Pros and cons of chickens in town limits

Public mixed on possible move to allow the birds

The high cost of eggs and tariffs on imported goods imposed by the Trump administration have become concerns for Lovell resident Debbie McConnaughey, who is preparing to make her case to the Lovell Town Council on why she should be allowed to raise chickens in her backyard.

McConnaughey said she has not purchased eggs in six months because of the high price. 

“For me, it is all about the prices of eggs,” McConnaughey said. “The prices of eggs are going down now, but when the tariffs kick in, egg prices are supposed to go up 57%, which bothers me. I want my eggs to be fresh; they can be months old when you buy them from somewhere else. I have bought fresh eggs from farmers in the past, but when the prices of eggs at the grocery store got high, farmers started to raise their prices. I understood why because the price of chicken feed also goes up. Fresh eggs do not mean free eggs due to the involved cost.”

McConnaughey said her husband Bill, who has been diabetic for 14 years, needs fresh eggs for health reasons. She also said she doesn’t understand why the town council needs to approve her having chickens on her property and argued it’s her right to own them.

“My husband is diabetic, and fresh eggs are a protein source,” McConnaughey said. “Eggs can be made in many ways, and I am not just doing this because Bill is diabetic, but for anyone who is diabetic, I don’t know why the town council is afraid of us having chickens. I printed off all the ordinances from every community around us because we are the only ones that don’t allow them. I know for some people here in town, it’s about their particular neighbors who don’t want them to have chickens, but why? I do not know, and it’s not like having chickens makes us a third world country.”

According to Lovell Town Administrator Jed Nebel, the Town of Lovell passed an ordinance in 1961 that prohibits residents from having chickens within town limits. Nebel also said the only way the town council can grant approval is if a new ordinance is passed.

“Currently, our town code prohibits having fowl animals in town, including but not limited to chickens,” Nebel said. “Right now, there is no code written (allowing fowl), so they would need to develop a new code and get it passed by council or propose ideas for a new code and get it passed by council, and that would take three readings.”

However, those who oppose the right to own backyard chickens in town say it would cause a nuisance and attract predators.

“Chickens are a nuisance, and I dealt with them over the years,” said Lovell resident Sean Frost. “It is half the reason my wife and I have chosen to leave Bryon and move to Lovell.”

Frost said the other issue is that the chickens cause a lot of noise and have a bad odor. He also said it will increase predators coming into neighborhoods.

“Chickens are noisy and smelly,” Frost said. “They also attract predators, and if people want to farm and ranch in their backyard, then move to the country and don’t bring the country to town.”

For anyone interested in voicing their concerns on the chicken ordinance, the council will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, April 29, at 6 p.m. at the Lovell Community Center.