Why
Backyard
Chickens in
Flower Mound?
To The Animal Services
Board
February 21, 2011
2/19/2012
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Vision Statement
The vision of Flower Mound is to preserve
our unique country atmosphere, heritage,
and quality of life while cultivating a
dynamic economic environment.
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Flower Mound Heritage
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Flower Mound Heritage
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Backyard Chickens are
Patriotic, Wholesome,
and Sustainable
The Victory Gardens of WWI and WWII
were the result of duty felt by the free
world to help their families and their
nations by becoming more selfsufficient. During those challenging
times, even the smallest parcels of
land were devoted to providing as
much food as possible.
Today, we are once again seeing a
desire for a lifestyle marked by a
greater sense of self-sufficiency. Food
security, resource conservation, buying
local, and knowing where food comes
from are all becoming important goals
of our citizens. Backyard chickens have
again become a big part of peoples
lifestyles and value systems.
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Another Vintage Victory Garden Poster
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Backyard Chickens have Healthier &
Better Tasting Eggs
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Backyard Eggs are Healthier
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Chickens Are Great Pets
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Gardeners
Love Backyard Chickens
Gardening has surpassed all other
hobbies to be the number one hobby in
America and there are clear trends in
how Americans garden. The growth of
backyard chickens is largely due to the
popularity of gardening and a growing
trend. There is a mutually beneficial
relationship between chickens and
gardens.
Gardeners are motivated by beauty, fresh
food and healthy lifestyles. Backyard
chickens with their fresh eggs, insect
control, and fertilizer are a natural for
gardeners. They go together like peas in a
pod. Chickens are great backyard
entertainment as well, and a connection
back to nature for children.
Chickens and gardening are just a part of
peoples "innate bond with living things
and nature called biophilia". A growing
army of ‘urban-knights’ are creating
oases wherever they can find a patch of
earth. In our case, our backyards.
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The Demand for Backyard
Chickens is a Fast Growing
Trend that is not going away
More urban and suburban dwellers are keeping
chickens, a trend that stems from gardening, the
recession and the local-food movement. People have
less trust in factory farms and factory made food.
Factory made food often contains growth hormones,
chemicals, and steroids.
Chickens are great pets that fertilize, east insects, put
themselves to bed at dusk, and provide fresh eggs the
next morning. They have real personality too, and are
great with kids. Education and a connection back to
nature for kids is a great motivator for many families.
Derek Sasaki and Traci Torres of Norwalk, Conn.,
launched My Pet Chicken LLC in 2005 while juggling
full-time jobs they've since quit. They now sell roughly
2,500 baby chicks a week through a partnership with a
hatchery in Ohio. The company, whose catalog
includes layers of chocolate, white, brown and green
eggs, says it sells birds weeks in advance. "We are
literally counting our chickens before they hatch," Mr.
Sasaki says.
There are no firm statistics on the number of petchicken owners in the U.S. BackYardChickens.com's
growing membership is one indicator it's more than a
flash in the pan. The information and networking site
says it has more than 60,000 members today, up from
35,000 a year ago and 12,000 in June 2008.
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Backyard Chickens are
Healthy
Factory farms that raise chickens in
areas the size of shoebox feel
threatened by the growth in backyard
chickens. Many of their chickens never
see the light of day, grow up in filth,
and are shot full of growth hormones
and chemicals.
Rumors and scare tactics have been
put out by the Factory Farm industry
to slow the threat of backyard
chickens. The internet is full of this
misinformation.
The truth is that backyard chickens are
healthy and not susceptible to wild
bird diseases. They are not exposed to
thousands of other chickens living in
cramped and unhealthy conditions,
like the Factory Farms. Also, most
diseases with chickens are in food
preparation, not with live birds and
eggs.
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From the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention:
“In the United States there is no need at
present to remove a flock of chickens
because of concerns regarding avian
influenza.”
“When it comes to bird flu, diverse
small-scale poultry farming is the
solution, not the problem.” - 2006
GRAIN Report
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Backyard Chickens are not
an Odor Problem
Chickens themselves are clean birds and
groom themselves regularly. There can be
smells associated with chicken manure.
Pastured and backyard chicken manure
has very little smell. These chickens are
eating grass, seeds, insects and protein
pellets for the most part.
The 'bad smell wrap' comes from "Factory
Farms" where chickens are fed things like
pork , animal fat and other food to
accelerate growth and production. Large
Factory Farms also often stockpile chicken
manure in the elements for months, until
it can be sold.
A backyard chicken operation with a small
flock is easy to maintain. A few minutes
cleaning weekly eliminates smells. Most
chicken owners cherish the droppings for
composting in the garden. Droppings
quickly dry and can be thrown away as
well.
One forty pound dog generates more
waste than ten chickens. Chicken odors
can be regulated just like dog other pet
odors. Flower Mound already has an odor
ordinance in place.
