Allow Rigby City Residents to Raise Urban Chickens

We are requesting that our City Council amend the current city code and allow the people of Rigby Idaho to keep up to 6 chickens.

This change to the city code would add many benefits to the city of Rigby and it's citizens.

1. Health benefits: Chicken eggs are a great source of protein. Families with chickens also have a better understanding of where their food comes from and will be able to healthfully feed their family at a lower cost to themselves. Neighbors of families with chickens will benefit too from extra eggs.

2. Yard benefits: Chickens eat garden pests, and their waste is an excellent fertilizer.

3. Community benefits: A city that allows chickens are helping its' residents be more self-sufficient. This attitude of self-sufficiency increases pride in one's home, family and the community overall. A city with a progressive attitude towards local sustainability is a city many can be proud to call home and others will want to live in.

Many cities are changing their codes to allow chickens. Some examples are: Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston Texas, Topeka Kansas, Denver Colorado, New York City, New York, Las Vegas, Nevada, Los Angeles California and Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Misconceptions about chickens and their impact on a community:

1. Chickens are too loud. Actually, chickens are quieter than dogs or even songbirds. The exception of course are roosters. We propose that the keeping of roosters be prohibited once an owner knows if a chick is a rooster.

2. Cleanliness: There could be concerns that chickens are smelly or dirty. We propose that the number of chickens allowed be limited to 6 and that each chicken must have a minimum of space (4 feet per chicken) in a clean enclosed henhouse with a fully fenced outdoor enclosure. Chickens who are not crowded and who have a clean henhouse and outdoor space do not smell bad.

3. Cost to the city: There may be concerns that people won't care for their chickens and the city will have to pay to dispose of unkempt chickens. By limiting the number of hens allowed, those who want chickens paying for a license through the city and a city compliance officer who is allowed to regularly inspect henhouses. If any chickens are not being cared for the city (by use of their compliance officer or other authorized agent) will have the authority to cite owners for lack of care. Then only those who truly want to be responsible stewards of their chickens will own them in the city.