Salem residents want zoning for chickens

SALEM – People illegally raising chickens and ducks in the capital city have asked for zoning changes to make it OK. But not everyone wants the clucking to commence.

Nancy Baker-Krofft recently asked the City Council for “a chicken in every yard,” saying the birds – whether it’s for their eggs or as pets – must be part of a city that is friendly to the environment.

Stacey Orchard, whose family has three hens and two ducks, wants the city to change the zoning at her northeast Salem home from single-family residential to residential agriculture. She said the birds are pets and they teach her daughters, Andi and Maggi, about kindness and responsibility.

City staff members oppose the change, but council members asked them to explore the possibility of loosening regulations.

Ten of Orchard’s neighbors have signed a petition asking the city to leave the zoning unchanged. Susann Kaltwasser of the East Lancaster Neighborhood Association said the neighbors are worried about declining property values and bird droppings contaminating wells.

Kaltwasser agrees with her neighbors on the zoning change, but personally prefers a few hens to the cats that roam the area. “Give me a chicken over a stupid cat any day,” Kaltwasser said.

Jim Hermes, an extension poultry specialist with Oregon State University, said small flocks usually are not a health or safety problem for their keepers or neighbors. As for the chickens, they’re hardy and adaptable. “Provide feed and a place where they’re dry, and they’re happy,” Hermes said.

During the last three years, Salem has taken more than 100 complaints about domestic fowl, most involving roosters or hens. Those with illegal birds can be cited and ordered to pay a $250 fine, although city officials say that’s a step rarely taken.

Many cities allow residents to raise a limited number of chickens. Portland and Seattle, for example, allow three hens per home. Roosters are usually forbidden by cities because of their incessant crowing.

Salem City Councilor Frank Walker, who asked city staff to review zoning rules after a constituent was cited for having three bantam chickens, doesn’t see a problem with letting residents raise a bird or two.

“We’re talking about a few chickens, so maybe an urban kid can do a little 4-H,” said Walker, who grew up on an Illinois farm.