CLUCK founder plays chicken with WR council

Residence: Warner Robins

Activities: Organizer of CLUCK; IT student Middle Georgia State University

Q: What is CLUCK?

A: Citizens Lobbying for Urban Chicken Keeping. It started with attempts to make keeping hens in Warner Robins legal. I grabbed the name from Sarasota (Florida) CLUCK — with permission.

Q: When did your efforts begin?

A: I think April of 2015; two years now.

Q: And an ordinance failed to pass the Warner Robins City Council, right?

A: Right. We had — have — some council support but not enough votes to pass the ordinance. Some that were supportive found parts they didn’t like so we lost their vote. Of course, some were totally against it. Now I’ve had the idea of a citywide referendum to put it before the people. The council seems supportive of that and asked me to draft a new measure. Some thank me for my passion, some voice displeasure, but we’re working to get it out there for the November general election. Looks promising.

Q: What are the odds of it passing and you having chickens in next year?

A: I don’t know. Politicians always say they’re winning until they lose, but I don’t know. I think the majority of people in Warner Robins favor the freedom to keep hens, but the number of voters? The number that will turn out? I don’t know.

Q: How does it get on the ballot?

A: Council can vote to put it on. Even if it passes it’s non-binding on them to pass an ordinance, but I’ve said I’ll drop my efforts if voters don’t approve.

Q: When will they decide? Is there a deadline?

A: I don’t know when they’ll decide or if there’s a deadline. They asked me the same question about the deadline.

Q: What are major points of the measure you propose?

A: Eighty-five or 90 percent is what was on the ordinance before, I just took away and added some provisions. Notably, some points are the requirement for neighbor approval good for the life of the property, just like neighborhood business licenses; a minimum of a coop being 50 feet from a neighbor’s primary dwelling; a limit of five hens, no roosters allowed; and it clearly states home owner associations have and will retain the right to have clauses forbidding chickens just like other things they want to rule out. Our biggest opposition has been from associations like that.

Q: How many people are in CLUCK?

A: We don’t have members but on Facebook we have about 555 likes, the majority in Warner Robins.

Q: Why your interest?

A: I was buying a lot of eggs. When you get fresh eggs, my goodness, the taste is way different. Way better. I was thinking I’d rather not pay five or six dollars for fresh eggs plus I’d like to know what the hens get fed. I researched and found out you couldn’t have them here. Of course, I wanted them more then. It was partly academic, too. I’m a libertarian, not a party member, but libertarian in views. I believe as long as something’s not hurting somebody else, what’s the problem? Keeping hens is just something people should be free to do. Larger cities allow it without problems.

Q: What’s the upside to keeping chickens?

A: If you care about what goes into your body, there’s that, the health side. I think there’s a psychological if not moral benefit to interacting with animals, with your potential food, rather than just seeing meat show up on the shelf. I’m not against eating meat but it’s not good to be so removed from knowing there’s a price, a sacrifice, and even a sadness to it. I think were supposed to eat meat but I think we should know the process sucks a little bit. I think we’re too divorced from the process. I don’t want to slaughter cows in the city, or chickens, but having chickens for eggs? Not too big a thing in my opinion.

Q: There was a recent report of an area elementary school keeping chickens, wasn’t there?

A: There’s a city provision schools can do that. I commend the city view that it’s good for children to see where food comes from and that there’s not a horrible threat to them being around chickens. It’s beneficial. No harm.

Q: But there are also reports of bird flu in Alabama and Tennessee among a few industrial poultry flocks, one referred to as a backyard flock. How about disease?

A: There’s never been one human case of bird flu in the U.S. in the history of ever. It’s not considered a risk to humans. I’ve talked to the CDC and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Bird flu is primarily spread by migratory waterfowl so if you want to address it in the city then deal with ornamental ponds that attract water fowl. The city is actually improving a pond, not banning them. And according to the CDC, only 10 percent of bird flu has anything to do with backyard hens and, again, has posed no threat to humans. The department of agriculture has no recommendations to prohibit or have cities prohibit backyard hens. Not an issue.

Q: Do you recognize any downside?

A: I don’t see any inherent downside that can’t be dealt with. If you want zero noise levels — come on — we live next to an Air Force base. All kinds of noise. Dogs are allowed and measures deal with noisy dogs. Objectionable odor? Again, no more than dogs. I’d say less potential for nuisance.

Q: How long have you lived in Warner Robins?

A: I’m a native, born and raised. I’m 32 — I’ll be 33 when I vote for chickens in November.

This story was originally published March 25, 2017 at 3:07 PM with the headline "CLUCK founder plays chicken with WR council."