Chickens and Code Enforcment.

Some folks have complained about the Lower Township Code Enforcement officer’s actions with regard to the chickens on my property. In my opinion, Walter Fiore, the Code Enforcement Officer in Lower Township, was simply doing his job. And he did it with respect and good humor. The problem is not with Code Enforcement. Rather it is with the Code itself. The Code specifies that one must have one acre to have any farm animals, including chickens.
We believe that Lower Twonship, like Middle Township and so many cities and towns across the country, should allow residents to keep a few chickens (hens only) provided that they are confined to the property and are kept in humane and sanitary conditions. Industrial poultry production is creating many problems, including pollution from manure, antibiotic resistance and higher risk of a more dangerous strain of bird flu. Keeping chickens at home is one way to address these problems.
There is a significant morement for locally grown food. Folks want to know where their food comes from, what was added to the soil, what pesiticdes were used, if any, and whether or not the seeds were genetically modified. WhenweI grow my own vegetables and have a few chickens, we don’t have to wonder. We know.
I don’t think there is any legitimate reason to prohibit small backyard flocks of chickens, any more that there is reason to ban keeping of dogs and cats.
Sincerely,