City should reevaluate limiting chickens

I and others in the community have worked to bring connection to people and food. We wish to introduce healthy eating and lifestyles more sustainable and connected to natural systems. We desire to improve the food security in our community. Sustainable food systems are local. This is possible when individuals grow or produce some of their food needs or purchase food from local farmer and ranchers, best a combination of both.

Chickens are a gateway to home food production. They are typically the easiest small livestock to care for and obtain a yield from. Some other benefits to chickens are that they eat kitchen food waste and turn it into eggs, a high value protein, and chicken poop that can be composted and used to build healthy soil fertility for a home garden. The home garden can provide additional food for people and their chickens. This cycle continues on with chickens being a keystone species for sustainable home food production while reducing household waste. This can be done in town on a small city lot.

Extra eggs can be sold or traded with neighbors. Imagine getting fresh eggs from your neighbor that were just laid the day before rather than driving to Helena and purchasing eggs from Walmart that have been trucked in across the country, originating on a factory farm where chickens are packed into cages and never see the outdoors.

I wish for the Boulder City Council to encourage the community to step up and produce, not just consume. Let’s keep food dollars local and eat healthier. We can build a more resilient community by growing and producing food right here in Boulder. Let’s not limit chickens.

Susie Hartman

Basin