Urban chickens may not be the “next big thing,” but they are popular enough to get the attention of the Littleton City Council.
The city is considering rules for urban chicken enthusiasts such as Jenny Keys, who has four chickens under her backyard deck.
Keys appeared at a recent Littleton City Council meeting to talk about urban chicken raising after a neighbor filed a complaint that resulted in an investigation by the city.
Raising chickens in Littleton isn’t against the law, but the city is working on regulations on the number of hens that can be kept, their safety from predators and other rules.
Councilwoman Peggy Cole reviewed for the council other communities’ actions, varying from outright bans to no regulation.
Some count chickens as pets, others as urban livestock.
Keys said chickens will eat just about anything — she puts their waste into the compost pile and there is no smell.
“They do cackle when they lay an egg,” she said.
Keys said she thinks the proposals for new rules might be “a little bit of overkill.”
“I love the eggs,” she said, “and I think they’re really cool animals, they’re sweetie-pies,” Keys said. “When I’m out gardening in the summer, I let them out and they walk around. They follow me and they eat snails.”
The Keys chickens produce three to five eggs daily, and that supplies Keys and her sister, her daughter in Summit County and at least one neighbor with fresh eggs.
Cole said she’s heard of one resident with a dozen chickens and a rooster, whose neighbors don’t love the rooster but turn a “deaf ear” because they share in the egg bounty.
Littleton senior planner Ernie Rose said the proposed ordinance limits residents to four birds, bans roosters, calls for a predator-proof enclosure and outside run with minimum space requirements, a minimum setback from property lines and other rules, all subject to revision.
After staff review, the proposal will go before the planning commission and City Council.
Daniel Smith: 303-954-2671 or smithd@yourhub.com
