By ROBERT ZOLLNA / RZOLLNA@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
BREMERTON — Hidden away within many tranquil Bremerton back yards, you may be surprised to learn that a there is a thriving community of urban chickens and dedicated owners.
After a debate that took more than a year, a large signature ballot initiative and many public city council meetings it has been five years since the Bremerton City Council passed a local ordinance to allow backyard chickens within city limits.
Since the “Great Chicken Debate of 2010,” how has one local family raised and cared for chickens in the city limits today?
In a quaint, single story family home on a lot in Manette lives the Spear family: Brian, Jacquelyn and little 1-year-old Henry.
In the back yard are three beautiful hens: a Buff Orpington, Barred Rock and a Wyandotte.
The Spears lived in Shelton but were planning on moving to Manchester. They’d planned on continuing to raise chickens after the move so got involved with the bring chickens to Bremerton movement.
They wrote letters to the city council, but by the time they moved the fight was over and chickens were allowed.
Under Bremerton Municipal Code 7.06, aptly called “Chickens,” the city limits the number allowed to no more than five hens.
The Spears think three is plenty for the average-sized lot and family.
“We get 18 eggs a week and care and cleaning isn’t a big chore,” Jacquelyn said. “And of course, no roosters.”
The city also has specific restrictions on hen houses, they must be setback from property lines, provide 6 square feet per chicken and be less than 200 square feet in size.
Brian built the family hen house from mostly reclaimed material. It has an upper roosting area and a lower nesting area, and the hen house is connected to a enclosed wire run.
He said the wire has to be secure and extend into the ground to keep predators like racoons and opossums out.
One of the main concerns in 2010 was that chicken feed could attract vermin.
The Spears keep all the stored chicken food and grain in a sealed metal bin and only feed what they think the chickens will eat in a day. So far, they’ve had no rodent problems.
Maybe the biggest point of contention was the city’s requirement for a annual chicken license. It costs $12.50 and is the same form as cat license, save for one small difference.
“It is funny that they don’t have a dedicated form,” Jacquelyn said. “The last time they just crossed out the word ‘cat’ on the top of the form and wrote in ‘chicken.’” But the Spears have no problem paying the fee. They feel it goes to help the city and is earmarked for animal control.
It seems that five years after “Great Chicken Debate of 2010” the world did not come end and responsible chicken owners that comply to the city code have peacefully settled into the urban environment with their birds.
“Most our neighbors don’t even know we have chickens and the closest ones that do actually enjoy watching them,” Jacquelyn said.
