The Detroit Barker

Detroit, Michigan, is considering allowing backyard livestock — such as chickens, ducks, and bees with an Animal Keeping Ordinance, something many other cities in the Detroit Metro have been wrestling with in recent years. The first public hearing regarding this proposal was held with the City Council’s Public Health and Safety Standing Committee (PHS) on Oct 28th, and a second will be held with the Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee (PED) on October 31 at 10 AM.

The ordinance proposes allowing residents to keep up to eight ducks or chickens, and four hives, 30 feet from neighbors, and 5 feet from property lines. There are also strict restrictions on the type of bees and fowl that can be kept. You can check out the entirety of the proposal by clicking here.

People arguing for the ordinance say it can help increase personal food safety by allowing families to raise and control the sources of the food they eat. It also provides a potential learning opportunity for families to learn where their food comes from.

Opponents to the ordinance argue that allowing livestock in urban areas will increase sanitation and noises complaints, including smells, loud crowing, or attracting additional pests. There are also concerns about bird flu, which can potentially be spread from wildlife to backyard flocks, and then onto commercial flocks.

A lot of other cities in the area already allow backyard chickens, including Auburn Hills, Berkley, and Ferndale, with many others such as Farmington Hills, Northville, Canton, and Livonia allowing them with major distance and flock size restrictions. Conversely, many cities also don’t allow backyard flocks, such as Plymouth, Novi, Oak Park, Rochester, and many others.

As someone who has owned backyard chickens in the past when I lived in Washington state, I’m definitely for giving people more control and the ability to have small backyard flocks, with limitations to prevent noise and sanitation issues with neighbors. It was a great experience to be able to enjoy fresh eggs from the yard daily, and to control what went into raising my flock.

In the Pacific Northwest, this was incredibly popular, and almost all of my neighbors also owned backyard flocks — some even small livestock such as pygmy goats! I never personally noticed any problems with smell or noise, but I also have a degree in Animal Sciences, so I’m less likely to be bothered by them to begin with.

So, what do you think? Do you live in a part of Michigan that allows backyard chickens? Do you own a flock yourself? Or do you think it’d be a bad idea? Share your comments (and flock photos) below — we’d love to hear what you think!

Original Source: Click on Detroit 4 News