Tuesday, September 16, 2008

urban chickens almost legal in State College, PA

Great to see this report of chicken sense and sensibility coming from the State College (Pennsylvania) Borough Council.

Borough staff have been instructed to draft an ordinance allowing for urban chickens, thereby solving the conflicting regulations already on the books dating back to the 1920s.

I'm especially glad to see cooler, practical heads prevail in this one story:

College Heights resident Lisa Baumgartner, who does not now keep chickens, said she would like to keep a few in a secure, sanitary and well-maintained pen.

Another College Heights resident, Linda Hendrickson, said chickens “do smell” and “do carry diseases.” She asked why regulations should be changed “to suit one person” and said chickens could devalue the property of neighbors.

Two borough residents who already keep chickens in pens, Chris Uhl and Diana Malcom, said the chickens help build positive neighborhood relations.

“The folks that do come to our neighborhood to see them love them,” Malcom said.

I wonder how many folks like Ms Hendrickson have a stereotype about mass-produced chickens cooped up by the thousands in one shed that they can't let go of when thinking of a half dozen chooks in the backyard? Or is it all the talk of flock eradication overseas as preventative measures against bird flu that they automatically assume holds true for small backyard flocks in the States?

In any case, I look forward to reading about urban chickens being legal in State College. It'll be nice to see some pictures of Penn State Nittany Lion eggs on the web!

2 comments:

Emily Cole said...

We did it!!! Check out my blog for details about last night's 4-1 vote, but Wake Forest residents can now have up to 10 hens without first having to obtain any permit! Woo Hoo!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations, Em :-)

Job well done!

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