Tonight is our meeting with the Greeley Urban Hen Coalition. We will decide our formal name at the meeting. But we also had some more press regarding having chickens in Greeley! Our new friend, Jessica Harris, who was also interviewed in the article that Britton and I were in, was the featured editorial guest columnist in the newspaper yesterday.  Here is a link to the editorial, as well as a reprint. I thought she did a great job and loved the comparison to the amount of room people live in on a daily basis to the amount supposedly “required” for chickens.

¡Viva La Gallina! Long Live the Hen!

Here is the article as printed in the newspaper. For an unabridged version, check out the urban hen website.

Greeley Policy on Hens is Fowl by Jessica Harris

I recently inquired at the city of Greeley concerning the possibility of keeping laying hens (no roosters) on my property, as I’m interested in learning more about self-sustained and natural living. I’ve a good-sized back yard with plenty of space for a large coop and completely enclosed pen. I also thought it was a good idea, considering the tough economic times, to learn how to be more self-sufficient. While I’ve no interest in butchering a chicken, the thought of fresh, chemical- and hormone-free eggs, combined with an interesting pet, intrigued me.

The practice of backyard chicken rearing has become popular in many urban towns in the past few years. Cities such as Fort Collins, Loveland and Boulder have recently passed ordinances allowing hens to be kept in residentS’ back yards.

Being excited about the prospect of my own “urban hens,” I immediately did what any reasonable person would do — I researched. I literally obsessed over every piece of information I could find on keeping chickens within the city. I also carefully read the Greeley Municipal Ordinances referring to livestock (or specifically the ordinance on fowl). I saw no reason, or law, that would prevent me from properly and legally keeping two or three well-cared for pet hens in my backyard with the appropriate pen and coop.

Apparently, I was wrong. My family found this out while doing the right thing and calling the office of city planning, just to make sure. We were told was that while yes, it’s acceptable to own chickens per the animal ordinance of city codes, under chapter 18.58.030 of the Municipal Codes, this allowance becomes reliant upon figures that would allow literally no one (without a yard that could rival your local mansion) to own laying hens within city limits. The figure that I was given by the office of City Planning is 4,326 square feet of unused land per chicken. Just for reference, this is approximately 385 times the suggested square footage necessary to keep a single chicken as per just about any poultry site, hatchery, association, or expert out there deems necessary. It’s also about 1,000 square feet bigger than I fit a family of four humans, three dogs and a cat in and call home.

I understand that the land usage bit had most likely been tacked on in an effort to keep people from creating bizarre barnyard hovels in their duplex parking lots. But that doesn’t keep me from being angered and disappointed that this “stipulation” also prohibits those of us who are responsible pet owners, who understand the benefits of raising backyard hens for pets, healthy eggs, mineral rich, natural fertilizer and insect control, from doing so.

In all the years that I’ve lived in this town, I’ve heard repeatedly about Greeley’s “hometown attitude,” “pioneer spirit” and “rich agricultural roots.” Yet, as a resident of Greeley, it would seem I’m not really allowed to be a part of any of that. Nor am I allowed to make any attempt at self-sustained, natural living unless, of course, I can afford that extra lot or buy a farm.

I’m starting to think that we don’t live in such an agri-centric town after all. We can have our cow-painted mailboxes, or slippers or other assorted household items, and we can go to the Greeley Stampede and play cowboy for a day, but unless you have a yard the size of Nottingham Field, don’t expect to take an active role in that agricultural heritage we are supposed to be so proud of and not mind when the air is “not so fresh.”

Jessica Harris is a Greeley resident, a mother of two, an avid animal lover and a writer.