Oh come on...you could be 50 feet from my coop and not know we have chickens.

They are not noisy or smelly.

My grandmother grew up in north Minneapolis, where many neighbors kept a few chickens as well as rabbits--eager consumers of garden waste and table scraps, and good sources of eggs and meat to help families through the Depression and WWII. That connection to real food and the moral responsibility to look your dinner in the eye has been lost of late. And the consequences to personal and the environment health have been mounting, as people have become increasingly disconnected with the source of their food. A well-crafted backyard chicken ordinance would give the few families who participate a chance to reconnect with at least one source of their sustenance, and perhaps make all of us more mindful of the choices which lay beyond the plastic-wrapped corporate offerings beneath the fluorescent lights at Cub.

I have lived next door to chickens back home in Maryland. They are noisy regardless if there is a rooster. They smell and the other animals, that roam the neighborhood are constantly trying to get at the chickens (one of the other neighbors cats tried to get at the chickens); beside other predators like foxes. I love fresh eggs but in my current Shakopee neighborhood there are convents against having certain things in the yard and that would include chickens even with a change in Shakopee City policy. I will purchase them from the farmer's market. People will fail to follow policy and it would take months to get a policy violator to shape up. Just like current policies about yard maintenance in Shakopee aren't enforced evenly.

Difference is my cat comes inside to use her litter box and doesn't meow constantly. The dog we pick up after and it doesn't stay outside barking all night. Can't get the neighbors walking their dogs to pick up after them, and you know there will be people that will not keep their chickens per policy. And what happens in the winter with the chickens?? Leave them outside?

My neighbors 3 dogs are much, much noisier than my 50 chickens.

And re: what happens to chickens in the winter,
first, there are many breeds of chickens that are winter hearty. A friend of mine on Summit Ave. in Saint Paul (yes, a big mansion) doesn't even have her coop insulated. She built the coop to retain heat by its very simple, inexpensive shape...think about this... chickens have been a food source for people since chickens existed--in cold climates as well as warm. Fact--chickens handle cold better than heat, winter is not an issue.

Yes it is. If the Shakopee guidelines are followed and that's a big if, because the city doesn't have an animal control department...3 chickens max per household, must maintain cleanliness, must get neighbors approval, eggs are for the household consumption only and must keep them in a coop...then MAYBE just MAYBE it could be done. It is the people that will disregard the policy and then Shakopee is stuck trying to get the offenders out. Then the next thing these "home" farmers will want is goats, pigs or cows. There has to be a line. The chickens are noisy despite what certain PRO chicken people are posting. They do smell, well as pointed out, the chicken waste smells not the chickens. What is different than cats and dogs is the fact they don't cluck all night, don't draw other predators to the area . Another requirement is there should be a minimum amount of yard space and space between the neighbors. Many of the commentors and voters on this issue are NOT from Shakopee.

I beg to differ that cats and dogs don't bring in other predators. I am pretty sure the only things the coyotes in St. Louis Park have killed are small dogs.

You are correct Ryan. Shakopee keeps getting touted as a epicenter of commerce and its a city, but when it has this identity crisis of being a small rural town or a small, happening city to draw the younger families it loses out on improvements because of hanging onto that rural, small town roots.

I think you can. There are much larger cities that have recently begun allowing a certain number of chickens.

“Chickens suffer from a PR problem. People think they are dirty, noisy and smelly. The truth, a few cared for hens are cleaner and quieter than one big dog or the three neighborhood cats that poop in the flower bed. Plus you get eggs……”

~The Wall Street Journal

Noise: Fact - Roosters are not required for hens to lay eggs-and are not being requested as part of this petition. Several laying hens make less noise than a normal human conversation; and far less noise than a dog, yowling cat, lawnmower or snow blower.

Smell: Fact – Chickens themselves do not smell. It is only their waste that smells which is no different than that of a dog, cat, or rabbit. An average dog produces approximately 12 ounces of solid waste a day. An average chicken produces only about 10% of that at 1.5 ounces.

