Birds of a feather can now flock together under McCandless' new chicken ordinance

McCandless residents can now add some free-range feathered friends to their brood if they live in certain parts of town.

Council has adopted the final measures needed for residents in single- or two-family homes, as well as people in planned residential developments and mixed-use district that includes the Perry Highway area, to raise chickens if the property can meet certain requirements.

The most recent action establishes the guidelines for raising backyard chickens, which will require coops to be no closer than 50 feet from any lot line and include a 4-foot tall fence or shrubs for screening if it is visible from the street or neighboring properties.

Previous drafts of the measure during the past two years the issue has been under discussion considered setting the distance at 100 feet in all directions. That distance was scrapped because it would have eliminated all but a handful of properties in the town.

McCandless is not limiting the number of chickens that can be raised. Rather, it is requiring a minimum amount of indoor and outdoor space for each bird.

Council approved a zoning change last month that set the stage for residents to raise chickens for “personal use and enjoyment” if they live in the R-1, R-2, R-5 and R-C districts.

Coops only are permitted in rear yards, and owners must provide at least 2-square feet of indoor space per bird and a run with at least 10 square feet per chicken.

No roosters are allowed, poultry cannot be slaughtered on a resident’s property, and eggs and meat cannot be sold.

Guidelines for constructing a coop and the other procedures for raising chickens are available on the town website.

The measure was approved by a 5-1 vote on July 26. Councilwoman Shelly Sponholz voted against the measure and council President Kim Zachary was absent from the meeting.

In a separate vote, council amended its schedule of fees to add a one-time $50 charge for a coop inspection and a permit. If a fence or screening is required, it will be covered by the coop inspection fee.

The final draft of the measure also eliminates a requirement that all chickens receive veterinary care and be vaccinated against infectious diseases.

Councilwoman Angela Woods said such a requirement would make the law onerous.

“While the desire (to require vet care) is in the best interest of the chickens” it would be nearly impossible to get it, she said.

“Very few veterinarians in our area tend to livestock,” she said, noting that the diseases for which chickens are inoculated are not transmittable to humans. “We would be setting up an impossibility for these owners.

The town’s planning administrator RJ Susko said she did not oppose removing the requirement, noting that even if it were left in, there would be no practical way to know which birds get the shots.

“It would be a challenge to track from an administrative prospective,” she said.

Rules dealing with the sanitation and maintenance of chicken coops and what must be done to prevent them from becoming a bother to neighbors are covered in the town’s ordinances dealing with general nuisances.