Guilderland

Dale Owen wasn't seeking a fight, and he never wanted to upset his neighbors.

What he wants is a reliable supply of eggs to help feed his large family. He wants greater responsibility over what's served in his kitchen. He's seeking, in a small way, to heal the disconnect between the food we eat and where it's raised.

But Owen's request for up to 10 backyard hens has many of the neighbors in his Guilderland neighborhood crying ... fowl.

"I expected a little bit of pushback," Owen said. "But not as much as I got."

Owen lives in classic, comfortable suburbia — raised ranches, half-acre lots, expansive lawns. And while Guilderland certainly has agricultural areas, its code is silent on whether chickens are allowed in suburban zones. They aren't explicitly forbidden or allowed.

Therefore, the Zoning Board of Appeals has handled chicken requests on a case-by-case basis — and Owen's could be decided Wednesday, when the board is expected to vote on his request.

Twice previously, the board has allowed backyard hens, and in both cases neighbors supported the requests. That hasn't been the case on Mohawk Drive, where Owen lives.

Neighbors have claimed the hens will stink, raise a ruckus and cause property values to dive faster than a hawk going after a backyard chicken.

"This is a residential area that we all bought into," said Charles Byrne, who lives next to Owen. "I've been in the area for 50 years, and in this house for 40, and there have never been chickens."

What animals, Byrne asked, would be next? Ducks, pigs, goats?

"I love them all," he added, "and they belong on a farm."

Sure, chickens have never been native in modern suburbia, and I understand why neighbors would fret about the introduction of a new animal onto quiet residential streets.

But I've lived next to people who keep chickens, and the animals were hardly a nuisance. I never smelled the hens and rarely heard them. In fact, backyard chickens would rank low on my list of potential neighborhood annoyances, well, after lawn mowers, leaf blowers and motorcycles — even dogs and outdoor cats.

I love dogs, but a bark carries farther than a cluck. And nobody gets bitten by a chicken. Cats, meanwhile, roam far and wide, while penned hens stay put.

More Information Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5700 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

The debate, though, is hardly limited to Guilderland. As people have grown more interested in sourcing their own food, cities and towns around the country have been arguing the merits of gardens in the front yard and chickens out back.

You'll probably remember that the legalization of backyard hens was loudly debated in Albany three years ago, after chickens owned by Michael and Jen Guidice were hauled away by the city. The Common Council voted to OK keeping hens, but the law was vetoed by Jerry Jennings.

The mayor's move angered many of the city's youngish new residents, unleashing a political force that, arguably, helped elect Mayor Kathy Sheehan. So far, there's been nary a peep about backyard hens since she took office.

Back in Guilderland, Owen, 34, noted that his four children eat a lot of eggs. The family tries to grow a portion of its own food, he added, and avoids buying what he called "sweatshop" eggs produced by caged hens.

Actually, I suspect the way that eggs are commonly produced — in horribly overcrowded factory-like conditions — contributes to the perception that chickens produce an overpowering smell. But keeping 200,000 layers on a "farm" is not at all the same as keeping 10 at home.

"Anybody who has kept hens knows that they're not a big deal," Michael Guidice said. "They're just these quiet things in the yard." (That isn't true for roosters, of course. But many cities that legalize backyard chickens explicitly prohibit them.)

Guilderland is now in the process of revising its zoning code, and early versions of the changes would legalize keeping backyard hens in suburban areas. That would take the zoning board off the hook the next time a resident wants a coop — and could render debate over Owen's request unnecessary.

"The whole thing may be a moot point in a very short amount of time," said zoning board member Thomas Remmert, adding he was unsure how the vote would go Wednesday.

If chickens do come to Mohawk Drive, I suspect the opponents will find they that were overly worried about the consequences. And since Owen seems to value being neighborly, I'm guessing residents will discover the greatest benefit of having chickens nearby.

Fresh eggs.

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5700 • @chris_churchill