Downers Grove officials on Tuesday are expected to discuss the village's regulations on backyard chicken coops for the first time in 25 years.
Under the "new business" portion of the meeting agenda, Downers Grove Village Manager David Fieldman has included a memo titled "Discussion of Village Fowl Regulations." The discussion, he wrote, was included at the request of Commissioner Becky Rheintgen.
Downers Grove is one of several Chicago suburbs that allow residents to keep chickens, roosters and other fowl in their backyards. Other communities include Naperville, Plainfield, Brookfield, Westchester, Batavia, Evanston, Schaumburg and Western Springs.
The last time the issue was discussed in Downers Grove was when the current fowl regulations were approved in May 1987, Fieldman said.
The village defines fowl as "any domesticated bird, poultry or water fowl, except for homing pigeons and caged birds kept as house pets." A maximum of four fowl aged 18 weeks or older and four fowl younger than 18 weeks are permitted on residential properties, according to village documents.
Per village code, all fowl must be entirely confined in a pen, coop, building or other enclosure at all times. Enclosures must be set back at least 50 feet from any property line, and shall be kept "clean, sanitary and free from all refuse."
According to Fieldman's memo, Rheintgen has asked that council discuss increasing the number of chickens permitted, decreasing the setback requirements, banning roosters and requiring a license or permit for keeping chickens.
No further information was available regarding Rheintgen's request. However, Fieldman noted in the agenda documents that the village has handled five fowl-related code enforcement cases in 2012, all of which were prompted by resident complaints. Two active enforcement cases are pending.
The item is up for discussion only during Tuesday's village council meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 801 Burlington Ave. Additional action is dependent on the council's direction, according to meeting documents.
What are your thoughts on backyard chicken coops in Downers Grove? Tell us in the comment section below.
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I am interested in what your husband thinks about this subject. I recall seeing him several times pontificating about a property in PD area that wanted to consolidate two properties. He was adamantly opposed to the idea of this due to how it would change the landscape and character of the neighborhood. It seems quite disingenuous for some people to complain when residents want to create more open space in a neighborhood but don't complain when people want to raise dirty and loud chickens. I can't stop scratching my head at this logic or lack there of. Check this out...http://www.compassionatespirit.com/Keith-Blog/2011-04-26.htm. Some food for thought on this subject. Tony has a point about regulating this to a point where it doesn't infringe on others either through lack of care/knowledge, or carelessness on behalf of the coop owners, etc. The list could go on and on. Honestly, how many people are interested in raising chickens? If there is a small portion of residents then register them with local animal hospitals and make sure they are keeping a certain set of standards. However, I honestly don't think this should even be on our radar. IMHO!
I would like to make sure my beef is grass fed and free of hormones and antibiotics. Would it be okay if I had a cow on my property so I don't have to go to the store? Where do we draw the line? Why discriminate against someone who would like a cow for fresh meat or dairy???
Lets keep reality in mind, shall we? First, dogs are way louder and produce far more waste than a few chickens. Yet Downers Grove is home to many peacefully existing canines and all is well. Second, the noise issue might have more legs if we were talking roosters (those buggers make a ton of noise - and are rightly prohibited,) but the lady birds are pretty silent and a heck of a lot quieter than any dog. So as everyone lets their mind spin into a frenzy of chicken-craziness overrunning our beloved village, lets keep a few things in mind: (1) These are not the first animals that will be permitted in the Village. (2) Chickens are already allowed. These are just revised parameters. (3) These revised parameters are not going to cause everyone in DG to scream "FINALLY!" and run out to buy and raise hundreds of chickens. In reality (where most of us live), we are talking revised parameters about owning a couple tiny birds that make no noise and produce less waste than your average dog does...waste which, by the way, many people pay big money to buy at a store and put in their yard/garden as fertilizer already! We aren't talking about Tyson bringing commercialized chicken farming Downers Grove, folks.
These concerns are waaaay more likely to be an issue with larger, louder, smellier canines...but not an issue at any level of significance in our fair village, are they? Neither will the chickens. This is just giving people an issue about which to wax hysterical on a balmy December Monday!
I am sorry that you and Thomas disagreed in the past about property, however lets leave him out of this conversation as i have not discussed this issue with him. I happened to run across this article this morning and gave my viewpoint on urban farming/raising chickens. I respect your point of view, however, feel differently about the topic. Thanks.
living in DG....
All three outlined concerns go to owner ignorance (protection, health care and unwanted animals). These issues are a reality for any animal owner - be it cat, dog, ferret, fish, hamster, whatever. Ignorant animal owners (or whim purchasers) are definitely a problem. Having worked with animal rescues for 10+ years, I'm familiar and share these concerns 100%. But I don't think updating/modifying parameters around ownership that is already allow in Downers Grove is going to substantially change chicken welfare. Its a fair point, to be sure, but those concerns go more to whether people should own chickens at all, which is not the issue the Village Council is addressing. I would again point out that I don't think changing the parameters around property setbacks, etc. are going to cause a drastic uptick in the number of chicken owners (responsible or otherwise). It will simply provide more flexibility for those who might be interested. Hopefully anyone who is interested is thoughtful, educated and understands all of the considerations involved. But I'd say that regardless of the type of animal being considered. The good news is few people get chickens on a whim. They're expensive to set up and several barriers to entry that (hopefully) make folks think it through. More: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/chickens/tips/adopting_chickens.html
At the end of the day, people know (or can quickly surmise) who is who, which alias has been set up for a single comment or to advance an agenda and which comments/commenters are worthy of consideration or, otherwise, are ignorable trollish dribble. My take has always been that one would be very hard pressed to find a privacy (or safety) expert who recommends including one's first and last name on the internet (save for Facebook etc. where one can control access to info posted). Even as a practical matter, most people understandably don't want their first and last name plastered on their comments given that a simple google search could reveal to an employer (or colleagues, clients, etc.) one's personal views about a host of local issues or potential violation of employer codes of conduct for having spent time on the web during work hours, etc. And ultimately, even if one does put a full name out there, how does anyone really know the offered identity is real? Come to think of it, I've never seen "Amanda Luevano" and "Tony Cesare" in the same place at the same time!
As far as your last comment, Tony and I are probably two of the only people on this site that actually do use our real names AND photos. Such is required when you're paid by Patch, I suppose.
Didn't even mention the eggs. 3 or 4 birds will lay more than most can consume, so if you are nice, your chicken keeping neighbor also is usually quite happy to give you a few here or there. And YES, they will be the best eggs you ever had!