OKC Blocks Proposal Allowing Most Citizens To Have Chickens

The fight to allow chickens in urban residential areas came to an abrupt end at Tuesday's city council meeting in Oklahoma City.

Tuesday, December 31st 2013, 5:54 pm

By: News 9


The fight to allow chickens in urban residential areas came to an abrupt end at Tuesday's city council meeting in Oklahoma City.

While the city council rejected the idea in a vote of 7-2, supporters of urban hens vow their the battle will continue. Currently, for lots smaller than one acre, chickens will need to hit the road.

"I think it's really strange that it has just been voted down, and there wasn't any talk of some other solution," chicken supporter Sara Braden said.

Supporters, like Braden, say the feathered pets are quiet. For many people, the animals are good source of nutrition.

"You have about one out of every three people is living below or just at the poverty line," Ward 2 councilman Ed Shadid said. "Six hens that produce six healthy eggs a day is very meaningful."

Shadid was one of only two members of the city council to support chickens in city neighborhoods. Opponents, including seven city council members, worry about health concerns and a nuisance factor.

"[My constituents] have many issues that they can bring up, but the bottom line, Michael, is [the voters] don't want chickens," Ward 3 councilman Larry McAtee told News 9's Michael Konopasek.

The city says it receives more than 300 complaints a year about chickens and roosters. The rooster ban would have continued under the now rejected ordinance. People with backyards dedicated to the birds say they just want others to know –- the chickens are not that bad. An average backyard hen weighs about five pounds and is considered a family pet.

"There are a lot of people who would like to have backyard chickens, and they'd like to do it legally," Braden said.

In Oklahoma, Tulsa and Norman allow residents to have chickens regardless of property size. Oklahoma City officials admit it has been difficult to enforce its current chicken law.

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