Animal Law
‘Sexy’ Seattle Pet: Backyard Chicken
Posted May 19, 2008, 05:09 pm CDT
By Martha Neil
Seattle residents are crowing about an increasingly popular pet: the backyard chicken.
Under longtime zoning law, it is legal to keep a small number of chickens in this major metropolitan area, the Seattle Times reports.
But chickens are "sexy" right now, according to Angelina Shell of the Seattle Tilth's city chickens program. They also serve a useful function by providing eggs and eating backyard insect pests, she notes.
"They're mostly city people buying chickens for their eggs because they like to know what they're eating," says Susanne Hayes, owner of Hayes Feed & Country Store in Burien. "They'll come in and spend hundreds of dollars for bedding and feed. They love their chickens like pets, like a cat or dog."
Seattle's ordinance, which doesn't require a permit to keep chickens, is used as a model by other cities, the newspaper says.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Urbanites Crow About Maybe-Legal Pets"
ABAJournal.com: "Girl Teary Over Town Board’s Fowl Vote"
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