While Chris Langham said the animals teach his three small children how to care for another living creature, they also teach them another important lesson: how to run a self-sustaining homestead.
“We don’t know what the economy or the future is going to bring us and it’s nice to have things that you can control to sustain you,” he said.
But because of concerns raised recently regarding backyard chickens and goats, Middletown City Council will consider the question of where the line is drawn between green living and neighborhood nuisances.
On Sept. 17, the Middletown animal control officer was sent to the Langhams’ home on Windsor Road informing them they would have to get rid of the animals due to the city’s ordinance regarding barnyard-type animals.
According to the ordinance, animals such as chickens and goats must be kept at least 300 feet away from neighbors.
While the Langhams said they could move their animals and likely meet the requirement, they hope the city will update its ordinance to be more lenient on people trying to live greener.
“I say, what is the big deal?” Nichole Langham said. “They don’t make any more noise than a cat or dog, and they don’t stink.”
City Manager Judy Gilleland has asked Middletown police to wait on a return visit to the Windsor Road residence until city officials gather more information on how Middletown’s animal ordinance compares to other communities. She said she hopes to have more information to present to council at its next meeting Tuesday.
“I highly encourage the green initiative and the sustainability; however, we are living within city limits and the population is obviously more dense than a rural environment which might be more suitable for these activities,” Gilleland said.
Family seeks city support to live out a more sustainable, healthier lifestyle
Old McDonald may have had a farm, but if it had chickens and goats, it likely wasn’t in Middletown city limits.
Roberta Eldridge, her daughter Nichole Langham and her son-in-law Chris Langham are currently trying to persuade city officials to update their ordinance regarding barnyard-type animals as the family faces possible misdemeanor charges for having chickens and goats.
On Sept. 17, the Middletown police animal control officer gave notice they were in violation of the city’s animal ordinance due to the proximity of their animals to neighboring houses.
According to Middletown’s ordinance, no person shall “raise, keep, maintain or harbor chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, sheep, cattle, horses or goats” in any enclosure that is within 300 feet of an inhabited dwelling.
The family, who lives on a three-acre plot on Windsor Road not far from the Towne Mall, said they bought the animals to live a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle. They collect the eggs from their 10 chickens and milk their four goats to supplement their food inventory and live healthier.
Nichole Langham, who gave birth to her second daughter, Faith, nine months ago, said she first became interested in goats when she was unable to drink cow’s milk while breast feeding because her daughter was intolerant to it. She researched how to buy and care for the animals on the Internet and milks her four goats — Unicorn, Sephira, Lily and Brownie — herself. She’s also learning how to make cheese and yogurt and how to can the milk.
“I always have like nine quarts in (the refrigerator),” she said. “I’m always finding new ways to use the milk. I love it.”
The chickens, Eldridge said, provide fresher, tastier eggs than in the store on a daily basis. And on top of that, they are fascinating to watch, she said.
“We let them free range and they bathe in the sand and follow you around when they are outside,” she said. “When you hold one and stroke them they are like any other pet.”
The Langhams already have a rabbit hutch and hope to add a large garden next year.
“There are a lot more ways we want to live greener,” Chris Langham said.
Calls for change
Both Nichole Langham and Eldridge spoke to City Council at the Sept. 21 meeting and encouraged members to review the ordinance.
City Manager Judy Gilleland said Middletown officials are researching how the city compares to surrounding areas to determine if a change is in order.
“This is an issue that I feel and that council felt warranted further examination,” she said.
Chris Langham said that while the animals could be moved to another section of the yard and likely meet requirements, the family would rather Middletown officials update the ordinance to allow for more residents to try to live a green, sustainable and simpler lifestyle.
“Remember there was a point in history where we didn’t do 9-to-5 jobs. We took care of our trees and animals to provide for ourselves,” he said.
For the most part the goats and chickens are quiet; neighborhood dogs barking and birds chirping in the trees are the sounds that dominate the area.
The only complaint to Middletown police on file is in regards to the goats getting loose — something the family said only happened once right after they bought the goats a month ago. No damage was reported.
Eldridge said she was skeptical at first of her daughter wanting to get the animals — she thought they would be smelly and hard to handle. But over time she has come to love them like pets, crooning to the goats as she gives them a handful of grain. And the animals help control bugs and weeds in the yard.
“When you don’t have a personal knowledge of something you have a fear of it,” Eldridge said. “When you have something as a pet you know the uniqueness of this creature and what its needs are and its personality.”
And Nichole and Chris said the experience their children — Seraphim, 2; Timothy, 6; and Faith, 9 months — are gaining caring for and benefiting from the animals is priceless.
“That’s why we love living out here,” Nichole Langham said.
Policies
Marty Kohler, planning director for Middletown, said he is creating a report for City Council regarding the animal ordinances for surrounding municipalities. What each city requires to keep barnyard animals varies greatly — from more lax restrictions to outright bans on animals that are not household pets.
For instance, according to the city of Franklin’s ordinance, barnyard animals must only be 100 feet away from neighboring residences and are allowed on properties that are two acres or larger.
In West Chester Twp., animals must be kept at least 100 feet away from a neighboring property. Residents must have at least three acres but are allowed only one animal per acre and up to five animals total.
Goats and green living
Creating your own sustainable homestead such as Eldridge and the Langhams are doing is far from a radical practice.
Thousands of websites, articles and blogs are dedicated to the subject, and most suggest raising livestock. In the book “Green Living for Dummies,” the authors suggest readers buy goats to use them as a cheap form of lawn mowing, as well as for fresh milk and yard fertilizer.
According to the family, the benefits of the animals far outweigh the cost — both to their own finances and to the health of the community.
“We are still going to keep them, just maybe in tighter quarters,” Nichole Langham said, though she will still try to persuade City Council to update the ordinance. “I am not going to give up until the city changes it.”
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