It will also be used to bring awareness to things that need to be change at a local, state, national, & world level. The current zoning in Santee only allows hens in zones HA-1 and R1. The proposed zoning change will allow female chickens on property with a single-family home that may or may not be in the previously approved zones. This proposal will exclude zones R7 through R33, which are areas w
ith apartments. Raising a small number of laying chickens is a not only fiscally responsible, it is also a form of environmental and community sustainability. Towns throughout the country are changing their laws to help expand the growing food localization movement. When Santee chooses to change its own laws the city will be joining a nationwide movement to improve quality of life. In addition to providing food for a family, chickens serve as pets. Unlike most pets, chickens are not noisy animals; they go to bed when it is dark so they never create noise issues when people are trying to sleep, unlike most of the family pets in the city. Since the proposed changes in zoning will still not permit roosters, there will be no early morning crowing that may inadvertently wake neighbors accidentally. Chickens Are Not Smelly
Chickens themselves do not smell. Any possible odor would come from their droppings, but 6 hens generate less manure than one medium-sized dog. The typical chicken keeper is also a gardener, and, unlike the f***s of dogs and cats – which carry pathogens and cannot be composted – chicken droppings present an excellent source of free organic fertilizer when composted. Unsanitary conditions can result in a buildup of ammonia in large-scale operations, which is why commercial poultry facilities often smell. This is not the case for small backyard flocks. Also, if the chicken keeper is not a composter or gardener they can easily just toss the manure right into their Waste Management green bin. Chickens are Not Messy
Chicken enclosures used in city and urban settings tend to be attractive and are easily maintained. Small flocks are managed with a minimum of time and energy on the part of their owners. Chickens Are Not Noisy
Hens are quiet birds. Roosters, not chickens, are known for loud morning crowing and roosters are not necessary for the production of eggs. The occasional clucking of hens is generally not audible beyond 25 feet. Some hens give a few squawks while actually laying an egg or to announce it afterward but this noise is very short-lived and much quieter than barking dogs, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, passing trucks, children playing, and other common neighborhood sounds. It is time for Santee to allow its residence to become independent producers of their own food. With your support we can change the zoning laws to allow our citizens to live an independent and sustainable lifestyle.