Resident Starts Ferndale Chicken Petition

Laura Mikulski is a Ferndale chicken's best friend.

She's been working toward changing the chicken ordinance in Ferndale so that residents can have coops closer than 150 feet to a structure. The current ordinance states that coops need to be 150 feet away from any structure.

And, as you might imagine, there aren't many places in Ferndale, under that ordinance, where coops are legal.

On Thursday, Mikulski started a petition drive to gather supporters for those who also want to be able to legally raise chickens in their backyards.

Mikulski said after an April 15 story by Ferndale Patch about , she started receiving an outpouring of support (as well as numerous media inquiries). But there had been no real way to quantify that. Thus the petition was born.

"The main goal is to not just be able to track support but to also show council that Ferndale wants chickens," she said.

As of Friday morning, 48 people had signed the petition.

Bethany Shorb signed the petition on May 12. She lists her residency as Michigan. "Keeping hens (is a) great teaching tool for the young and imperative for those who want sustainable, healthy eggs outside of the factory-farming system, which as taken over the US," she states.

Brenda Pomroy signed the petition on May 13. "I think changing the ordinance is a wonderful idea," she writes. "I have always wished I could keep a few hens and I know my neighbors would be all for it as well." She lists her residency as Michigan.

At Monday's City Council, Ferndale resident Ido Meron addressed city council during call to audience with his support of residential chicken coops.

"The benefits of keeping laying hens is access to fresh naturally produced eggs," he said. "Chickens eat bugs and weeds and (is a) benefit for gardens, which can reduce or even eliminate the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides. Chickens produce manure that can be composted for natural fertilizer. Chickens can provide an education opportunity to see where your food is coming from. Chickens can also be pets for people who are allergic to fur and danger."

Meron said that there are downsides if the chickens aren't cared for like any other animal that isn't cared for but "there doesn't have to be (downsides)."

Mikulski said there hasn't been much progress on the city side. She's said she's spoken with Oakland County Commissioner, and former Ferndale Mayor, Craig Covey who has backed Ferndale chickens, but she wants to move forward with contacting and speaking with City Hall.

Sign the petition to support backyard chickens here.

Visit Ferndale Chickens website here.

Correction: In a previous version of this story Ferndale resident Ido Meron's name was misspelled. It has been corrected.