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Keywords

urban, urban communities, chickens, chicken-keepers, livestock, urban agriculture, backyard chickens

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In the pre-industrial era, before the advent of long-distance transportation or food preservation, human survival necessitated proximity to where food was grown or husbanded. Cities located near agriculturally productive lands and domesticated livestock animals were commonplace within cities. But by the 1920s, the technological innovations of the Second Industrial Revolution left urban areas free of farm animals and farm-related activities. Local governments exercised their powers to codify the separation of residential and agricultural uses within cities and reinforce the idea that food production was not proper in community neighborhoods. Yet, a century later, local governments use those same powers to bring agriculture back to cities.

Today, urban dwellers are not only growing fruits and vegetables, but also keeping small livestock for eggs, milk, honey, and, increasingly, meat. In particular, the popularity of keeping backyard chickens has grown over the past two decades. Due to historical bans and restrictions on urban agriculture, food cultivation and production have been mostly unregulated, thereby creating conflicts and uncertainties. This Note contends that, as municipalities in the United States address the regulatory vacuum to regulate urban agriculture, local governments should also pass ordinances that permit chicken-keepers to slaughter their backyard chickens on-site at their private, residential property. Despite the potential offenses that backyard slaughter may cause, the practice could have numerous benefits, including strengthening the local food system, respecting private property rights, and regulating a growing urban practice.

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