Common Council expected to pass chicken law
A plan that would allow Buffalo residents to raise up to five chickens per dwelling in backyard coops will likely be passed by the Common Council.
The Legislation Committee urged the full Council to approve the law when it meets Tuesday. Six of nine lawmakers told The Buffalo News on Tuesday they will likely back the bill.
Their comments came following an hour-long hearing that attracted a few dozen supporters — and only a couple of opponents.
Allowing backyard chickens would help “connect” people with their food, said Diane Picard, executive director of the Massachusetts Avenue Project.
“So many of us don’t know where our food comes from, especially young people,” she said.
Monique Watts, who was forced to move her hens to Allegany County after learning that city laws didn’t allow her to keep chickens in a coop in her West Side backyard, said the law has many safeguards built into it. For example, no roosters would be allowed, and no more than five hens would be permitted per property.
When it comes to worries about noise, Watts said chickens are fairly quiet except when they’re laying eggs. And even then, she added, their clucking can have a “calming” effect.
The law would also capitalize on a growing national trend that has seen more people practice urban chicken farming.
“What other pet can give you breakfast?” Watts asked.
Buffalo resident Ellen Goldstein said she thinks chickens could be a marketing tool that highlights progressive thinking — a signal that could dispel the notion that Buffalo lacks vision.
“Maybe it’s time for Chicken Little to see that the sky isn’t falling,” Goldstein told the Council panel.
Nearly 40 people turned out for the hearing, and the vast majority raised their hands in support of a law being sponsored by Niagara Council Member David A. Rivera. Only two speakers voiced opposition. John Szczepaniec of North Buffalo doubts that the city will be able to enforce some of the ordinance’s restrictions. He is worried about odors and other neighborhood nuisances.
“If you want chickens, live in the country,” Szczepaniec told a reporter as he left the meeting.
His wife, Katherine, said the city can’t even effectively enforce laws that require people to mow their lawns.
Other restrictions in the bill would require chicken coops to be kept certain distances from property lines, windows and entrances. The hens would have to be kept inside coops in fenced yards, and feed would have to be stored in rat-proof containers. People would also be banned from selling eggs that are laid by their home-based chickens.
People would have to pay a one-time $25 fee for a license, with the fee paying for a mandatory inspection of all coops. Before any licenses are issued, immediate neighbors would be notified and given a chance to comment. If a chicken owner fails to comply with restrictions, their license would be yanked, Rivera said.
Four of nine city lawmakers said they firmly support the ordinance. Two others said they will likely vote for the law. Joseph Golombek Jr. of North and Michael J. LoCurto of Delaware said that even though they have some lingering reservations, they will probably support the ordinance. LoCurto said he would feel more comfortable if there was a sunset provision that would require the Council to re-evaluate the law after it has been in effect for a year.
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