HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson residents can bring more chickens home to roost.
The Hutchinson City Council voted Tuesday to increase the number of chickens a resident can own, changing it from three to eight chickens on most city properties, the Hutchinson News reported.
Jim Sietnater, interim planning director, told the newspaper that keeping chickens is a growing trend.
If someone wants a larger flock of chickens and has the area to do that, they can add an additional chicken for every 250 square feet. That maxes out at 20 chickens. All chickens must be fenced in, with coops being kept neat in appearance.
However, roosters are still not allowed in Hutchinson, and the public slaughtering or processing of chickens remains off limits.
Mayor John Richardson saw a discrepancy with the ordinance with regard to rural lands in the city, the newspaper reported. In the rural areas, there remain allowances for cattle, horses, sheep, deer, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, gamebirds, geese and other poultry. However, pigs are no longer allowed.
