FREDERICK — Sara Rusher doesn’t have to hide her hens.
On Friday, Frederick will allow backyard chickens, the keeping of chickens in the backyard of a single-family home. Town residents can get a free license at town hall to have up to six hens, no roosters.
For Rusher, that’s especially good news. She’s had her own hens under the radar for about a year and a half; by the time the town found out, she said, the ordinance was already in progress and the matter was deemed a low priority.
“My neighbors have not ever had a complaint,” she said. “It speaks to how little of a nuisance they really are.”
The practice has spread among Front Range cities and towns over the last few years — though not always in the most obvious places, Frederick planning director Jennifer Simmons said.
“It was actually interesting that some of the more urban communities permit it and some of the more rural communities don’t,” she said. “Arvada allows it, but Broomfield doesn’t. Dacono does not. Erie does not. But Fort Collins does.”
The Louisville City Council took up discussion of backyard chickens last Tuesday, and a measure to allow the birds will be on the ballot in Broomfield this fall.
Feathers flew in Longmont after the issue was raised in 2008. Opponents said the birds would attract noise, odor, disease and predators; supporters said the birds could be kept responsibly and would supply eggs while reducing backyard pests. The city finally began to issue chicken permits in early 2009, allowing four hens if the owners followed certain rules.
It was during that debate that Rusher, an assistant city clerk in Longmont, first got intrigued by the issue.
“I’m a huge gardener,” she said. “I particularly like being able to be self-sufficient. This is kind of the next step. It’s a way to add something you can’t get by growing fruits or vegetables.”
Rusher wound up getting two hens and a basic, easily secured, $200 coop. She also found herself doing a lot of research, looking up what to do when the hens get “broody,” or how best to heat the coop in the winter, or how to keep the smell down — though that last, she said, turned out to be pretty minimal.
As for predators, she said, “My dogs would go crazy if anything got into the yard. And they love the chickens.”
Frederick considered permitting the hens a few years ago, Simmons said, but found little interest in the issue. That changed in February when the town board got a fresh request to allow chickens and decided to sound out its residents through its newsletter and Facebook.
Hundreds of residents answered back in an “overwhelmingly positive response,” according to town officials. And like that, hens were in.
Like Longmont, Frederick sets several rules for chicken-keepers, such as having a predator-safe coop, a clean environment for the hens, and secured containers for chicken feed and chicken waste. The license lasts until the homeowner moves to a new address. Homeowner associations can still ban the birds if they choose, Simmons said, so HOA residents need to check their regulations.
Those wanting more information about the city’s requirements can call Simmons at 720-382-5651 or email her at jsimmons@frederickco.gov.
The biggest thing to remember, Rusher said, is that these are animals that require daily care and attention.
“Don’t go into it lightly,” she said.
Scott Rochat can be reached at 303-684-5220 or srochat@times-call.com.
