Should Philadelphia legalize backyard chickens? | Pro/Con

For years, Philadelphia has been home to thousands of illegal residents: backyard chickens.

Despite a 2004 ordinance that banned backyard hens, covert coops have appeared throughout the city, particularly during the pandemic. Last week, City Councilmember Curtis Jones introduced a bill that would legalize small backyard flocks, and let these hiding hens come out of the shadows.

But not everyone is happy about the proposed change.

We asked two locals: Should Philadelphia legalize backyard chickens?

By Maureen Breen

It’s time to allow all Philadelphians to keep backyard hens. There are many benefits to backyard flocks, and every resident deserves to enjoy these benefits.

There is no other pet that makes breakfast every day. Small backyard flocks provide fresh eggs that taste so much better than store-bought eggs. (One of my dogs would not eat store eggs after having tasted the ones from my backyard flock.) Many people consider an egg-laying hen in the yard part of the food culture, as natural as a few tomato plants in the garden. In her prime, a hen lays about an egg a day, a local source of healthy protein in a time when accessing fresh and healthy food has been difficult. During recent egg shortages, neighbors knew they could ask me for eggs when they could not get them at the grocery store because I have been giving them away for the past 10 years.

» READ MORE: Philly’s backyard chickens are surging despite a city law that forbids it

Chickens are particularly useful if you garden, as their droppings are great fertilizer. (Amazon sells a fertilizer made from chicken droppings for about $3 per pound.) Not only do backyard chickens produce no waste for a gardener, they consume food scraps, preventing them from entering the landfill. Chickens are happy to eat most of the same food that humans eat; according to a small study I conducted, each backyard chicken eats about 1.6 pounds per week of kitchen scraps. Austin, Texas, has even paid people to keep backyard chickens as part of its zero-waste efforts.

Backyard chickens are a complete ecosystem that should be available to every Philadelphian. Other urban dwellers haven’t been so denied; cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh have legalized backyard hens for egg-laying.

Backyard chickens also benefit our community in other ways. A small flock can keep a yard pest-free without the use of pesticides, as they eat ticks, mosquitoes, and the dreaded spotted lanternfly. Chickens are the number one bird predator of spotted lanternflies; I rarely see them on my property.

“Beyond the practical reasons to keep backyard chickens, hens make great pets.”

Beyond the practical reasons to keep backyard chickens, hens make great pets. For people with fur allergies, a hen is a nice alternative animal that won’t get your house dirty. What’s more, backyard chickens are a very pleasant and beautiful animal to have in a yard. I love sitting outside watching them peck and scratch; it’s very relaxing. It’s also great for children, who love asking me about my chickens and learning how we get eggs. Chickens can even motivate children’s interest in healthy food. Some chickens are so pleasant that they are used as therapy animals, including for people on the autism spectrum.

I know some residents are concerned about noise from chickens. But only roosters crow and the new bill would continue to ban them within city limits. Though hens proudly announce the laying of their delicious eggs by clucking an egg-laying song, they are much quieter than a barking dog. And, yes, like all animals, chickens that are not cared for can smell, but it’s not hard to control it. There are products available for chickens similar to cat litter, which absorb moisture and reduce odor. I’ve never noticed a smell from my birds, and never gotten any complaints from neighbors, either.

I’ve enjoyed my backyard flock for years and want the same for other city dwellers. Philadelphians deserve the freedom to sustain themselves with fresh eggs, support the environment with a chicken eco-cycle in the backyard, reduce pests including spotted lanternflies, teach children about food, and smile at the simple pleasures provided by a backyard chicken.

Maureen Breen lives in Fox Chase.

By Judith Samans-Dunn

I do not think urban neighborhoods should host backyard chickens. History tells us that many people won’t care for them properly, and the timing only adds to my concerns, considering the highly contagious avian flu that’s spreading like wildfire among state birds.

Councilmember Curtis Jones’ new bill will permit a maximum of six chickens (not roosters) per household, kept in a fully enclosed coop that includes a minimum of one square foot per chicken, and a chicken run of at least two square feet per chicken.

That doesn’t sound like a “run” to me — more like a crawl space.

People consider backyard chickens to be low maintenance, but they are a species meant to roam about. Cooped up in the yard, they require a higher level of daily feeding, cleaning, and disinfecting to maintain their health and safety.

» READ MORE: About 1.4 million birds are killed after Avian flu outbreak on Lancaster County farm

I’m concerned that Philadelphia residents will buy birds, of questionable origin, without knowing how to properly care for them. Even though chickens live outside, they are sensitive to heat and cold, and may need extra insulation or heat in winter or shade and ventilation in summer. I don’t like the idea of birds freezing to death or getting overheated in summer because their owners didn’t know what to do.

According to the Humane Society, chickens need access to grass and other vegetation so they can scratch, peck, and forage, and plenty of space to do so. How many city residents can or will provide such?

Then there’s the matter of a coop, which needs to protect chickens from insects, weather, and predators. This is an issue, even in the city, where foxes and raccoons can easily wipe out an entire flock, and dogs can chase and stress them. Many city residents won’t consider or be able to provide this, nor maintain, sanitize, and clean the coop on a regular basis.

Even for the small percentage of Philadelphia residents who have the space, grass, energy, knowledge, and means to care for chickens properly, it doesn’t make sense to legalize backyard chickens right now. Last month, a farm in Lancaster County detected a dangerous and very contagious form of avian flu, which forced them to kill more than one million birds and create a quarantine area. Avian flu is a concern even for small backyard chicken owners.

“Avian flu is a concern even for small backyard chicken owners.”

Even without a deadly avian flu going around, chickens can be vectors for infections. Recently, hundreds of people in the U.S. were hospitalized for salmonella, an outbreak which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked to backyard chickens. Most backyard poultry owners likely don’t know that they should wash their hands after handling chickens or their eggs, leave their shoes outside, and take extra precautions to avoid infecting young kids or older adults, who are more susceptible to infectious diseases.

Philadelphia requires annual licensing of pet dogs and requires them to be vaccinated for rabies. Will the city create — and fund — chicken licensing and require inspection of the coops to assure compliance with these minimal space standards, even if they are inadequate? Will people who buy chickens thinking they will be a low-maintenance form of fresh eggs end up overwhelming our city shelters (which are already overwhelmed) when they realize their mistakes?

Legalizing backyard chickens in Philadelphia is a bad idea for the chickens, for the residents who get in over their heads trying to take care of their chickens, for their neighbors who have to put up with the nuisance, and for our beloved natural wildlife that may be susceptible to the enhanced risk of the spread of avian flu.

Judith Samans-Dunn lives in Roxborough.