Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Are Chickens Ready to Cross the Road into Dunwoody?

Illegal under DeKalb County code, are backyard chickens about to become legal in Dunwoody? Last night the Dunwoody Planning Commission voted 7-0 to legalize backyard chickens. The issue now goes to the Dunwoody City Council for a vote, which will probably be a lot closer.
What potentially does legalizing backyard chickens mean to Springfield residents? Probably nothing, as 99 percent of us will have no interest in raising chickens. However, somewhere along the line, a neighbor will buy a coop and take a stab at it. Let's hope that neighbor does so responsibly. I'll have to admit, I have not seen, first hand, a backyard chicken coop. But from what others tell me, as long as the owner is responsible with the daily upkeep, it is not an issue. Let's hope that's the case.

For more on the backyard chicken issue in Dunwoody visit http://www.dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com/ and http://www.dunwoodytalk.blogspot.com/.

6 comments:

Steve Barton said...

Bob: Is that one fancy-schmancy chicken coop in the picture with this post? Wow.

Paula Caldarella said...

Bob, the coop is no in the "Williamsburg-style". What gives? :) - Just kidding - maybe.

Bob Fiscella said...

Dunwoody Mom,
You might be onto something. Perhaps we should write that into the code, that's if council approves chickens! And Steve - perhaps we need a height restriction!

Heyward said...

Is it me or we have been talking about chicken for 4 months now? Vote...please!!!

Chip said...

One thing Dunwoody City Council never looked at was setting minimum construction standards for coops. TheChickenWhisperer said you could start with plastic dog kennels/carriers...I disagree with that approach. Requiring a permanent wood or metal structure of minimum dimensions and restricting the height would be a good thing....

Chip said...

BTW, Here's a minimalist chicken coop that beats the heck out of a dog kennel/pet carrier arrangement!!!

http://www.plans4buildachickencoop.com/planning-chicken-coop/

Dunwoody staff could review this booklet, and set some "guidelines" for coop construction that would alleviate a lot of concerns.