Chicago May Ban Pet Chickens

Owning poultry seen as green and trendy among some residents
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 12, 2007 6:34 PM CST
Chicago May Ban Pet Chickens
Many keep chickens for their delicious and nutritious eggs.   (Getty Images)

Are chickens a city pet? Chicago’s city council is nearing a vote on a proposal to ban chicken ownership, even as green- and organic-minded citizens around the country increasingly keep the birds for eggs, yard work, and companionship. Among worries for Chicago politicians, the AP reports, are that chickens’ waste attracts rodents and that the birds might transmit avian flu.

Chicken lovers say that the birds are no dirtier than any other pet if conscientiously cleaned up after, and that other cities have allowed for private poultry without descending into diseased, smelly chaos. Ultimately, though, it might be their back-country image that dooms the fowl’s resurgence: "People move in and they don't want chickens (around) so they complain," one observer clucked. (More chickens stories.)

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