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Ohio’s Capital City Mulls Tighter Rules on Backyard Chickens
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – So many people in Ohio’s capital are keeping chickens on their property that the city is proposing new rules governing how domestic farm animals are kept.
The city of Columbus says a growing number of complaints about backyard fowl are moving officials to consider changes, including an annual permit renewal and inspection process. Currently, permits need to be obtained only once.
The health department’s Luke Jacobs says that the city responded to 140 complaints about chickens and other farm animals last year, compared with just 30 in 2010.
Jacobs says many residents without permits who are confronted by inspectors get rid of the animals once they’re informed of the structures or other requirements needed to keep them.