Chickens are OK

Dr. Dee Apple
Hopewell Township
    I am writing to support the idea of allowing homeowners in Hopewell Township to keep a small number of chickens in a well-controlled space on their property.
   This is an issue where I hope good science and common sense will prevail over irrational fears and dishonest or mean-spirited arguments. I have raised chickens before within the city limits of a beautiful town in Oregon (Ashland) and I can attest that they: make hardly any noise; and when kept properly create no smells or any other problems for anyone. Certainly they are less noisy than dogs (don’t get me wrong — I love dogs!). Along with fresh eggs, chickens provide a simple way for children to learn responsibilities by caring for animals, and to have a real-life example about the food chain and where our food actually comes from. Chickens also provide excellent garden fertilizer, which contains none of the synthetic chemicals found in unnatural fertilizers — now known to be harmful to humans and our environment.
   One opponent of backyard poultry, using ridiculous fear tactics instead of facts, recently claimed “there is good chance your chicken coop would be in one of your neighbors living rooms rather than your backyard.” Such statements purposefully stir up fear to manipulate the opinions of people who have no experience with raising chickens. Such a statement is also contemptuous of the wisdom of local government: Certainly rational, common-sense provisions of a ruling allowing backyard poultry would easily address simple issues regarding spacing and placement of small chicken coops.
   I know many homeowners on small properties all over the township who, like me, would enjoy the possibility of raising a few chickens.