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Hens are Quiet
Hens are generally fairly quiet.
Roosters are loud, but not
proposed for small backyard
settings. Hens often greet their
owners, purr, and announce
when they lay an egg. The louder
noises are for just a few minutes.
Most of the time they are silent
or lightly purring.
At their absolute loudest, a hen
emits sound decibels between a
vacuum cleaner and normal
human conversation. They are
much quieter than a barking dog,
and the noise they make can be
regulated in the same way, with
the current ordinance on noise.
Hens are blind at night and
naturally go to roost in their
coop at dusk. They are
completely quiet from dusk to
dawn unless disturbed by a
predator.
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Predators can be managed
Chickens can be killed by dogs, coyotes,
raccoons, hawks, owls and a number of
other predators. These predators have
always been in Flower Mound and always
will be here.
Small dogs and cats are easier prey than
chickens. Chickens are safely tucked away
in their coops at night when most
predators are active.
Most backyard chickens are kept in a
fenced yard during the day and few are
preyed on by other animals.
More chickens in Flower Mound will not
increase predators. Predators are not
going to call their cousins in adjoining
counties to come over and have a chicken
dinner.
A well constructed chicken coop stops
predators at night. Best management
practices , fencing, and technology deters
predators night and day. Backyard chicken
owners are typically well read on their
pets and collaborate with other chicken
owners about best practices with
predator control.
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Coyotes do not normally prey on chickens or birds. They target
rodents and small mammals (like cats) in suburban settings.
Coyotes typically hunt at night, when chickens are secure in their
coops.
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Foraging is natural and healthy
Chickens by nature forage. They scratch
and peck at vegetation and insects. Part
of the advantage to having chickens is
that they eat insects, fertilize the lawn,
and clean up the flower beds/gardens.
They even eat small mice and snakes.
Caging a chicken is not natural or
humane, any more than crating a dog
100% of the time is. Chickens need to
range and eat natural foods.
Chicken don’t usually range far from the
protection of their coop. Usually no more
than 70’ or so in an open range.
Chickens offer natural pest control. The
eat spiders, ticks, fleas, mosquito larvae
and much more. Chickens help their
owners eliminate the use of poisons and
chemicals around there homes and
gardens.
Chickens don’t need to stray to a
neighbors yard and most could not from a
fenced back yard. “At Large” ordinances
are in place to stop dogs and other
animals from doing this. These
ordinances are sufficient for chicken
owners as well.
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• 2008 CNN Best Places To Live
Property Values won’t decrease
Some people feel that backyard chickens
may decrease the value of property. In
almost all cases, people can’t see, hear, or
smell a small flock of backyard hens.
New communities are considering and
approving backyard chickens monthly.
Neighbors seldom even notice chickens if
a good ordinance is in place.
Here are just a handful of higher end
communities that allow backyard chickens.
All these communities are in top 15 Best
Places to Live for 2008, according to CNN.
– That Also Allow Backyard Chickens
2. Fort Collins CO
3. Naperville IL
4. Irvine CA
5. Franklin Township NJ
6. Norman OK
7. Round Rock TX
8. Columbia MD
12. Highlands Ranch, CO
14. McKinney TX
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Chicken Coops are Cool
Backyard Chicken Coops come in all
sizes and types. Here are a variety of
permanent and portable coops.
Chicken owners take great pride in
their coops. Portable coops are also
called Chicken Tractors.
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Some Texas Cities Allowing Backyard
Hens
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Dallas, TX
Euless, TX
Austin, TX
San Antonio, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Grapevine, TX
Denton, TX
Waco, TX
Flower Mound, TX
(1+ acres)
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McKinney, TX
Round Rock, TX
Rowlett, TX
Southlake, TX
Colleyville, TX
Frisco, TX
Garland, TX
Irving, TX
With Flower Mound’s heritage, landscape, and sustainability initiatives, we should
not be following other communities on backyard chickens. We should be leading.
