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Let Chickens Come Home to Roost - in Portland!?

February 18, 2009 - PORTLAND -- In times of economic instability, people crave certainty. For the Gaven family of South Portland, certainty comes in the form of a steady supply of fresh eggs provided daily by their backyard hens.

"We think of them as pets we get something back from," Phil Gaven said.

The economic downturn – combined with the food-grown-locally movement – has led to a revival in raising chickens, said Clint Farnham, manager of Paris Farmers Union in Portland. The store is selling a ton of chicken feed every week, Farnham said.

"We are seeing more requests for it, and more people are talking about it. Especially when the economy gets rough, more people want to have some chickens for eggs," he said.

The growing popularity of poultry has caused local governments to change zoning ordinances to allow chickens in backyards. The ordinances typically ban roosters – which are not necessary for egg production – and contain requirements that hens be kept in a coop that has a fenced-in chicken run.

On Wednesday, the Portland City Council will consider an ordinance that allows people to have as many as six hens. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Maine's largest city is the latest municipality to consider such an ordinance. Last fall, Falmouth removed all legal barriers to chickens in backyards. South Portland did the same in 2007. Biddeford and Westbrook also allow the raising of chickens for personal use.

Patricia Doucette, South Portland's code enforcement officer, said 14 people have paid the $25 fee for an annual chicken permit and the one-time $25 fee if they have a chicken coop. She said there have been no complaints or enforcement issues.

In Falmouth – which allows hens without a permit – there have been no complaints, said Albert Farris, the zoning enforcement officer. And there's more good news for Falmouth chickens: The town bans the slaughtering of chickens in most zones.

In Portland, City Councilor Kevin Donoghue, who introduced the chicken ordinance, said he began looking into the issue after a teenager on Great Diamond Island asked him for help removing the city's ban on chickens. Donoghue said he has since received more than 100 e-mails from people who favor the measure, including residents of the city's more urban neighborhoods.

Donoghue said he has been unable to find any rationale why people should not have the right to raise a small number of hens on their own property.

"It's a libertarian gesture at heart," he said of the proposed ordinance.

Councilor Daniel Skolnik voted against the measure when it came before the Portland council's Public Safety Committee on grounds that it could be costly to enforce. But Skolnik said he may change his vote because the ordinance in South Portland has proven to be workable.

Although people like the idea of having control over their source of food, the economic benefit of raising chickens is not clear.

The basics are cheap. At the Paris Farmers Union, New England chicks – known as Rhode Island reds – sell for $1.99 apiece. A 20-pound bag of feed sells for between $6 and $7 and can feed six chickens for three weeks.

The startup costs, though, can be expensive if people don't have carpentry skills or an available shed.

Martha Winn of South Portland figures she's spent about $2,000 building a coop and chicken run for her six chickens.

Still, it's worth it because taking care of the chickens has become an enjoyable family activity, she said. Plus the eggs have deep yellow yolks and taste delicious, she said.

"It's really nice getting a fresh egg," she said. "It's not like anything you buy in a supermarket."

Gaven said his five chickens produce, on average, five eggs a day.

That's more than his family can consume, so he gives eggs away to neighbors.

He figures it will take five years before his investment in chicken infrastructure pays off. Still, saving money is not his primary motivation.

"It's trying to eat something that we know where it's coming from," he said.

By TOM BELL, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, February 16, 2009


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