Monday, June 22, 2009

Chickens in Hyattsville




This is an update on progress being made to change the current Hyattsville, Maryland, law which prohibits chicken coops within the city limits. So far I've found five other Hyattsville residents who are interested in raising chickens for eggs and I'm striving to find many more. David Hiles, my new Hyattsville Ward 2 city council representative tells me that it may be possible to bring this issue before the city council this coming fall or Spring 2010. He also says I will have to build more community support, then lobby the council for action. I'm beginning to compile material to illustrate how urban chicken coops have worked well in the D.C. area and other nearby, local jurisdictions.

So let's keep our talons crossed! To get you in the mood for starting your own chicken run, take a look at all the great things (I'm personally fond of the "Eglu") at http://www.omlet.us/
Photograph credit: National Archives and Records Administration, RG-83, Records of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, 1876-1959. The photograph was taken in Shelby County, Iowa, in May 1941.

3 comments:

  1. I wish to have two chickens in Hyattsville to produce yummy eggs. Please add me to the list and conact me at kennylewis@aol.com.

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  2. It's not as easy as introducing a motion before the Hyattsville City Council. Prince George's County has a strict ordinance against home livestock, including chickens, and by state law, a municipality cannot pass a law less restrictive than the County law on the same subject matter. So we would need to lobby the County Council to relax its law, which is an outcome unlikely in the extreme, for socio-cultural/political reasons unique to this county.

    For the foreseeable future, we'll have the occasional scofflaw chicken farmers, such as observed on this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEfOb_EZ1bk

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  3. Any updates on whether or not chickens are allowed in Hyattsville yet?

    ReplyDelete