Read All about It!

Polk County IO Newspaper article Wednesday, June 27, 2012

City likely to test hen law MONMOUTH -- Monmouth may give backyard hens a chance -- a short-term one, at least -- beginning this summer.

Chicken Coop ABC's

The first rule of thumb to remember is  a chicken coop serves as a hen's safe house.   The second rule of thumb is the main job of a rooster is to protect his hens - your new job is to "be the rooster".  If you keep these simple rules in mind, you should do right by your hens.


When introducing pullets to their new habitat do so at night and put them directly into the coop with the coop doors closed and secure.  This will help them see the coop as their new safe home. Open the coop door the following morning and allow them to inspect their new run. If you introduce them straight to the run, they may feel added stress without clear knowledge where their safe coop is located. 


At night it is highly recommended that you close and bolt the coop door.  This will shelter them from cold, wind and rain, not to mention night time predators. Just as important, a coop door should be latched open during the day so that the wind does not blow the door closed and prevent your girls from gaining access to their shelter, food, water and nest box.  


Speaking of cold, a coop should be free of drafts, yet have ventilation.  The coop should have windows for light. Light stimulates egg production and during our short Pacific Northwest winters days, a hen needs all the light she can get!  Windows are a great way to allow both light and ventilation, providing the window can be opened.  Just remember, any ventilation source must be covered with hardware cloth to keep predators out of the coop.  When it is really cold, ventilation windows will need to be closed to keep freezing weather outside.  Bottom line, no wind, no rain, no drafts, not too hot and not too cold and provide light.  

The Monmouth Count down has begun!

It's official! The Monmouth Chicken Ordinance vote will take place on Thursday, July 5!  Yahoo!  The Ordinance will take effect on Aug 1.  Are you getting ready Monmouth MI Chicken Revolution? 


Be sure to visit website Tabs for a growing list of chicken books and resources.  Feel free to share information you feel would be helpful to others in the MI Chicken Revolution and I will incorporate your tips and references into our Tabs and pages. 

Capital City Chicken Coop! July 21, 2012

A special time is approaching! Capital City Chicken Coop Tour. You can purchase your tickets at Old Mill Garden & Feed Store. $8 per vehicle, Saturday, July 21 between 10 AM and 4 PM. It will be a wonderful day where we can meet poultry people and their girls and see their setups. Idea's galore and a great day to share idea's. It is a self guided tour of 10 Salem Coops, many of which include beautiful gardens, and all within a 10-mile radius! Find all the details linked here!  See you there, I hope.

Urban Chicken Class - Corvallis!

Great Opportunity! Class is in Corvallis on June 23 from 9:00 AM to 1:50 PM. Spaces still open! Field trip to instructor's own coop.  

Linn Benton Community College Urban Chickens-yes you can!

First Reading of the Proposed Monmouth Chicken Ordinance

Please join us at the Tuesday, June 19 Monmouth City Council Meeting at 7 PM to hear the first reading of the Monmouth Chicken Ordinance.  Then next month the ordinance will be read by title and voted upon! Your attendance is a great way to show that Backyard hens are important to you and to keep the pressure on City Council. The Ordinance will be read by title the third Tuesday in July and City Council will cast their vote. Please mark your calendar’s now. The law is scheduled to go into effect August 1, 2012!

Note – the ordinance has been written to our suggested specifications, with one MAJOR difference.  The Ordinance is a special ordinance that will expire in two years.  This clause was added last minute in order to keep the draft ordinance alive.  The rationale was to provide a trial run for the councilors who are still unsure, and to give all of us pressure to do our very best to avoid complaints and compliance issues.  One councilor called this “self policing”.   I have mixed feelings, but am confident that the trial will be a flying success!!  Confident enough to have spent last weekend coop shopping and designing a backyard space.

Monmouth, Oregon Proposed Chicken Ordinance: Please see the attached Monmouth City Council agenda packet for the June 19, 2011 City Council meeting. The staff memo can be found on page 50, and the two proposed Ordinances are on page 51-53. http://www.ci.monmouth.or.us/vertical/sites/%7BCE78EAE1-6CA4-4610-BDB0-A9B3B0A8BB71%7D/uploads/150619_Council_Packet.pdf

Sending a big thank you to everyone!  Good job!  We are in the home stretch!  

Here is the Monmouth, Oregon Chicken Ordinance Schedule

The ordinance will be brought to the next meeting for first reading. The second reading at the next meeting and 30 days after that it is in effect.  It is not a sunset clause, it is a special ordinance that is effective for 2 years.

Chickens are in Monmouth's Future

Sending heart felt gratitude to those that made time to attend the June 5, 2012  City Council Meeting and to our City Councilors for sticking it out until a compromise could be found. Special thanks to all City staff who researched backyard hens, prepared detailed staff reports and for the creation of the Chicken Survey.

There was much debate at the meeting, and it was hard to predict how the cards would fall at times; I believe our attendance made a difference. We even had three individuals who came in support though they did not want backyard hens for themselves. 

Council determined that they would consider the draft ordinance at an upcoming regular council meeting, with one MAJOR modification. The ordinance will be changed to expire in two years, allowing Council a hard deadline to reconsider backyard chicken after a two year trial. Several City Councilors stated they felt a two year trial would press backyard hen enthusiast to self-police in order to make the trial a success. They also felt, that a two year trail would weed out individuals who may not be serious and would not want to make an investment in a coop and run that could prove temporary. It is important to note, that councilors expressed many concerns, but only recommended one modification to the draft ordinance: A two year trial.

Bottom line:

Monmouth Call To ACTION! June 5, 2012 7:00 PM

Monmouth City Council will discuss backyard chickens at the Tuesday, June 5 City Council Work session!  City Council meeting begins at 7:00 PM – the work session follows the city council meeting and is held in the same room.   At this meeting council will consider the results of the chicken survey and the draft ordinance, both can viewed in the link below.  The draft ordinance is based on the Dallas, Oregon Ordinance and our written request for backyard hens.

Meeting date and Location: TUESDAY, June 5th, 2012 AT 7:00 PM. At 144 S. Warren St.
The building is located between City Hall and the Sr. Center and is accessed on Warren St.  It is set back off the road a bit.

The chicken survey results illustrate that the majority of folks want or support backyard hens!

• 354 people responded -