backyard chickens have been growing in popularity across the nation. There are many reasons for this, but mainly this is part of 1) sustainability movement to grow your own foods, 2) consuming organic foods (nutritious eggs), 3) animal’s right movements (poor life quality of factory farm chickens), and 4) teaching our children the food cycle and responsibility to care for animals. In addition, chickens make good pets, excellent pets even with additional benefits (delicious eggs).

These are some of the reasons why many people and cities have joined an effort to legalize backyard chickens. Right now, many major cities such as Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Phoenix, and Seattle to name a few allow their residents to keep chickens. Also, the residents of cities in the list of 10 best places to live based on Money magazine and U.S. News are allowed to keep chickens because of the facts mentioned here. To name two,  San Diego and Austin even encourage keeping backyard chickens.

Here are some facts and misconceptions about hens:

• Hens are very quiet animals (quieter than a dog on average), only the roosters can be loud
• Chickens are very clean animals and they spend a great amount of time to clean themselves, as long as they have a clean place to live.
• Hens don’t need roosters to lay eggs
• They are natural pest controls. They eat bugs, ticks, insects, etc. 
• They generate organic fertilizer for yards
• Backyard eggs contain 25 percent more vitamin E, 33 percent more vitamin A, and 75 percent more beta carotene

Unfortunately, based on the current law, it is illegal to keep these animals as pets in Montgomery Township, PA.

We are asking to change the law in our township to keep a limited number of hens (maximum of 4 to 10 depends on property size) as pets in a confined area (coop and fence) and in a controlled and responsible manner as it has been applied successfully by many other cities. We won’t support keeping rooster as they can be noisy.

Montgomery township residents, join me in asking the township and the board of supervisors to update the ordinance and allow us all to enjoy the many benefits of back yard chickens.