Charlton, Milton tackle ‘backyard chickens’

Raising and keeping chickens has become a hot topic in the suburbs of southwestern Saratoga County, with two communities taking different approaches.

The growing town of Milton last fall moved to legalize chickens even in suburban neighborhoods, while the more-rural town of Charlton is considering changes that would keep them out of its subdivisions.

Both communities are reacting to a growing number of people wanting to keep chickens, even in cities or suburbs, for the sake of having fresh eggs or other benefits of raising poultry.

The Milton Grange will hold a workshop Saturday, Feb. 21, for novice chicken farmers who may be encouraged by the new town law, hoping to encourage the “backyard chicken” movement. Charlton, meanwhile, is looking at setting minimum lot restrictions that would likely limit chickens to rural parts of the town.

A contingent of people who keep chickens is expected to come to Monday’s Charlton Town Board meeting to object to proposed rules that would say people need at least two acres before they can keep chickens (not more than 20) and five acres before they can keep a rooster. The proposed changes, part of a larger revision of the town zoning code, would also require that the chickens be fenced in — a restriction some farmers object to because they want their chickens to run free.

Charlton town Supervisor Alan Grattidge said the proposal was an effort to clear up vagueness in the current zoning law concerning how much land is needed for raising poultry, but he acknowledged “a fair amount of pushback.” He said the only reference to poultry in the current zoning code requires 25 acres of land for a commercial poultry operation.

“It’s a gray area,” he said of backyard chickens under the current law.

What’s being proposed would apply only in residential-agricultural and agricultural zoning districts, but existing residential chicken flocks — including some in the hamlet of Charlton — would be allowed to continue.

“We’re prohibiting it from residential,” Grattidge said. “We’re concerned it might be a problem because the lots are much smaller in the residential zone. It’s a good-neighbor policy.”

No Town Board action is expected Monday, he said.

In Milton, a zoning amendment adopted last September says that up to 12 chickens can be kept on non-farm residential properties, on condition that they be caged and kept in the backyard. Roosters are prohibited, presumedly for not knowing when to be quiet (hens don’t need roosters’ help to lay eggs).

“They’re clean as long as you take care of them, they’re quiet, they make good pets,” said Eric Smassanow of Milton, a Grange member and organizer of the Feb. 21 workshop.

“The Grange is always trying to promote a rural living atmosphere,” he said.

The free workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Milton Community Center on Northline Road. Topics to be covered include how to order chicks, raise them and care for them. Smassanow said the event will be family-friendly, with day-old chicks that children can observe.

“This is a class for people who might have been afraid of chickens, or don’t want to take that step because they’re afraid they won’t succeed,” Smassanow said. “There’s a network out there to help them.”

Smassanow has kept small numbers of chickens in a rural part of Milton for roughly 30 years.

“We want people to know you can be in a rural frame of mind even if you live in the suburbs,” he said.

In general, the number of people wanting to keep their own chickens has been growing across the nation, as interest has increased in fresh food and sustainable agriculture.

“I know it’s a hot topic, with the movement to eat local and grow your own really taking off, and every time there’s a food security scare there seems to be more interest,” said Jaime O’Neill, the county planner who deals with agricultural issues.

She said the towns of Malta and Moreau have also looked recently at rules for keeping chickens in residential areas.

When there are complaints, she said, it’s typically about the crowing of roosters, though free-ranging chickens that go onto other people’s property can also cause problems.

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