Brooklyn Park considers allowing chickens in backyards

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - Should residents be allowed to keep hens in their backyards? The question has been raised a few times in Brooklyn Park, including on Monday night.

City staff members receive multiple requests each year to allow chickens, according to Michelle Peterson, the neighborhood health supervisor for Brooklyn Park. Peterson said families cite several reasons, including wanting to keep hens as pets, having fresh eggs, and education for their children.

"They are sweet. They have personalities. And they are like none of the problems that uneducated, uninformed people complain they will be," said Brooklyn Park resident Harvey Haines. 

On Monday, the city council discussed an ordinance that would allow up to four female chickens in a backyard. No roosters would be allowed due to concerns about noise. The issue has come before the city council multiple times, including in 2012 and 2019. Last year, the discussion was tabled due to concerns about the bird flu.

Council Member Boyd Morson said he was the reason the issue was tabled last year due to his concerns about "the safety and health" of residents. He asked his colleagues to table the issue again.

A survey in 2021 revealed that 67 percent of the city either supported or strongly supported allowing hens. Most of the community members who spoke at Monday night’s meeting were supportive of the ordinance.

Peterson also told the council that many households in the city do have chickens already – hens and roosters – and city officials follow up when they get complaints and require that the chickens get removed. The city typically gets between five and 10 complaints each year.

"We do find that the complaints that we receive are proportionally against our BIPOC residents," Peterson said.

Almost all the public comment at the meeting was supportive of the chicken ordinance. Haines told council members, "I really don't want to move out of Brooklyn Park and stop supporting the businesses here and the people that I care about just because you guys don't like hens."

"We have neighbors who when we go to visit them, they have chicken in their homes. It's absolutely not right for us to keep it illegal," added Hassanen Mohamed, who also mentioned high egg prices.

Collette Guyott-Hempel spoke out against the ordinance, saying, "You want a pet? Have a cat. Have a dog."

Council Member Christian Eriksen said he was generally of the mindset that people should do what they want on their own property, but he was concerned about the enforceability of the ordinance, especially when Brooklyn Park already has a feral cat problem.

A biennial citywide survey this fall will ask about allowing hens, among other issues. The council voted to bring back the ordinance for a first reading after the survey results come back, likely in October or November.