Selectmen Serve Up Chicken Vote

Selectmen delivered a mixed verdict on a proposed bylaw that would loosen restrictions on keeping chickens in town.

Three selectmen supported the concept, while another opposed it and a fifth opted not to vote.

Town Meeting voters will be asked Monday whether to approve a new bylaw informally known as This new regulation would allow residents in areas zoned for single-family or two-family homes to keep up to six hens without requiring a special permit.

This is aimed at saving people from having to obtain a special permit to keep them, which can cost as much as $130, Agricultural Commission chairman James Walsh has said. The Agricultural Commission and the Planning Board support the bylaw.

People in other zoned areas would still need a special permit to keep chickens.

Selectman chairman Peter Adams said he supported the change and noted that, before changes made in 1986, town residents could raise anything they wanted without seeking permission. There were no problems as a result, he said.

Selectman John Carlson countered that the town has grown significantly since then. He said he worried that keeping chickens would be a “fad’’ and that chickens would cause problems with neighbors.

He cast the sole vote against the bylaw. He also serves as the town’s Animal Inspector.

Selectmen Brook Padgett and John Dowling also supported the bylaw. Selectman David Ross was neutral on the issue.

This change would only apply to hens. Roosters are not allowed without a permit, Walsh said, because of potential noise concerns.

The chickens would need to be kept in an area that allows for a minimum of four square feet per hen. Coops would need to be at least 30 feet from the road and 15 feet from the property line, the same requirements that are in place for any backyard structure, committee member John Wilson has said.