An Urban Hen Draft Ordinance has been proposed to City Council to care and raise hens within the City of Monmouth. Monmouth Resident Joe Bratcher voices his pros and cons on the possible implementation of allowing urban hens in the city:
“There was a study done awhile back where a community gave away four chickens per household and it lowered their food waste by 30 thousand tons a year, it is recycling. You are recycling food waste that you normally would throw out into the dump, you can actually recycle it with chickens. They will eat a lot of the stuff that we can’t eat. Their bodies are designed to do that naturally. Also, it is a good thing to have for young kids, teach them how to take care of and raise animals. Most people who have chickens, they are part of their family, they treat them like pets. Just going back to the research of the economy and how it affects a family, inflation is up, eggs have really taken off. Just the idea of having something like this to give people options. I know there have been some concerns about the zoning and something like this could overwhelm the zoning department, in my estimate with talking to people, you are talking 30 to 40 families in town with chickens.”
Monmouth’s Urban Hen Ordinance will be discussed further at the City Council meeting in August. The complete draft of the ordinance can be viewed below.
