This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Finally! Three cheers to the West Valley City Council for considering backyard chickens as pets ("WVC considering allowing yard hens," Tribune, March 23). Since 2011, I've taught chicken-keeping classes along the Wasatch Front and was perplexed over why West Valley was so ardent in its stance against urban chickens.
Why are so many Utahns keen on backyard hen keeping? Aside from the superior eggs, natural pest control and nitrogen-rich fertilizer, they keep backyard poultry for sustainability and food security.
But what about the noise? The possible attraction of rodents? The smell? Those are valid concerns. However, through research, I have found backyard chicken keepers to be good stewards of the environment. They don't keep roosters (which mitigates the noise argument). They maintain very clean coops and there is little smell when you keep three to six chickens. If it smells worse inside your coop than it does outside your coop, Clean it! It is plain, common sense.
Thousands of cities and counties (both small and large) across the country have adopted pro-chicken-keeping ordinances. My hope is that West Valley City and its residents find success in this proposed change and eventually join the growing number of municipalities that welcome backyard chickens.
Gretchen Anderson
Eagle, Idaho