We, the undersigned, seek to amend the Champaign Municipal Code Section 7-5 to permit Champaign residents to keep hens on private property in a responsible manner, subject to reasonable regulations.
Small, properly maintained coops pose no risk to human health. The knowledge and practice of such skills are extremely valuable in preparing future generations to withstand the economic, climatic, and environmental instability we may face in the years to come.
We believe these benefits of keeping hens to be important:
1. Raising hens in today’s urban environment provides educational benefits for children and adults because it requires stewardship of the urban landscape, ecological responsibility, and conscientiousness of food production.
2. Keeping hens is economically feasible and encourages self-sufficiency. Hens can be fed food scraps and garden waste such as weeds and overgrowth.
3. Eggs from home-grown hens are more nutritious compared to those from factory farmed hens that are forced to live in unnatural and often unhealthy conditions.
4. Nitrogen rich chicken droppings enrich compost.
5. Hens can provide natural pest control by consuming grubs and insects.