Should Residents Keep Chickens in Eden Prairie?

It’s something that many cities throughout Minnesota have had to address, at one point or another: Should residents be allowed to raise chickens in their backyards?

Katie Kearney-Bidwell, an Eden Prairie Patch user, recently posed the question on Patch’s boards.

“I would love to raise a few chickens in my backyard so I can have fresh eggs for my family,” Kearney-Bidwell said.  “I am looking for other Eden Prairie residents interested in doing the same.”

But, according to Eden Prairie City Code, Kearny-Bidwell may have to wait for the city to discuss the topic in more detail.

City Code states that “it is unlawful for any person to keep or harbor any animal not in transit except farm animals (chickens) kept in that portion of the City where they are a conforming or non-conforming use under City Code Chapter 11.”

Eden Prairie isn’t the only metro-area community to balk at the idea of keeping chickens as “pets.”

Up until June, nearby Golden Valley said “no” to residents who wanted to raise chickens. But on June 4, the Golden Valley City Council passed an ordinance that legalized the keeping of domestic chickens in the city.

What do you think? Do you want to raise chickens in your backyard? Tell us in the comments, or post your opinion to our boards section.