Shrewsbury's Newest Resident

My name is Michael O'Hare, or more formally referred to by Shrewsbury's Mayor Buckley as the "Crazy Chicken Man". My wife Ashley and I have spent the last year and a half working with our alderman Ed Kopff and the city to change the laws on backyard chickens.  Along the way we learned a lot and I was able to meet some of the crew at Patch.com who asked me if I would write on backyard chickens and farming, so here it goes! 

Shrewsbury had a slightly different answer to the age old question of "which came first, the chicken or the egg?". In Shrewsbury it was the ordinance. On Tuesday, March 27th Shrewsbury passed a ordinance with provisions for raising backyard chickens.  While the new law is very similar to what you see in other local municipalities that allow backyard chickens the overall animal section of the city’s code did grow from 1/2 page to 6 1/2 pages.  So what exactly is in those 6 pages about chickens?  Check out below for the run down on what the new law says.

Chicken Requirements:

Only female chickens (hens) are allowed, no roosters. Roosters are well known for their crowing and protective nature which makes them bad neighbors.  Each household is limited to 5 birds, but I would recommend that you have no less than 3.  Chickens are social and will not produce eggs effectively if they are by themselves. Finally the hens cannot be raised for slaughter or used commercially. 

The Coop:

Your feathered friends must have a minimum of 2 square feet each, and the coop can be no more than 2 levels high and no taller than 6ft. The structure must be made to withstand the elements, as well as provided ample protection from predators such as coyotes, dogs, raccoons etc...they like chicken too! I have a picture of a typical coop below.

Sanitation:

The city has created some very detailed guidelines with regard to sanitation.  The birds need a sanitary environment that should be free of odors, standing water, or anything else that is deemed a public nuisance. 

Permit:

There are two permits required before you can get started.  A building permit, which is similar to what you would request for an addition to your house.  This permit gives you 45 days to build the coop, and then the city will come out to verify that the coop meets the requirements set forth in the ordinance. ($20) The second permit is for the purposes of keeping the birds themselves. This permit is renewed yearly on January 1st. ($10)

To see all 6 pages of this new law follow this link. Are you interested in raising backyard chickens? Let me know what you think.