The Indian Harbour Beach City Council was about to have the city remain backyard chicken-free April 23 when they realized hens were already in their neighborhoods.
So their current prohibition is impossible to enforce. After discussions among council and impassioned comments from the audience both for and against backyard chickens, the council instructed Indian Harbour Beach City Manager Mark Ryan to gather information for a future meeting at which the council could consider amending city code to allow backyard chickens. Under the current code, unless there is a complaint, law enforcement cannot search backyards.
Opponents cited health concerns about close contact between children and chickens, and the handling and removal of chicken waste which could be distributed by wind during a storm.
Organizing the pro-chicken drive for a code change was Ashton Gelzinis of Indian Harbour Beach, mother of two boys under age 6. After the city received a complaint, Gelzinis was ordered to, within two weeks, remove the urban hens she has had for seven years. In less than two weeks she collected more than 100 signatures in support of the code change.
“I felt that it was never an issue because others had them first. We try to do it responsibly. Whatever the rules, we’ll be happy to follow them,’’ she said.
Speaking for the measure was John Stone of Indian Harbour Beach, who is a city employee for neighboring Satellite Beach, which has allowed backyard chickens for nearly three years after a successful trial period.
“It was controversial going in and we thought it was going to be the biggest issue ever, and it just hasn’t been. Most of those who registered already had chickens and we’ve gotten something like three permits per year,’’ Stone said.
The cities in Brevard prohibiting backyard chickens include Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Palm Shores and Indialantic. Titusville allows them, but requires applicants to complete training classes and obtain permits. There have been 24 permits issued in Titusville since the program started in 2017, according to Assistant City Clerk Jolynn Donhoff.
Melbourne allows backyard chickens as family pets, meaning you cannot sell eggs or raise chickens for food. About 34 homes now have registered chickens in Melbourne. While most cities allow a maximum of four hens, Melbourne bases the maximum on acreage, said City Clerk Cathy Wysor. So far in 2019 there have been six permits issued for a total of 42 chickens, with most going in groups of three to six hens, she said.
Discovering chickens already are in the neighborhoods is something common to all Brevard cities, said Joe Walker, agricultural extension agent for UF/IFAS Brevard County who gives the class on poultry care.
“That goes on all the time. People just go ahead and do it and it’s become a national trend, but they need to know how to do it right. It’s like I tell them at the end of the class: It may be allowed, but it’s up to you to make it work. It there are complaints, you’re going to have problems,’’ he said.