Planning Commission Goes to the Hens

Prince William County's Planning Commission had its first September meeting Wednesday night to discuss the possibility of chickens on one acre residences.

Wednesday night's meeting marked the third public hearing for raising of chickens and other fowl. The chicken issue, previously initiated by the Board of County Supervisors, had to be reinstated after the commission ran out on the 90-day statue of limitation on the issue.

After a about an hour of back-and-forth discussion, the board moved to change the language of the amendment from "raising" fowl to "keeping" fowl in addition to another acreage change for lots appropriated in the agricultural district.

Now, residences in agricultural districts may have no acreage minimum for hosting fowl on residential property. 

All of theses amendments hinge upon the results of the Board of County Supervisors hearing on Sept. 14.

Other issues of chicken zoning included rooster restrictions, cage and fence requirements, and a formula of fowl-per-acre allocation.

"I understand when a rooster crows, a rooster crows," said planning commission staffer Nick Evers. "Even 150 feet won't prevent that noise."

Few oppositional voices were heard at the public hearing last night; many citizens that spoke were from the Brentsville district.

One collective voice, the Prince William Family Livestock Owners Cooperative, addressed the commissioners with a prepared presentation regarding about their motive behind the new "chicken amendment"

The group described themselves as "wanting to bring a small measure of agriculture lifestyle to their daily lives;" citing the current economic climate and so-called "mega farms" as main motivations for a law change.

Kristi Smedley, a resident of the Bacon Race Community, used to own laying hens that lived on her property and appreciated the daily fresh eggs.

"Keeping egg-layers were my suburban children's only personal exposure to animal agriculture, through this experience they understood that eggs, meat and milk were not produced at the grocery store," said Smedley. "That animal agriculture involved hard work and wonderful benefits. They learned the importance of caring for animals properly, the need for fresh water, a secure home and proper feed."

On the matter of roosters, Smedley notes that her family let Mother Nature do her work.

"When we began with our chickens we had no close neighbors except for family, the roosters would sing to us in the morning, it was idyllic," said Smedley.  "However, as our neighbors came closer we allowed nature to take its course and we no longer replaced the roosters.  The hens made less noise than any of my neighbors pets."

For the record, rabbits are exempt from the chicken rulings.