Should Urbandale Residents Be Allowed to Raise Chickens at Home?

Did you know Urbandale residents can raise chickens on their property?

Tuesday night the Urbandale City Council discussed city ordinances that allow residents to raise chickens and other poultry -- only two animals and at leat 200 feet from all property lines -- and other types of animals residents have asked permission to raise, including rabbits, pygmy goats and small "teapot" pigs.

Ultimately the council asked city staff members to do more research to help determine whether residents should be able to raise chickens at home, according to the Des Moines Register.

Paul Dekker, Urbandale's director of community development, told the council that many residents have asked the city to amend its ordinances to allow the raising of “wildlife” within city limits.

But, multiple ordinances regulate the issue, the newspaper said. The city’s zoning ordinance allows chickens in residential areas only if the building in which they’re kept is 200 feet from every property lot line. Another section of city code requires 150 feet distance from any dwelling and allows only two animals to be kept on a property.

Dekker said the sections of the code need to be examined and possibly coordinated with one another.

Chickens are the most common request from residents seeking to raise animals but the city should plan for future queries, he said.

“According to the requests, the popularity at this point, in addition to chickens, is also for pygmy goats and teapot pigs and other animals,” Dekker said in the Register story. “The expectation is that we will get requests at some point in time (to allow) other urban livestock that don’t agree with the current regulations on urban animals.”

Urbandale resident Rick Brucker said he would support a change to city code to allow urban wildlife in city limits.

“Rabbits are considered to be the best meat source because they gain the most weight with the least feed,” Brucker said in the newspaper story. “But I’m not here about rabbits; I’d love to have a few chickens in my backyard to provide my own eggs.”

Council members asked about the potential effect of chicken manure, and the look of chicken coops in town.

“If people in my neighborhood wanted to have chicken houses, I’m not sure I’d like the look of chicken coops up and down my street,” Councilman Mike Carver said in the story.