.
(Ord. No. 08-19, § 2, 6-2-08, eff. 8-7-08)
9:43, 9:44. Reserved.
January 30th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
chel @you are so correct. I remember I saw bags of those fertilizers at English gardens and at Home Depot too. They were pretty costly than usual fertilizer. Wow I can’t imagine having free fertilizer from my own chicken coop for my flower beds and vegetable bed at NO COST. I can just dream of doing it with open eyes in my backyard and front yard.
Happy Here @I tried to find the wordings but actually state law doesn’t require permission from neighbors. It only gives space requirements and requirements of feeder and waterer for keeping them. Different cities have some distance requirements. For example Royal Oak,MI Only requires owners to keep chickens contained or in pen on their property. Other cities require different things which range from 5 feet from adjacent property line to 15 feet or 20 feet from closest dwelling.
In a quick search I found these few cities which already allows different number of chickens with or without permit.
SanFrancisco; No permit for 4 or fewer chicken ;20 ft from any door or window
Anaheim; Unspecified number of chickens with annual permit.
San Jose (California)Allows upto 6 chickens with out permit: roosters are prohibited when they are more than 4 months old. Permit is required for more than 6 chickens. 15 feet from neighboring structures
Oakland, CA. Keep chicken enclosed, & 20 ft. from any church or school.
Petaluma, CA. Up to twenty animals. Chickens must be kept five feet from a neighbor’s fence or property line, and they must be kept 20 ft. from neighboring dwellings.
San Mateo, CA. Keeping chickens requires a permit here. Up to 10 hens per household. Chickens must be kept in an appropriate pen/coop
Alpharetta, GA. There is a 75 chicken maximum.
Atlanta, GA. Chickens are allowed here.
New Haven (Title III,Ch.7 ,Sec7-2)No prohibition on keeping chickens in city; chickens cant roam at large
Chicago (Title 7,Ch-7-12,Sec 7-12-300)No prohibition on keeping chickens in city; cannot kill chickens in the city.
Wichita (Chapter 6, Sec. 6.04.157) Upto 3 fowl without permit; upto 12 fowl with 25$ fee for annual permit. UPDATED recently for 5 fowl WITHOUT permit.
Belmont, MA. Allows up to 5 hens
Brockton, MA. Hens are allowed, but roosters are not.
Somerset, MA. No limits on the amount of chickens allowed.
Baltimore City, MD. You can have up to for hens with permit, no roosters.
Ann Arbor, MI. An ordinance was approved on June 2, 2008. Up to 4 hens are now allowed with permit.
Lansing, Capitol of MI. Recently approved the keeping of 5 city chickens, with permit
St. Louis, MO. You can keep up to 4 chickens without a permit. If you want to keep more, you must file a permit with the Health Commissioner.
San Antonio (Chapter5 ,Art.V , Sec. 5-109)The total number of domestic fowl(chickens) allowed at a residence is 5. More need a permit.
Houston (Ch;6.Art.II Sec.6-38 )7 or fewer chickens with permit if person under doctor’s orders for fresh chicken eggs
Royal Oak, MI (http://ecode360.com/?custid=ro2029)Chickens must not be allowed to run at large within the limits of the City. No restriction on number or roosters.
Flat rock (Chapter 14, Article 1, Sec 14.4)Fowl can be kept within the city commonly classified as pets.
Ypsilanti,MI allows 4 hens with permit.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Wow, that’s not many places that allow chickens. It looks like 99.9999999 percent of the cities in this country have it right and don’t allow chickens. Also out of the ones that do, 98 percent of them are in another state. The city does not like feed on the ground, I don’t think there are many bird feeders that don’t end up getting feed on the ground. What it comes down to is which neighbors complain or not.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
The city got my mother on the feed falling on the ground. What it really came down to is the neighbor complained. Happy, no way are dogs as dirty as chickens. Anyways, if I were to keep 5 hunting dogs locked up in my backyard all year round. If the neighbor complained, I guarantee the city would make me get rid of them. Let me ask this to all the people who want chickens. Would you all have a problem if I lived next to you and wanted to have a couple of cows? 1 for future meat and the other for milk. I also would like a pig and two chickens, those would be for the bacon and eggs along with some ham. That would only total 5 pets. Well, maybe I would settle with 5 chicken hawks for pets.
January 30th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
I read how good the piles of chicken poop will be for fertilizer. Just even more reason not to allow them. Do you know how bad that would smell during summer. Case closed, no chickens……we live in a city
January 31st, 2010 at 11:00 am
Barely mentioned in the comments is why the city has taken over 9 months and still has not given this lady an answer. Last year neighbors were horrified to see several healthy oak trees removed by a homeowner inspite of the existing tree ordinance. When questioned the mayor said they were near the end of their lives. Not a word in the ordinance about anticipated demise of trees as reason for their removal. The mayor and council president also stated they needed to consider individual property rights. Why have ordinances if the administration is not going to follow them? Personally, chicken manure stinks and I would not want to smell it continuously being spread around my neighbor’s yard. I also wouldn’t want to look out my window and see some ugly shack being used as a chicken coop. While a few people will take better care of their chickens than themselves and purchase a high end “designer” coop most people would not keep the coop clean and not provide the care chickens need. Sorry, more risks than benefits to allow chickens on our small city lots.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:02 pm
My neighbor who takes very good care of her property and is an animal lover was given a citation/fine by the city for ground feeding birds and squirrels. She is fighting it through an attorney.
As usual, the problem is the inconsistency with which city ordinances are enforced or not enforced.
If chickens are allowed in houses, and seeing eye horses, what is next?
Why don’t we just apply to the United Nations to become considered a Third World Nation within a nation?
At least then we would be eligible for federal funds and funding from world relief organizations.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:11 am
Gee, was that an attempt at an insult!