Fact – Chicken manure is excellent fertilizer and compost material. Dog manure is not compostable due to harmful bacteria that can infect humans. Dog waste is considered a major source of bacterial pollution in urban watersheds, while chicken waste is an environmental bonus.

Fact – Most people immediately think of chicken farms and their odors. This is not the same as with backyard chickens. It requires hundreds or thousands of chickens kept in unsanitary conditions to produce the ammonia most people associate with chickens. A backyard chicken coop with 6 or less chickens will not create the odor issue that concerns most people.

Backyard Chickens and Sustainability

Compost fertilizer. Chicken manure is a sought after fertilizer. When chickens are allowed to visit a compost pile, they will perform needed labor: toss the compost pile, shred leaves, and remove unwanted grubs or maggots.

Organic waste consumption (bio-recycling). Backyard chickens love eating scraps from the kitchen. This reduces our landfill waste and becomes valuable fertilizer for better plants, grass and gardens.

Organic insect and weed control (no dangerous pesticides and herbicides!). If chickens are allowed to roam a small backyard lawn even for a short period, they can perform the useful tasks of weed and insect removal. Similarly, chickens spending a short time in the yard will help rid it of many unwanted insects and grubs. Mosquitoes have reduced chance in shallow water exposed to chickens since the birds will feast on the insects in addition to disturbing the larvae.

Low impact pet Contrary to their commercially raised counterparts, backyard chickens are a decidedly easy to care for “low impact” pet with sweet, funny, gentle personalities! A two-gallon water supply will last almost a week in average weather (for a flock of six), and chicken feed is, well, as cheap as chicken feed. Typically these are the only resources required once an adequate coop is built.

to Chicksrule and Chickenman68...I think you're biased. So the chickens themselves don't smell but their waste does. OH boy that is what I SAID/MEANT. Good grief...I love fresh eggs but am not going to charge a people 4 dollar a dozen because you slap an organic tag on them. Secondly...Shakopee proposed policy is for caged and not too many chickens under 5 in a yard. They have to be cage so they are not running around the neighborhood. When you compose (which you don't do with cat or dog waste) that concentrates the smell and again you will have too many policy violators and we don't have an animal control system in Shakopee. No heat for chicken coops in the winter?

I think many large cities, including NYC, have a very strong history of urban animal production. It's only as of the last several decades that animals have been relegated solely to rural areas, save for barking dogs and their owners who leave their poo on the sidewalks in the winter and song bird killing cats (btw, I love cats, mine stays inside).

@Shakopee Mom, as someone who knows a bit about compost, I need to call out your statement that said composting would concentrate the smell. No, it would not not.

I found this helpful "compost recipe" explanation (http://www.everyday-vegetable-garden.com/chicken-manure.html) which explains that the manure will help your compost reach the proper temperature for composting to happen, which means it actually probably helps DECREASE the smell of your compost (compost which doesn't heat up properly can stink).

Oh, and by the way, it is the YOUNGER people who are into this... the bio-recycling and ecologically sustainable benefits to having backyard chickens is quite the "green" trend.... and for very solid reasons.

Humans have kept domesticated chickens close at hand for thousands of years.* In my Shakopee neighborhood, you are likely to have to slow for Canada geese and their goslings, as well as squirrels, kids, and neighbors out for a walk. My neighbor's leaf blower, which he uses incessantly, is noisy and grating-- and far less charming than even the train horns. And as for an existential identity crisis, I'd prefer Shakopee be known for being open-minded toward people's personal prerogative, rather than just for being host to myriad fast food outlets and some ugly strip malls.

* "The domesticated chicken (Gallus domesticus) was first domesticated from a wild form called red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), a bird that still runs wild in most of southeast Asia. It was probably domesticated by about 8,000 years ago in what is now Thailand."

Source: http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/ig/Animal-Domestication/Chickens--Chang-Mai--Thailand-.htm

Check out the CDC website. Avian flu has NEVER been reported in the US.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/facts.htm (and if that doesn't convince you, contact the poultry experts at the U of M)
Of the human cases associated with the ongoing HPAI H5N1 outbreaks in poultry and wild birds in Asia and parts of Europe, the Near East and Africa, about 60% of those people reported infected with the virus have died. Most cases have occurred in previously healthy children and young adults and have resulted from direct or close contact with H5N1-infected poultry or H5N1-contaminated surfaces. In general, HPAI H5N1 remains a very rare disease in people. The HPAI H5N1 virus does not infect humans easily, and if a person is infected, it is very difficult for the virus to spread to another person.

