To the Limon, Colorado City Council
Mayor Julie Coonts
City Manager Dave Stone
Council members Del Beatie, Jim Anderson, Jack Hendricks, Linda Hawthorne, Mike Kelly, Seth Metcalf.

We, the undersigned citizens of Limon, Colorado, believe that small-scale chicken keeping is a healthy, economic, and sustainable way to feed and enrich our families and our community. Besides making great pets, hens provide us with fresh eggs and encourage local sustainable living as well as offering educational opportunities for our children.

Chickens serve as a natural alternative to pesticides. Chickens love to eat insects of all kinds including worms, beetles, grasshoppers, earwigs, mosquitoes and their larvae, fly larvae, ticks and more. Chicken manure serves as an excellent fertilizer for lawns and gardens. Backyard chickens provide many benefits, which is why many towns and cities across the country now permit their residents to raise backyard chickens.

There are many misconceptions surrounding the proposition of keeping backyard chickens. Contrary to the incorrect belief of some, chickens are not dirty animals, do not harbor diseases more than other domesticated animals, are not noisy unless threatened, do not attract predators, are not dangerous to children, and not require a lot of space.We believe that chicken keeping is a healthy, economic, and sustainable way to feed and enrich our families and our communities.

We respectfully request our leaders to act now to clarify City ordinances to allow up to 6 hens (no roosters) in the backyards of residential homes, with certain restrictions as deemed necessary by the Council.

City ordinances currently state that it is unlawful for a person to keep livestock within the city limits except in compliance with the the city’s zoning regulations. Poultry is classified as livestock in this case.

Please consider reclassifying chickens as "domestic animals" or pets, as some cities have done. (For example, Fort Collins, CO, currently allows six hens per, classifies up to six fowl as "household pets" to be regulated under current pet and nuisance laws as needed.)

Alternatively, please consider writing into city ordinances a clear procedure by which backyard chicken raising will be permitted. (For example limiting the number of chickens, requiring neighbor approval, etc.).

Thank you for considering our request.

Sincerely,
[Your name]