As climate changes and extreme weather become more common, food prices are skyrocketing and the threat of food scarcity is increasing. Some people are safeguarding against these risks by growing their own food. But it sometimes sees them facing prohibitive laws and ordinances.
Katie Whalen of Port St. Lucie, Florida, has experienced this firsthand, as illustrated by recent reporting from the Guardian. She hopes to combat high egg prices by maintaining her own chicken coop. However, local law prohibits the city's residents from raising fowl. Officials cite a lack of necessary resources, including code enforcement officers, to regulate such an allowance.
Meanwhile, residents of St. Lucie County who don't live in Port St. Lucie are not beholden to these laws. The county government even began a Backyard Chicken Program, which allows for single-family homes in unincorporated areas of the county to raise fowl.
This incongruence of local laws has inspired Whalen to take action. She began a petition in the hopes of persuading the Port St. Lucie government to reconsider its current stance on backyard chickens.
"As residents facing the escalating cost of living, food, and everyday essential items, we believe it is high time for our local government to allow us to independently contribute to our household's food security," the petition reads. "We are advocating for the legalization of raising backyard chickens (hens only, no roosters) on residential properties in Port St. Lucie, FL."
It's a simple enough request, and Whalen's reasoning is more than sound. Living costs have soared along with egg prices for most of the year. However, there are still some reasonable concerns around allowing backyard chickens in any given municipality.
Norma Padgett, president of the American Poultry Association, has pointed out a few such concerns.
"It's not as easy as one thinks, especially if you have never had them before," she told the Guardian.
Among the overlooked barriers to backyard chicken ownership are, according to Padgett, the building of a safe coop, various ongoing costs, and the potential for disease. Chickens can also be destructive if not properly penned.
Still, while the costs and burdens of raising fowl should not be underestimated, neither should the benefits. Economic and environmental turmoil cannot be wholly held back by any one individual, but maintaining your own food supply can help to mitigate the impacts of both.
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Yes 💯 Chicken coops require work and money, but they can become a tremendous boon in the case that supply chains are disrupted or egg costs become untenable. Whalen knows this, and she's confident that city dwellers can handle backyard chicken ownership responsibly.
"It's working out," she told the Guardian in reference to the success stories she's heard. " … We're not going to have chickens roaming around the streets."
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