The farmers market people are NOT backyard chicken owners, they live OUT of town on FARMS. Hence, the word "Farmers" in Farmers Market. Backyard chicken owners under the proposal in Shakopee are NOT allowed to sell the eggs; they are for the owners consumption only. So your argument is an non-argument.

Actually, more "farmers" at urban markets are starting to be urban farmers. Look at Growing Lots Urban Farm, McKinley Community CSA, Youth Farm. They mostly sell produce, but with the changes happening in urban ag, you might start seeing urban egg production.

Ugh....Shakopee Mom...do you think the people who run the Market ask everyone for their Farm ID? You pay your weekly or yearly fee, set up your table,and sell your stuff. Oy vey!

Yes Chickenman68, have you ever looked at the permit and/or license requirements to sell at the Farmer's Market? They do, you have to have a license to sell food / food products etc from the state. You don't just make a batch of cookies and pay a fee to the farmer's market and go sell it..there are state requirements (licence). Oh and you say you have 50 chickens..you must not live in a city...because even Minneapolis and St. Paul have limits on the amount of chickens that you can have on your property in city limits. You are arguing for a policy but don't really have the experience with?

Chickenman68 I have a friend that sells salsa and other homegrown products at several farmer's markets, yes she pays a fee to the farmer's market but she also has to abide by the standard that the State of Minnesota puts out regarding the sale of food products to the public..that means a licence. A person can't just bake a batch of cookies and pay a fee to a farmer's market and go sell at the local farmer's market. Plus its a way for the state to collect their money from the sales.

I don't think Chickenman68 is suggesting that anyone at a Farmers Market not have the proper licenses, just that they aren't necessarily "on the farm" farmers, as your previous comment alluded. Does your friend who sells salsas live on a farm? If she does great, but there are many value added retailers at farmers markets who do not live on farms.

Man, I could totally go for a leaf blower ban. :)

Hilarious...does owning a dog or cat lead to owning lions and tigers? C'mon...obviously what you experienced was someone who didn't take care of their chickens. You need to get out and visit some backyard flocks in other "cities" and see for yourself. Hopefully the enlightened will out-vote those who just don't get it. Oh, and how dare you tell someone to stay out of the discussion. Disgusting.

Yes chickenman68, you know everything, you think you know which but don't. 5 chickens and they cleaned up after them, and there were other neighbors ticked off about it too. On hot days it smelled, and they were noisy. Trying working night shift and hearing that all day; bad enough with the other noises.

Chickenman68 the Mayor of Shakopee is telling us to control ourselves -- how about you are disgusting...really disgusting, to ask outsiders to stay out of our city concerns? HMMMMMMM, you don't pay our taxes or have a vested interest in our policies so really you don't get a say. Your disgusting by your attitude and attacking and forceful rhetoric.

Shakopee Mom - I understand your frustration with "outsiders" putting a voice where they don't have a vote (yup, I'm one of them, I live in SLP). However, on these types of issues, even though individual cities make choices and rules, it influences the decisions and choices of surrounding and regional cities, so if Chickenman lives in the Metro, there is a vested interest to see these policies done right wherever they are done. Many municipalities model their rules off others, so those of us who care about the issues do want to make sure that the information that is getting out there is accurate. I am sorry your experience with chicken neighbors was not good. Just like if someone had a pack of dogs who were howling and crapping everywhere, you would need a way to properly deal with this. But that is not how most chickens are, so I would hate to see the baby thrown out with this bathwater.

How stinky do you think a dog owner's yard would be if they let their dog poop for 6 months without picking anything up? The permit cost would pay for enforcement, and anyone allowing 3 hens, not 50, 3....to get stinky, can have their permit pulled. I can assure anyone reading this, that whatever "stinky" flock you have supposed personal experience with, was NOT 3 hens.

