Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
May 21, 2014 3:06 p.m.
There will probably be no flocks of chickens coming home to roost next door to Fernandina Beach residents any time soon. On a 3-2 vote last night, Fernandina Beach City Commissioners (FBCC) decided that a proposed code change that would allow residents to keep up to 17 chickens per acre would not fly. Only Commissioners Johnny Miller and Pat Gass were willing to try easing up on existing city restrictions. Miller, who had raised the topic in response to inquiries from local residents committed to producing eggs for their own consumption, believed that enough safeguards could be built into the ordinance to address health and nuisance concerns raised by some members of the public. Gass, on the other hand, believed that many of the restrictions in the proposed ordinance were excessive. She added that she believed the notion of keeping chickens was a fad that would probably fade after 1-2 years.
Genora Crain-Orth, a representative of River City Chicks, a Jacksonville-based group dedicated to backyard birds, addressed the FBCC on some of the concerns people have raised with respect to urban chicken farming. Her group worked to get an ordinance approved in the city of Jacksonville. That ordinance stressed education, requiring that potential chicken keepers complete a program laying out the care, feeding and code requirements for keeping chickens in an urban setting. She said that there has been no study showing that chicken keeping adversely impacts urban property values. She also said that according to a Center for Disease Control study, the best way to avoid salmonella from chickens is to wash hands after handling chickens and eggs. She stressed that humans contract more diseases from dogs and cats than from chickens.
Mayor Ed Boner expressed concerns that 25×100 residential lots were too small for chickens, and that the city has substandard lots that are even smaller. Gerrity confirmed that only one chicken could be kept on a 2500-foot lot.
Commissioner Charlie Corbett asked if the city had done a survey to determine interest in chicken farming within the city. Deputy City Manager Marshall McCrary said the city had not, but added that the city receives regular inquiries from people interested in raising their own chickens for the eggs. Currently, City Manager Joe Gerrity may approve such requests on an individual basis. He has said that he will not approve more than one chicken per request.
Corbett suggested that the city might be jumping the gun by proceeding with a more liberal ordinance at this time. He expressed concerns that such an ordinance could trigger a need for more regulations and inspections, potentially overburdening Animal Control and Code Enforcement. He supported retaining the current policy that grants approval authority to the city manager.
Gass objected to verbiage in the proposed ordinance that detailed requirements for chicken coops and mandated inspections. “I don’t want to make this more difficult than it has to be,” she said. She also wanted to remove language that would prohibit slaughter of chickens. She said, “I don’t anticipate lots of people going berserk and killing chickens in their back yards.” Miller continued to advocate for the ordinance, saying that it would “let people get their own food in a humane way.”
After 20 minutes of discussion, only Gass and Miller remained in support of the ordinance. Because it did not pass on first reading, the issue will not be brought back for a second reading.
Bottom line: If you want to keep a chicken on your property, call the city manager. And don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.
Where is Smiley Lee when we need him? City Commission running amok.
(See DSM-IV TR)
I was very sorry to hear about this ordinance, and happy to be in the county portion of the island. Factory meat and eggs in this country are more problematic than backyard chickens. I would encourage the 3 commissioners to read Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, not with an eye to becoming vegetarian, but rather to understand where our current system is taking us. Or, check out any of the videos at the bottom of this link: http://www.factory-farming.com/chicken_factory.html
One could also point out that chickens are very much social animals, and the decision that only one chicken may be kept is cruel.
In addition, as more and more information debunks the safety of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, don’t underestimate the value of several chickens, with their laser-like ability to zap bugs (mole crickets, grasshoppers, etc) and their rich addition to the family compost heap.
As far as objections about lot size, the ordinance could easily be modified to exclude sub-standard lots (we will demur on comments about why they exist in the first place).
I can only hope that, for the sake of my fellow islanders in the city, this ordinance will be re-visited in the near future, and modified to accommodate more good sense and enlightened thinking.