He has leashes and will take the hens for walks, though he said with chickens they are the ones in the lead.
“It’s more work than you imagine,” he said of the chickens, which he said are his service animals. “The reward is worth the headache it causes because every day you’ve got to be out there doing stuff, and it really helps my peace of mind having this type of pet.”
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
About two years ago, Combs, a U.S. Army veteran who was deployed to Iraq, said Kettering police took him to the Dayton VA hospital, where he was on suicide watch.
While in Iraq, Combs was a Patriot missile operator in the Alpha 5-52, Alpha Battery, 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, he said.
The 507th Maintenance Company was attached to his unit, Combs said, and his bags were in back of the Humvee carrying Pfc. Jessica Lynch when the convoy was ambushed by Iraqi soldiers and Lynch taken captive.
American forces later rescued Lynch, the first prisoner of war rescued since World War II, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Following his service in Iraq, Combs said he suffers respiratory diseases and is often plagued by “what if” scenarios.
“During that treatment (at the VA), I was advised to look into animals,” he said.
With severe allergies in the family, they are unable to have typical furry companions.
First, the Combs family tried fish, but they didn’t work out because he said they were boring and not interactive.
“You can only change their water so much,” he said.
But chickens as pets was appealing, and it also was a nod to his wife’s cultural heritage. His wife, Melodie, is from the Philippines and said she had a rooster and hens outside as pets and wants her two sons, Seth, 10, and Arkyn, 2, to experience the same.
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
The Combs got their first nine chicks nearly a year ago, and they added nine more in February. They come in white, black, a speckled gray and orange.
Does he think 18 hens is too many?
“Well, if I had an aquarium and I had the space for 100 fish, is that too many fish?” he said. “Sometimes I would agree. I would say that’s more than I should have. But at the same time, these are creature animals. They thrive in a flock.”
The more you have, the more their happiness as an animal increases, Combs said.
For 10-year-old Seth Combs, it’s fun to chase the hens around the yard and walk them on a leash.
“I like them. I feed them. It’s like one of my responsibilities,” he said. “It’s helping me grow up.”
This spring, Kettering’s animal control officer told Todd Combs there was a complaint and that he can’t keep chickens. He also had been in communication with the city’s zoning code enforcement staff.
Combs has found city code allowing pet fowl, and his chickens fit that definition, according to Combs, because they are not a food source. He shared receipts that he buys chicken from Dot’s Market and eggs from Costco. The Combs’ gather any eggs the hens lay, put them in a blender and scramble them on the stove, shells and all, then feed them back to the chickens.
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
“I asked the city, if I’m in violation, show me where I’m doing wrong by code. I have yet to hear the code,” Combs said. “It’s not that I want to buck the system. I want the system to be fair. I’m not hurting anyone ... This is used for happiness and enjoyment.”
He received a formal notice of violation dated May 9, which said, “Remove all chickens from the premises. Farm animals are not permitted.”
He has appealed to the Kettering Board of Zoning Appeals, and his public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at the Kettering Government Center, 3600 Shroyer Road.
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