07/07/09: Buffalo Common Council Debates Urban Chicken Farming

Original YNN Buffalo Air Date: 07/07/09
First came community urban farms … now, urban chicken coops?
In a new movement the Buffalo Common Council is reportedly considering expanding urban chicken farming on the city’s west side.
A YouTube video postcard is how Buffalo’s Monique Watts connects with her five chickens. This west side “mother hen” has a Minorca, Rhode Island Red and Americana just to name a few. But, she had to give them up four months ago because it’s illegal to keep chickens in Buffalo’s urban areas.
“I actually took them back to the farm where I got them in Fillmore and they have a foster mom until they can come back,” said Watts.
She is working with Common Councilman David Rivera to bring her chickens home. The Niagara district representative is pushing an ordinance to allow chickens in the city.
“It’s educational, it’s progressive, it’s forward thinking and I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to present this before the council for approval,” said Rivera.
He wants to wait another two weeks to present the chicken farm ordinance to the council. This will give him time to incorporate the health department’s suggestions.
Doctor Anthony Billittier issued a letter to Councilman Rivera’s office. It’s a ‘How to Raise Chickens’ in an urban setting guide. From chicken feed to laying eggs there are specific sanitation guidelines you have abide by in New York State and Erie County if you want to raise chickens in your backyard.
“One provision explains the feeding of the chickens. They wanted to make sure there is a trough. That it is confined to the chicken coop. That we weren’t just going to throw chicken feed out into the grass and draw rats, rodents and raccoons and those things,” said Rivera.
“We know that people all over the West Side already keep chickens. This ordinance is really bringing the underground above ground,” said Massachusetts Avenue Project’s Diane Picard.
Watts says most of her neighbors support her chicken coop, but there was an anonymous complaint filed against her with the animal control office around March.
“I still don’t know who lodged the complaint or what the complaint was. So that’s one of the things we’d like to have addressed with the ordinance is have a dialogue on both sides,” added Watts.
She’s optimistic the ordinance will go through, but for now she’s having a bit of an “empty nest” syndrome waiting for her chickens to come home.
“I’m hoping they come back. Middle of August maybe?!” smiled a hopeful Watts.