Fair or fowl, Glencoe village officials will once again examine whether to allow residents to keep certain types of chickens in their backyards.
At the Sept. 23 Committee of the Whole meeting, trustees authorized staff to start an assessment on whether residents should be permitted to keep chickens, most likely hens, on private property.
The idea was hatched by Trustee Peter Mulvaney at an August meeting, leading to staff doing some initial investigation on the topic.
“This is a no-brainer in my mind,” noted Mulvaney, who also sits on the village’s Sustainability Task Force. “I can’t imagine why we would not allow it.”
Mulvaney added after the meeting that this would be an opportunity for residents to take control of the quality and source of their food.
During the discussion, Mulvaney said he believes owners will maintain their properties to prevent predators, such as coyotes, and proposed limiting the number of chickens to six, adding that he thought a license agreement was reasonable.
Specifically, he wants residents to be able to keep hens.
“Hens are what we are after here, it is unlikely we want to have roosters. Hens are producing eggs of course, and they are quiet,” Mulvaney said.
According to village staff, neighboring communities like Highland Park, Deerfield, Evanston and Northbrook allow residents to keep chickens on their property with varying limitations.
“That suggests to me we can probably do this without destroying life as we know it in Glencoe,” Village President Howard Roin said.
Trustee Dudley Onderdonk expressed interest in Deerfield’s policies that allows four chickens to be kept on residential properties with regulations on coop locations. Owners must also acquire a license, among other requirements.
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A village of Deerfield spokesman said the town currently has 13 homes with permits for chickens and the village has not received any complaints in the five years coops have been permitted.
The village considered this same idea in 2012, but it led to a contentious debate between neighbors and the regulations were not changed, according to Roin.
“We should all recognize that is possible,” Roin cautioned of another skirmish.
Roin said if changes are made and problems do occur, village officials can always reconsider.
Village Manager Phil Kiraly said staff would come back at a future meeting with a draft ordinance and some proposed regulations.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.