As readers may know, a number of residents in our county are organizing to urge the County Council to lift the countywide zoning restrictions that effectively ban property-owners from keeping small numbers of hens (not roosters!) as pets in residential lots. You can learn more about them, and sign their petition, at www.pghens.com.
As we explained in a previous post, we think this is a good idea. Owners report that backyard hens make great pets, and they're more productive than dogs and cats, while making less noise and waste. Backyard hens also bring neighbors together, lead to an economic boost at small, family-owned local businesses, and help to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Chesapeake Bay runoff, and solid waste. A lot of the arguments against backyard hens are either addressed by the conditions that Prince George's Hens is proposing, or else don't hold up to scrutiny, as explained here and here.
By the way, it's not just Prince George's Hens and their thousand or so petition signatories. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the City of Mount Rainier think that this would be a good move for the county, too.
Here in Cheverly, the Town Council invited Prince George's Hens to present at last Thursday's meeting. We hope that the Town Council will join Mount Rainier in urging the County Council to create a way for responsible residents to keep hens legally, as so many other jurisdictions (including urban centers like Baltimore and New York) have done. And we hope that the Town Council will act soon, as the County Council could take up the issue after it gets back from recess in early 2013 and will surely be interested in local municipalities' support.
After all, who wouldn't like to have some cheap, yummy, organic eggs from next door and eat them, too?
As we explained in a previous post, we think this is a good idea. Owners report that backyard hens make great pets, and they're more productive than dogs and cats, while making less noise and waste. Backyard hens also bring neighbors together, lead to an economic boost at small, family-owned local businesses, and help to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Chesapeake Bay runoff, and solid waste. A lot of the arguments against backyard hens are either addressed by the conditions that Prince George's Hens is proposing, or else don't hold up to scrutiny, as explained here and here.
By the way, it's not just Prince George's Hens and their thousand or so petition signatories. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the City of Mount Rainier think that this would be a good move for the county, too.
Here in Cheverly, the Town Council invited Prince George's Hens to present at last Thursday's meeting. We hope that the Town Council will join Mount Rainier in urging the County Council to create a way for responsible residents to keep hens legally, as so many other jurisdictions (including urban centers like Baltimore and New York) have done. And we hope that the Town Council will act soon, as the County Council could take up the issue after it gets back from recess in early 2013 and will surely be interested in local municipalities' support.
After all, who wouldn't like to have some cheap, yummy, organic eggs from next door and eat them, too?
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