Sorry Chickenman68, Shakopee doesn't have an enforcement (read Animal Control) department. And 50 or 75 dollars per years will not cover the expense of any enforcement. Supposedly, I love your attitude, I DID live next door to a family that had 5 chickens, and they were noisy and on hotter days the coop smelled. Permits being pulled doesn't mean they will get rid of the brood.

When they force everyone to have odorless lawn mowers and leaf blowers, then I will get concerned about bit of chicken smell every now and then.

Here we go; the Mayor that blogs about this topic, NOW wants to control a public forums' discussion on the topic. Working through the process means not allowing persons with no vested interest dictating to the City Of Shakopee's policies. Mayor we don't have an animal control department, so how would IF passed the city enforce the chicken code?

The first step is with the Environmental Advisory Committee where they will discuss sometime in the coming few months. If they think it is favorable, it will then come to City Council.

ITPro,
1--Would you prefer an out of touch mayor who does not listen to and engage in civil discourse on issues facing the town? I like the new spirit of open discussion and a responsive town government. (That, after all, is why we dumped the last guy.)
2-- Please enlighten us about the Vadnais Heights Sports Center, if there is a cautionary tale there. Edina, meanwhile, just decided to invest $3.6 million more into their Braemar Ice Rink facility (in a public/private deal). I'm more inclined to look at communities with proven, winning community programs as we look toward investments in Shakopee's future. (And on a side note, many Shakopee families use Dakota! and the new YMCA facilities, as the Community Center is cramped and dated. We, after all, passed on the chance to upgrade at a steep discount...)
3--On chickens: I have two at-home day care's adjoining my (fenced) back yard, and although I love kids-- the crying, shrieking and adult "verbal guidance" is louder and longer lasting than a flock of chickens. Part of the charm of living in a family-friendly town (although without the benefit of providing delicious eggs for my breakfast.)
Peace.

DeToqueville,

Reply to 1 – So you prefer a mayor who wrote to Lorne Michaels thanking him for bringing national attention to Shakopee in a skit where Lindsey Lohan said of the teachers (and/or students of Eagle Creek Elementary) "Those bitches are lazy!"? You must also prefer a mayor who is so in touch that he was on Fox 9 because he tweeted about why the streets hadn't been plowed after a snow accumulation of less than 2"? And as a candidate, he claimed to be a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, yet he is against the marriage amendment. He said, "I decided to follow my conscience". What about the teachings of the Church he claims to follow?

Reply to 2 – It sounds as though you do have some knowledge of the Vadnais Heights Sports Center (VHSC). But for those who don’t, the VHSC was built in 2010. This public/private partnership is now in debt to the city of Vadnais Heights almost $1 million! And as was the claim for the Shakopee Community Center expansion, the VHSC was projected to pay its own way. But in 2011, revenue fell $763,000 below projections.

Here’s links to some of the articles (if you are really interested look some more)…

Link from 2008 (the arguments for the VHSC sound very similar to those made in 2010 by Brad Tabke and Todd Hallett): http://www.startribune.com/local/east/24796364.html?location_refer=$urlTrackSectionName&refer=y
Link from 2011 (first loan for 127k) http://www.startribune.com/local/east/126876028.html?refer=y
Link to July 2012 (most current loan $665k) http://www.startribune.com/local/east/162810226.html
Link to July 2012 article about the city’s lowered credit rating due to the VHSC: http://www.startribune.com/local/east/163125276.html

Finally, do you know the history of how the Community Center (originally called the Civic Center) came to be? Enlighten yourself.

They've got to have at least 4 hens. My thoughts? I couldn't care less if people raise chickens in their yard; it's their property! But until the City Code allows it, it should be stopped! These people are in violation of the City Code!

What I really despise though is Brad Tabke appointing himself as moderator in this discussion. Do that on your own blog Mr. Tabke!!

On a side note, Mayor Tabke, have you had a chance to investigate what's happening with the Vadnais Heights Sports Center? It might change your mind about pursuring something similar in Shakopee.