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Other Cities Allowing Backyard Hens
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New York, NY
Los Angeles, CA
Topeka, KS
Madison, WI
Albuquerque, NM
Spokane, WA
Honolulu, HI
Charlotte, NC
Nashville, TN
San Jose, CA
Memphis, TN
St Paul, MN
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Boise, ID
San Francisco, CA
San Diego,CA
Seattle, WA
Houston, TX
Atlanta, GA
Duluth, MN
Mobile, AL
Anaheim, CA
Berkeley, CA
Davis, CA
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More Cities Allowing Backyard Hens
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Irvine, CA
Portland, OR
Petaluma, CA
Santa Rosa, CA
Colorado Springs,
CO
Miami, FL
Sanford, FL
Alpharetta, GA
Des Moines, IA
Sioux City, IA
Evansville, IN
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Chicago, IL
Louisville, KY
Baton Rouge, LA
Cambridge, MA
Northampton, MA
Somerset, MA
Westwood, MA
Minneapolis, MN
Raleigh, NC
Corvallis, OR
Rochester, NY
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Even More Cities Allowing Backyard
Hens
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St Louis, MO
Lincoln, NE
Omaha, NE
Santa Fe, NM
Las Vegas, NV
New Hempstead, NY
Syracuse, NY
Stillwater, OK
Pittsburgh, PA
Aikin, SC
Nashville, TN
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Orem City, UT
Burlington, VT
Everett, WA
Lynnwood, WA
Olympia, WA
Tacoma, WA
Vancouver, WA
Green Bay, WI
Denver, CO
Baltimore, MD
Hartford, CT
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Setback Issues for Backyard Chickens
Flower Mound has a variety of lot
sizes, adjoining a variety of buffers. A
property line setback makes no sense
for backyard hens.
2/19/2012
Dogs, cats and other pets make louder noise and have
more odors than backyard hens, yet they have no
setback requirement. Many communities have
established a setback from a neighboring residential
home for backyard hens . 20’ is workable and
reasonable in Flower Mound.
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Small Lot, No Alley
The long red line in these photos is an
eyeball approximate of 100’. The small
red line approximates 20’. Staff should
do a more accurate exhibit. This is just
an approximation. All these aerials are
in Flower Mound.
Clearly, a 50’ setback from the
property line does not work for small
lots in Flower Mound. A 50’ setback
from an adjoining neighbors home
does not either.
20’ from an adjoining neighbors home
does work and is workable to locate a
chicken coop.
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Small Lot on An Alley
When a home backs up to an alley,
there should be no setback. Trash cans
smell far worse than pet odors or
chicken coops.
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Small Lot Against Woods
Many homes in Flower Mound back up
to flood plain, parks, schools, large
acreage, etc. It makes no sense for a
setback against these land uses.
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Small Lots Against Large
Lots
There are many smaller lots that
adjoin larger lots in Flower Mound. A
setback from the property makes no
sense here. A setback from an
adjoining residential dwelling is
workable.
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Large Lots
Many large lots in Flower Mound already
have chickens, goats, horses and other
animals. These animals are often kept in
barns and enclosures located on or near
property lines. Animals and pets have
been kept this way for decades. Many
chickens were kept in these structures far
before the current ordinance was put on
the books.
Most of these property owners are
unaware of a chicken ordinance, or that
they are in violation. Many these owners
allow their chickens to range on their
property as well.
With the present 50’ setback from a
property line and enclosure requirement
(which is vague), there may not be a legal
chicken in Flower Mound.
Again, a 20’ setback from an adjoining
residential home is workable. There is no
reason to not allow chickens to forage on
an owners property either. Most chickens
will not go far from their coop. The At
Large ordinance is in place for to keep
chickens, dogs, and other animals from
roaming on other properties.
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DePaul University Study
In February, 2010 students
from Professor Hugh
Bartling's class on Green
Urban Policy interviewed
staff members from over 20
municipalities throughout
the country which have
recently adopted
ordinances allowing citizens
to keep poultry in
residential districts.
2/19/2012
Findings:
“In general we found that
most cities were
satisfied with their
ordinances, major
complaints and
infractions were rare,
and the adoption of
chicken ordinances
have been looked upon
positively.”
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DePaul Study – Cities Surveyed
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Ann Arbor, MI
Baraboo WI
Belmont, MA
Boise, ID
Bozeman, MT
Buffalo, NY
Duluth MN
Durham, NC
Eugene, OR
Fort Collins, CO
Gulfport, FL
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Huntington, NY
Lawrence, KS
Madison, WI
Missoula, MT
Moab, UT
New Haven, CT
Portland, OR
South Portland, ME
St. Paul, MN
State College Borough,
PA
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DePaul Study - Violations
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DePaul Study – City Satisfaction
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Proposed Chicken Ordinance
Drafted by Chicks 4 Flower Mound
Chapter 6 Animals, Article 8 Fowl, Rabbits and Guinea Pigs
Sections 6-281 Enclosure Requirements
a) Fowl, rabbits and guinea pigs must be kept indoors, or if outdoors, in a secure pen or enclosure. Litter and droppings from these
animals must be collected and disposed of in accordance with section 6-42; provided, however that the provisions of this
section shall not apply to ducks or other waterfowl inhabiting natural or man made watercourses or bodies of water.
b) Poultry or chicken coops shall not be located closer than 20 feet of any neighboring residential dwelling.
c) Poultry may be kept on single-family residential lots in a fenced backyard at the ratio of three (3) hens on lots under 6000
square feet with an additional hen per additional 2,000 square feet of total lot area.
d) The following restrictions apply to the keeping of chickens on all residential properties:
1) The principal use of the property is a single-family residential dwelling.
