Backyard chickens: Friends or food?

And Kettering residents are challenging the interpretation of local ordinances, saying their backyard poultry are actually pets, not livestock.

“Interest in backyard chickens has been steadily increasing for many, many years, and then went through two spikes of growth,” said veterinarian Dr. Tim McDermott, Ohio State University Extension agriculture and natural resources educator and assistant professor.

The first spike was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when people had to stay home and provide for their own personal and family food security.

“In fact, we had a large number of new poultry keepers at that time,” he said.

The second spike was more recent with the highly pathogenic avian influenza that led to an increase in egg prices and an egg scarcity in some markets.

“Your backyard flock is not going to provide you cheaper eggs than the store. We still find that a lot of people liked having that as an option, and then they find that they really enjoy the process,” McDermott said.

Some people view their chickens as pets, and McDermott agreed they do share a lot of characteristics.

“They’re really social and they’re fun and they’re engaging,” he said.

Credit: Jen Balduf

Credit: Jen Balduf

Coop to table

The Lucas family of Lebanon decided to take on backyard chicken keeping at their Walnut Street home during the pandemic.

At the time, Molly Lucas said she also was home-schooling her children who were involved in 4-H.

“Having eggs is great but it doesn’t save you money on eggs,” she said when adding the cost of building the coop and high-quality feed. “But it’s good to know where your food comes from.”

The Lucas family started in 2020 with six female chicks, but now are down to three hens: Oreo, Padme and Sabine.

“They’re fun animals to watch. They’re just funny,” she said.

Credit: Jen Balduf

Credit: Jen Balduf

Know the rules

While more and more communities are allowing chickens, the vast majority do not except for areas zoned for agricultural use and on large residential lots, depending on the community.

“I tell folks before they even get their first bird is check the regulations of the city or municipality you live in to make sure you can legally keep them because what we want to avoid is rehoming birds into the humane system because that would overwhelm that system,” McDermott said.

Following are communities in the area that allow backyard chickens in residential areas, though none permits roosters in residential districts.

Many require permits to keep chickens so check with local zoning departments on permits and the number allowed based on lot size, which varies.

In Miamisburg, chickens are only permitted in agricultural zoning districts. However, Development Director Chris Fine said city council has discussed backyard chickens this year and asked city staff to look at regulations that might allow a limited number of hens in residential districts.

“The development department is currently researching this issue,” Fine said, so it is too early to tell what those regulations would look like nor whether it ultimately would be approved by council members.

The city of Trenton recently amended its zoning to allow for quail as well as chickens, which will take effect later this month, said City Manager Marcos Nichols.

The city of West Carrollton has held workshops to consider allowing backyard chickens in 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2024, but has chosen to maintain restrictions, said spokeswoman Cheryl Hardy.

Zoning uncertainty

The Combs family of Kettering thought they were following the rules when they started a backyard flock at their Kenosha Road home.

Iraq War veteran Todd Combs said his 18 chickens are his pets, which he calls his “buddies or babies.”

They do not use the hens as a food source. Instead they gather any eggs they lay, put them in a blender and scramble them on the stove, shells and all, then feed them back to the chickens as a treat.

A complaint led to a zoning violation notice, which Combs appealed to the Kettering Board of Zoning Appeals.

Combs said based on city code he read before getting the chickens, he believed he was permitted to own them so long as they were not a food source and he was not operating a business by selling anything related to the birds.

Credit: Jen Balduf

Credit: Jen Balduf

Simon and Autumn Land are closely watching the BZA case. The city of Kettering has issued a violation notice to them for the six ducks they keep in the backyard of their Rockhurst Avenue home.

They have a white crested, three Pekings and two dark Campbells who love vegetables — but nothing compares to blueberries — Autumn Land said.

“They beg for them,” she said. “They’re fun to watch.”

The Lands said they, too, thought based on reading the zoning code that the ducks were allowed. They decided to get them to help relieve some of the anxiety of family members with mental health issues, and she appreciates the responsibility the ducks have taught her children.

“Sitting out on the back porch watching the ducks is so relaxing,” she said.

The Lands hope that the Combs will be able to keep their chickens, and that, in turn, they will be able to keep their ducks.

The discussion portion of the BZA hearing was continued to 7 p.m. Monday in council chambers, 3600 Shroyer Road, Kettering.

Credit: Jen Balduf

Credit: Jen Balduf

Not all in favor

Not everyone wants to live next door to a backyard flock.

Realtors have said the presence of a chicken coop can be a deterrent to selling neighboring houses.

Piqua City Commissioner Frank DeBrosse posed difficult questions ahead of the March 18 vote that ultimately allowed residents there to keep up to four chickens.

Chief among concerns was the strain on city resources for the permit, inspection and enforcement of backyard chickens, which city staff agreed would be complaint-driven. Also, he expressed dismay that if a chicken escaped its yard, police officers would be responsible for chasing it down, according to a video recording of the meeting.

“I’m obviously not in favor of this ordinance and will be voting against it,” he said.

In Kettering, resident John Aiple said farm animals don’t belong in the suburbs.

“A few chickens are not overly noisy, however, a flock can become quite loud,” he said. “Although chickens themselves don’t necessarily smell, their droppings can be very noxious, especially in warmer weather if not addressed regularly.”

He also expressed concerns that backyard chickens would attract predators, including coyotes, foxes, raccoons, opossums, rats, hawks, owls and even snakes.

Best practices

A healthy flock starts with birds purchased through a hatchery approved by the National Poultry Improvement Plan, which McDermott said helps ensure they are disease-free and as healthy as possible.

“Then you need to have some learning on board because this is livestock. It’s a food animal and it’s different than a puppy or a kitten. You’ve got to have everything ready for those birds when you purchase them because they need to go home and go into their safe spot.”

Knowledge is key, which is why McDermott developed a self-paced Backyard Poultry Certificate Course, available online at go.osu.edu/chicken.

Some cities in Ohio and nationwide require a certificate in order to keep birds.

“I just talked to a city in Illinois and they’re going to require that course for people to get birds because they want to make sure that people know what they’re getting into, they know how to raise them safely and healthfully, and that is going to increase the chances of a successful experience,” McDermott said.

The coop and run needs to be rock solid with biosecurity.

“We don’t want them interacting with wild birds. We want to make sure that they don’t have a chance of picking up any disease, they don’t have a chance of damage from predators,” he said.

It’s a good idea to have a relationship with a veterinarian for instances where there might be a health concern.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have as many vets as we need to see backyard poultry, but I’m trying to fix that,” he said. “I also lecture third- and fourth-year veterinary students here at the College of Veterinary Medicine in poultry medicine and diseases, and encourage them to see poultry in practice so we have more vets who see poultry.”

Credit: Jen Balduf

Credit: Jen Balduf