Hens Coming to Lakewood?

Correction: The hens discussion is slated to begin at 6 p.m.

According to Lakewood City Ordinance 505.18, it’s illegal to raise hens in the city.

But don’t get your feathers all ruffled.

A group of dedicated Lakewood residents is hoping to scrap that law.

But first, they’d like to educate the community.

In 2011, Mayor Michael Summers OK’d a pilot project that would have allowed four Lakewood families to raise hens in their backyards.

Lakewood City Council later voted to close the “loophole” in the city’s ordinances that allows the mayor to make an exemption on the issue. 

That hasn’t deterred the grass-roots organization Hens in Lakewood.

The group is hosting a forum at the Lakewood Public Library at 6 p.m. Sunday to open up the floor for discussion.

“The forum is to discuss why people want hens and why we think this a good thing,” said April Stoltz, a Hens in Lakewood organizer. “We want people to come with an open-mind.”

The organization presented a forum last year in the packed auditorium.

This time around, Hens in Lakewood will present a proposed ordinance, authored by a Lakewood attorney, outlining guidelines for responsible hen ownership.

“We think it’s a neighbor-friendly, bird-friendly and hen-owner-friendly ordinance,” Stoltz said.

(To have a look at the draft ordinance, click on the PDF attached at right)

At least one member of Lakewood City Council is interested.

Ward 2 councilman Tom Bullock said he’s been listening to residents’ concerns on the issue. 

He said he’d like to introduce legislation to council this summer.

“What we’re proposing is pet hen ownership on a small scale,” Bullock said. “I think it can be successful. It’s got to be thoughtful and it’s got to be done right, but I think it can be done.”

Why do people want hens in Lakewood? 

“More and more Lakewood residents are in favor of this,” Bullock said. “They want healthy, local food. They want their kids to learn about nature. They want high-quality food and they want to be hands-on. There are a lot of people here who are do-it-yourselfer, fixer-uppers.” 

According to the hen experts:

• Aren’t hens loud? No.
• Aren’t they stinky? Nope.
• Won’t neighbors with hens drive down my property values? No, in fact, some experts have said there’s evidence showing that backyards hens actually raise property values.
• Don’t hens carry and spread diseases? No, however backyard hens can prevent the spread of Avian flu and other chicken diseases.
• What about roosters? They’re not needed for egg production, and wouldn’t be allowed in Lakewood. 

Would the city burn all sorts of personnel hours checking on the birds? 

“Not if we do it right,” Bullock said. “We’d cap the number of people participating, on a first-come, first-serve basis. We’d get some real experience.”

The change could be a part of a national trend in cities across the US — including Cleveland, which ended its poultry ban in 2009.

In a Virginia community, people can buy backyard coops with their new homes. Neighborhoods in Austin, TX, offer “coop tours.” And cities like Chicago, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, OR, all have ordinances allowing residents to keep hens.

“I hope people will join us at the forum on Sunday, including people who are skeptics on the issue,” Bullock said. “That’s the point, to not ignore these concerns but deliberate.” 

In addition, right before the Hens in Lakewood event, Bullock  — in his role as representative for Pew Charitable Trusts — will host an event to discuss the harms of factory farming at 5 p.m.

“It’ll be a good context for the (Hens in Lakewood) event,” he said.