An op-ed in the Daily Hampshire Gazette by Katherine McDermott, associate professor of education and public policy, argues for changing local zoning ordinances that impose unnecessary barriers to complying with rules governing backyard chickens.
According to McDermott, who is raising chickens that her family acquired from her son’s first-grade class at Wildwood, Amherst has a legitimate interest in knowing where hens are being kept in town and ensuring that they’re being raising in safe and humane conditions.
But the cost and considerable red tape required to obtain the necessary permits–which includes completing the same form as that used for construction projects and involves a site visit by the Zoning Board of Appeals–means that many residents who wish to raise chickens in their backyards forgo the process.
According to McDermott, “the town would be better off with the proposed hen and rabbit zoning ordinance, since it permits the town to monitor its hen (and rabbit) populations without imposing irrational amounts of red tape on people who are trying to follow the rules.”
The Amherst Town Meeting is expected to take up proposed changes in rules regarding backyard chickens, according to the Gazette.
McDermott’s full column, which appeared on May 24, 2011, is currently available at this link (may require a subscription).