Chickens and the City

Last week, Modern Farmer had an article about backyard homesteading: "Impulse Chickens and Trendy Goats: The Pitfalls of Modern Homesteading." The article reports: "A few months after backyard chickens became popular in the spring of 2020, farm rescues and sanctuaries saw an influx of surrendered birds."

Reading the article reminded me of the chicken issue in Hudson. The notion of allowing backyard chickens in Hudson was proposed to the Common Council Legal Committee in February 2020, and the necessary amendment to the zoning code to make that happen was finally passed in July 2020. According to the law, "Chickens may be kept in any zoning district within the City of Hudson subject to a conditional use permit issued by the City of Hudson Planning Board." 

In Gossips' recollection, confirmed this morning by code enforcement officer Craig Haigh, only two such permits have been issued by the Planning Board, one of them to the person who requested the amendment in the first place. It is not known if there are people raising chickens in Hudson without the required conditional use permit, or if the two people who received conditional use permits are still keeping chickens.

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