KILLEEN, Texas — For months, people living within the Killeen city limits have been pushing for the council to change an ordinance so they can raise chickens in their backyards.
”We’ve been pushing for it because it’s time,” said April Chardt, who is pushing for the change of ordinance. "Especially with the egg prices increasing so much."
That’s not the only reason she wants to see the change made.
She says the way it is written now is also keeping kids from participating in things like FFA and 4H.
”These kids can’t raise them legally in the city and a lot of the schools don’t have the resources for them to raise their meat pens at the schools,” Chardt said. “So, it makes it next to impossible for kids living in the city to be able to participate.”
During a City Council meeting September of last year, one council member also brought up an interesting point.
”After doing a little research, I noticed that we were the only city that doesn’t have an ordinance addressing backyard hens,” Ramon Alverez, councilmember at large, said in September. “Copperas Cove has one —Harker Heights, Nolanville, Temple, Belton.”
At the September meeting, the council voted to send the matter to the Animal Advisory Committee for recommendations that will be presented at Tuesday’s meeting.
Some residents are now asking: Why is it taking so long to get to this point?
”This simple thing with chickens, they’ve pushed it off for months and months and months now,” said Chardt.
If approved, the new ordinance would allow for up to 12 hens that would have to be contained in a coop no less than 25 feet from any habitable structure on neighboring properties.
