Along with our container garden and worm composting ideas, we thought that our little backyard farm just wouldn’t be complete without some hardy farm animals. What a great idea! We could raise something small that could be kept enclosed and away from the neighbors, like chickens, and have fresh eggs everyday! While researching the perfect breed of chicken for small spaces and tasty eggs, we found that not every community is geared towards this new eco fad. According to the city ordinances of Lino Lakes, there are no farm animals allowed on suburban properties that measure less than 2.5 acres. Understandably, the city does not want overly excited “farmers”
trying to milk goats in their backyard next the garage/barn while all the neighbors try not to inhale the manure smell when sitting on thier perfectly manicured lawns drinking wine. So where is the happy medium? I’m not quite ready to move to the middle of Nowheresville USA just to have a large enough plot of land to raise my own chemical/hormone-free food. We googled other urban farmers across the country and it seems that we are not the only ones who have come up against this problem. So what’s the plan if the chicken idea has flown the coop? Apparently, others have skirted around the literal meaning of the city ordinances by raising chickens as exotic pets – which is allowed by law as long as they’re not dangerous and can’t get out. For small families who only need to raise enough to sustain themselves, one or two chickens provides more than enough eggs and can therefore be claimed as an “outdoor pet" not a farm animal. I even found an article called “Chickens As Pets” that says chickens make wonderful pets especially if they are raised from chicks and are petted and loved from an early age. As you can see from my picture below, even though we d
on’t have more than 2 acres, there is still a large enough yard to hold two little chickens. We even have a secured area (defined in red) where there is an existing fence surrounding the backyard so they wouldn’t get out to cross the road or bother the rest of the neighborhood. Where you see the yellow ducky is the probable location of where we would build a chicken coop (possible design seen below) next to the house for warmth.
But what about the other potential urban farmers out there? Metropolitan and suburban cities are growing at an exponential rate leaving the farmers on the outside with no other choice but to ship all the food in at great cost to the consumer and the environment. Our ability to cultivate our own crops and raise animals for food has been lost and these small urban farms show the beginnings of family sustainability and independence. But small towns like mine need to be more aware of this shifting paradigm and change the rules accordingly. It seems like a simple adjustment for the community council to make and we can’t keep bending the rules to have the lifestyle we want…….so which should come first – the chicken or the egg?