2) Chickens must be kept in a manner that will not disturb the use and enjoyment of neighboring lots due to noise, odor, or other
adverse impacts.
3) On lots less than one acre, no person may keep a rooster. Noise restrictions for chickens shall be in accordance with section 34182.b.1.
4) Chickens must be kept securely in a chicken coop overnight. The coop must be enclosed, well-constructed, weather resistant,
well-ventilated, predator resistant, well maintained and provide a minimum of 2 square feet of area per chicken kept.
5) In addition to a chicken coop, an adjoining outdoor area sufficient to contain chickens on the owner’s property shall be
provided allowing a minimum of 4 square feet of area per chicken kept. Chickens must be kept in a manner that they are not
allowed to roam to neighboring properties, or to public right-of-ways, and in accordance with ordinance 6-45.
6) Chickens must be cared for in a humane manner with adequate feed, water, shade, and shelter at all times. Feed and water
shall be kept in a manner so it is not available to wild birds, rodents or potential predators.
7) Litter and droppings must be disposed of, composted, or used as fertilizer in an environmentally responsible manner. It must
not produce odors or unclean conditions and be in compliance with ordinance section 6-44.
8) Portable coops (chicken tractors) are allowed, but must meet the requirements of permanent coops outlined above.
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References and Research
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How much manure do your animals produce? University of Wisconsin Cooperative
Extension publications A3411 and A3557.
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/pdf%5CA3601.pdf
Caring for your Lawn and the Environment. NC Cooperative
Extension Services, June 1999.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/agpubs/ag-597.pdf
Meet Real Free-Range Eggs. Mother Earth News, October 2007.
Estimating Manure Production, Storage Size, and Land Application Area. OSU Extension,
2008. http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/pdf/0715.pdf
Do Your Doody—Pick up Pet Waste. Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land
Use, 22 December 2008. http://www.townofvernon.org/Uploads%20to%20Website/
Excuse%20Me.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/qa.htm
Fowl play: The poultry industry's central role in the bird flu crisis. GRAIN, February 2006.
http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=194
Chicken Ordinance Survey, Hugh Bartling - DePaul University - [email protected]
The Small Laying Flock, Fred D. Thornberry, Professor of Extension and Poultry Services,
Texas A&M University
2/19/2012
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More References & Research
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Residential Urban Chicken Keeping – An Examination of 25 Cities, KT LaBadie, CRP 580
Spring 2008, University of New Mexico, May 7th 2008
Fowl Fans See Golden Eggs in Catering to Pet-Chicken Market, Sarah E. Needleman, Wall
Street Journal
Cockfighting, Chickens are Foragers, Not Fighters, Karen Davis, PHD, United Poultry
Concerns, www.upc-online.org
“Urban Wildlife Management”, Second Edition , by Clark E. Adams and Kieran J. Lindsey
Texas Department of State Health Services communication with Captain Bill Porter, Director
of Animal Control, Fort Collins CO
80 Percent of Chicken Growers Never Sanitize Poop-Filled Crates, Mother Jones,
http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/01/poultry-industrys-latest-dirty-secret
Statement on Chicken Ordinances, Mother Earth News,
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Happy-Homesteader/Statement-ChickenOrdinances.aspx
Sharing our Cities with Coyotes, DFW Wildlife Coalition,
http://www.dfwwildlife.org/coyote.html
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Even More Research and Resources
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The European Union bans battery cages for hens, Grist, http://grist.org/list/theeuropean-union-bans-battery-cages-for-hens/
5 Myths About Backyard Chickens, Renee Caldwell, Examiner,
http://www.examiner.com/urban-chickens-in-kansas-city/5-myths-about-backyardchickens
Urban Chickens 101: Why have Chickens in the City, Renee Caldwell, Examiner,
http://www.examiner.com/urban-chickens-in-kansas-city/urban-chickens-101-whyhave-chickens-the-city
US City Dwellers Flock to Raising Chickens, Worldwatch Institute,
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5900
Rabies in Texas, Texas Department of State Health,
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/rabies/
Questions and Answers About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A
(H5N1) Virus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/qa.htm
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Last of Research & Resources
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Coyotes in Urban Areas: A Status Report, JAN E. LOVEN, District Supervisor, Texas Animal
Damage Control Service, Ft. Worth, TX http://agrilife.org/texnatwildlife/coyotes/table-ofcontents/coyotes-in-urban-areas-a-status-report/
The Cooke County, Illinois Coyote Project, Stanley D. Gehrt, School of Environment and
Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, http://ohioline.osu.edu/b929/pdf/b929.pdf
Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 17th Edition, Pgs 411 – 419
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Thank You!
For Additional Information or Questions contact:
Mark Glover
214-550-5017
[email protected]
2/19/2012
Regina Fierke
(972) 355-8773
[email protected]
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