BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — As food costs rise, some people have taken up homesteading to grow and raise their own food. However, Blue Springs residents are not allowed to have chickens or ducks within city limits.
Saturday morning, the group Blue Springs Citizens for Backyard Hens stood outside a local coffee shop collecting petition signatures for their cause.
It all started when Jen Cline had to rehome her four ducks after learning of the ordinance prohibiting domestic fowl. She hopes the rehoming is temporary while she advocates for her cause and pushes for a new ordinance.
“The ordinance that we have written excludes roosters and drakes, so no roosters are going to be allowed … up to six hens,” said Cline. “Their hens have to be contained inside their coop during the day. They're not allowed to free range, so we won't have a bunch of animals at large, which is another concern.”
Amanda Ramirez is part of the group collecting signatures. She wants her family to be able to have hens for sustainability purposes, among other reasons.
“They are eco-friendly, so they eat your food scraps. They also eat all of the nasty bugs that we don’t like, like mosquitoes and ticks, so it reduces that population within the city without having to use harmful pesticides. It also lets us know as citizens where our food is coming from,” said Ramirez.
At a Sept. 5 Blue Springs City Council meeting, the city instructed staff to draw up a new ordinance for consideration. In the meantime, the pro-chicken group has also created its own that they plan to let the city council know about on Monday.
Blue Springs is one of the only cities in Jackson County that does not allow hens or ducks domestically. However, some residents want it to stay that way.
“I don't want to see them, smell them, hear them. You know, I didn't move next to a golf course to have chickens in my neighbor's backyard,” said Natalie Shinn, who moved to town a year ago.
Shinn said she has nothing against the animals, or the people organizing the movement, but she doesn’t think chickens or ducks belong in Blue Springs backyards. She lives in a neighborhood with a homeowners association that she said already doesn’t allow the animals and she hopes it stays that way.
“I would just hope that they're going to be responsible. You know, whoever gets it if it does pass,” said Shinn about if the ordinance were to change.
Ramirez and Cline claim the animals have minimal smell and are fairly quiet, comparing the noise to that of a dog barking. For now, the group is working to get 3,500 signatures. They currently have over 300.
Cline said she expects the city council to present their proposed ordinance in November. Blue Springs City Council meets again on Monday, Oct. 16.
Blue Springs Residents of Backyard Hens will be collecting signatures every Saturday from 8 to 9 a.m. in front of the Bean Counter and at the Farmers Market through the end of the season.
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