The chicken debate is heating up in North Judson. Last week, the town council voted to have police officer Frank Thomas enforce the town’s existing animal ordinance by removing all remaining chickens in town, after next month’s county fair. But one resident says the action unfairly singles her out.
Sarah Burkett says her chickens were grandfathered in by the town council several years ago, and there hasn’t been much of an issue since then. “I actually have spoke to the town, and there have been no complaints about noise or smell, just that they were alive,” she says. “I have gone to most of my neighbors, and no one has an issue with them. Nobody has had any complaints. There have not been any noise complaints from anyone.” She says that the chickens roost and sleep at night, making it unlikely that they’re keeping neighbors up.
But exactly how those chickens were grandfathered in has been a source of confusion during recent council meetings. Council President Wendy Hoppe believed the measure only applied to the specific chickens on the property at the time, and no new chickens could be obtained. To settle the question, council members requested that documentation be provided. As of last week, they hadn’t received any.
However, Burkett says she has a copy of the minutes of the meeting when her chickens were grandfathered in. And she says she wasn’t the only one allowed to keep chickens. “There’s also another farm, that is an actual farm, that has been grandfathered in, and they have not had anything going on,” she says. “So I just don’t know why I’m being singled out.”
Town officials said last week the issue was acreage. Clerk-Treasurer Alicia Collins said when it comes to having animals, there’s a difference between living on a farm and living in the middle of a neighborhood. Collins suggested that council members may consider adding acreage requirements into the ordinance.
Burkett says that several cities allow residents to keep a certain number of chickens with no acreage minimum, including Indianapolis, South Bend, Valparaiso, and Chesterton. But some rural communities have been reluctant to follow suit. Last year, the Winamac Town Council narrowly voted down an urban chicken ordinance. At the time, Winamac officials contacted eight other communities in the area, and none of them recommended allowing chickens within city limits.
However, Burkett says becoming more chicken-friendly could make North Judson more attractive to new residents. “Why are we not trying to attract younger people that are asking to have this? This is the craziest thing. Let’s worry about getting more movies at Norwayne, which is fantastic, getting more color runs. Let’s focus on those things,” she says. “Chickens that aren’t bothering anyone – or I’m sorry, bothering one person – it just seems like a very small thing. I don’t understand it, when I have already been allowed to have them.”
Burkett also takes issue with a comment made during last week’s council meeting by Officer Thomas, regarding the timeline of the chickens’ removal, specifically, “They can get through their 4-H, and then it’s dinner time.”
“I find the humor in it, but very distasteful,” Burkett says, “when you have an eight-year-old that loves her chickens, and then also my three-year-old that goes out and collects chickens. And we have one hen that is very sweet and will allow you to pick her up. My kids are learning how to feed and water and collect eggs. They’re learning where their food comes from. What is the harm in this?”
Burkett plans to discuss the issue with the town council during its next regular meeting on July 3. It’s scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the North Judson Town Hall, but Burkett says the interest being generated may mean it will have to be moved to a larger venue.
