Update!

Garnering support from local residents for the legalisation of backyard chickens. Photo taken from Give Peeps a Chance website

On a much, much happier note: remember the post a few weeks back about the Give Peeps a Chance movement to allow backyard chickens in SoPo? Guess what! On September 4th, 2007, the SoPo City Council passed the change of ordinance, 7-0. Unanimous vote to allow residents to keep hens on residential property. Huzzah!

According to the website updates:
The first year, 20 permits will be issued, with a review at the end of the year to assess how well it's working. The ordinance goes into effect on Sept 25, 2007. The basics are: with an annual permit up to 6 hens allowed for personal (non-commercial) use; no roosters; hens must be kept penned or fenced; henhouses require building permit and are subject to stringent requirements re: appearance, predator-safety, and setbacks; no smell or noise nuisance allowed.

The website is currently undergoing a transformation into a place where residents can go for detailed information and resources about the ordinance change, license requirements and the safe raising of hens.

My hat's off to Stacey, Neil and Olivia, the ones who started the whole thing and saw it through to fruition. Well done, you.