We're chicken fans from all over the city and are part of a movement to keep Houston current by allowing the raising of hens on small city lots. Our proposal:
1) Eliminate the 100ft distance setback from neighboring residences for chickens. (Data shows setbacks have no effect on complaints)
2) Punish chicken violations to the same degree as other pets.
3) Recognize chicken waste as a valuable fert
ilizer. Welcome to the Official Hens for Houston page! WE ARE TRYING TO CHANGE THE CITY ORDINANCE TO RESPECTFULLY ALLOW HENS AS PETS. The current rules state that chickens & their coops must be 100ft from neighboring residences, which is outdated compared to rules in cities such as Bellaire, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles! It also states that up to 30 roosters may be kept. Bellaire, on the other hand, has no rules prohibiting hens, and only 2 complaints in 7 years. Please note that this is the OFFICIAL Hens for Houston page - we apologize for any confusion regarding duplicate pages. Accurate, up to date information will only be here. Chickens...
Hens make excellent pets which provide tasty eggs to those who care for them. There are many reasons why Houstonians support urban hens:
•Economic, high-value eggs
•Entertaining pets
•Sustainable local food
•Education about nature and food
•Stronger, healthier communities
•Green way to diminish food deserts
•Diminished waste stream
•Pest and w**d management
•Organic fertilizer
•Animal welfare
•Preservation of heritage breeds
•A smaller carbon footprint
Healthy hens
-Don’t smell if their coops are maintained. Chicken manure is highly compostable, unlike dog and cat waste.
-Aren’t loud. Hens only make noise briefly when laying an egg, which never happens at night.
-Don’t need a rooster. Well fed hens will lay tasty eggs just fine without a rooster present.
-Aren’t space hogs. A hen needs only 5 – 10 ft2 of space. Unlike dogs or cats, they don’t roam into the street or in front yards.
-Attract less pests than dogs or cats do. Chickens actually love to eat the bugs, ticks and garden pests that plague vegetables and other pets.
